I've got to say I blame Thurston Moore and his Sonic Youth for making me think about instruments as a paint brush versus notes. Can't say I ever dared to invent or play weird guitar tunings, except for the occasional drop "D" but I often enjoy working with a simple palette. Even a single not solo works for me. Anyway here's a few tunes by the 99th best guitarists ever as noted by Rolling Stone and a zillion other guitar heads. I put him up and Lee Renaldo in the top 10 innovators of the instrument. [...]
So much pop indie rock this month we don't know what to do with ourselves. We love our inbox so keep the music coming. Here's a few bands from Washington DC, Brooklyn, Florida, to Hampshire, UK. This first one is a good song to open up our singles with by Access Royale . Cool little guitars, keyboard and bass interplay that tweeters and draws you in like a puzzle made out of musical notes. Think Dismemberment Plan and Bloc Party. Yup Access Royale are from DC so the proverbial chord [...]
Everybody loves this little purple man. He can sling a riff smoother than silk. Call him whatever you like Artist, Maven or a pompous Perfectionist he kows how to write a song so if you make it sound like shit it's because you suck. Little Red Corvette MP3 by Montagna & The Mouth to Mouth from their CD L'avenir . First time I heard this it took me totally by surprise. I mean what's not to like about a really well done Prince cover right? [...]
So when I started this documentary project on the Sound Station last summer in 2011 it was really to celebrate something that was pretty unique to my dear old town of Westfield, New Jersey. The hope is that this story turns into a comeback for a little cultural mecca that was just starting to gets it's legs back. Embraced by the local NJ music scene like The Court Tavern was this was just another unexpected blow. The record store was going through a resurgence finding their audience on facebook and throwing free shows they were able [...]
ALBUM REVIEW: Little did these two bands know that their last performance would leave behind rubble and a set of burnt out souls. I'm of course talking about the fire that destroyed the Sound Station in Westfield where above video was shot a week before that tragic Sunday on Jan 22nd, 2012. This was not their intent only metaphorically of course. Bob Larsen the owner loves to celebrate all sorts of music and these guys were part of that musical entertainment. So, if your a fan of noise, as he is, and copious guitar notes then [...]
Bobby Albert - Serving Hub City Rock from 1981-2012 Nobody knows the answer Why Bobby Albert Jr would one day wake-up on a cold January and decide The Court Tavern (124 Church St) would close it's doors forever. Maybe he got an offer he could not refuse - but I doubt it. Maybe the burden of a looming $60 thousand dollar bar license was just too huge an amount of hard swet and pride he was not willing to cough up one more time. The hole was just to big so he folded his hand. [...]
MUSIC REVIEW: Kate Tucker - Ghost of Something New EP (Noise Trade) - I'm going to tell all you manly men types with your new mustaches and hippie cologne. You would not want to leave this girl for fear she'd write a killer song which on first listen would turn you into a puddle of salt. So fair warning. Lucky for you she mixes it up a bit on her most recent EP but still delivers sultry alt country angel tinged vocals that are truly aspirational. The shining light of alt-rock maybe. You can be brave [...]
To say this music is dance floor friendly is probably the understatement of 2012 yet by Truth & Soul Records . First up is an Ethiopian big band that is literally on fire called Zafari with something they call "King Masaru". The mother of a beat starts it off with some horns moving you along that will make you groove till your ass falls off. The second thing below is from A Tribute To Isaac Hayes by El Michels Affair called "Run Fay Run" which is featured on a exclusive 45 (yup vinyl). [...]
So welcome everybody to 2012. Here's some new music kicking it off with the very pleasant music of Little Jungles not to be confused with little daggers. This track is Psych rock with nice little lead guitar through-out. Download: Nothing Will Grow MP3 by Little Jungles (2012) You may ask what's a Mondrian? Some freaky dutch Neo Plasticism? No it's pop music made by a French band called Mondrian who have made a killer video for another one of their tracks called Beware! The [...]
Somehow the kids dig prog rock. I'm not quiete sure how you get to Captain Beefheart from what it is today as a truly misunderstood and wide genre of music. Prog rock used to be a dirty hippie word until the math geeks slowly adopted copious notes and the notion that it's ok to mix your metal with your jazz. Mostly though it's just a "Other" category. Now it's cool. Not sure how the leap happended but it did. Somewhere in the basement stax is the vinyl for Songs for the Terrestrially Challenged (1995) LP [...]
Dear 2012, can we put on our wish list that PULASKI the band of Baltimorians make some more music for us this year? Whiskey and beer can sometimes coax the muse out of the best of bands in Pulaski's case it's the simple motivation like these except for maybe breakfast food. Ok they're prone to write the occasional break-up song like their classic "I want my records back" or the religious anthem the "Black Hand of g*d"? The inspiration is pleasantly misanthropic my friends so help reel in the vibe. They'll brew a song about almost anything using [...]
Tumble these Singles Here's our Top 5 singles of 2011. Sometimes a band has a song where just by itself it's the shit. Everything else around the album is sometimes window dressing and we're just not aware of anything else. In some cases more than others we think ok there's the hit or crap the band just releases a few songs so it's a bunch of EPs. Anyway, here's a few jems worth bring to your attention. Happy New Year and Enjoy! 05) " Don't Think I'll Make It Through Another " MP3 [...]
There is no scientific methodology to picking the best of album of 2011. Every year it does not seem like any good music is on the horizon then the music that matters start to tickle our ears. We go with the gut check versus a pedantic drivel as our motto around here. Sometime music is able to surprise you on first listen -sometimes second but if it does nothing after third pass we just move on along. Other times you respect a few words someone else says and you suddenly see the light. These are the various reasons we [...]
Turnpike Glow is a Italian rock outfit currently residing in the UK who are prepping for a release in 2012. They self-exiled themselves to work on their music. If you dig that space-rock stylings of Phoenix this should be right your alley. The Turn The Pike And The Glow MP3 Sunny Guy MP3 by Paul Brill from Breezy as follow-up to Harpooner (2006).This guy has been a studio guy for some time working with much rock royalty. A modern [...]
Bowery Electric: CBGB's Exile X-Mas Jahn Xavier with Lenny Kaye, and Tish & Snooky Here's a very special Christmas Playlist treat straight from DJ Tone . Once upon a time there was a little club called CBGB's OMFUG which was owned and operated by Hilly Kristal. He developed a home where a legacy of bands that defined NYC's underground music from The Ramones, Blondie to the The Patti Smith Group could perform. Every month these wayard punks that defined an era of music get together once a month. Punks in Exile from that [...]
As we prepare to feast today I thought I'd post some songs about love and giving a big thanks to the Review Stalker readers, Twitter Followers, music fans and bands. All 3 of you know who you are so a sincere thank you! Finding good songs that are a true thank you was hard. Anyway, It was little over a year ago we went big time with the official RS blog domain. Everybody wants to own their own brand. Right? The unofficial one lived for many years on blogger. Not a huge leap really just more control on [...]
photo by Scott Alario ALBUM REVIEW: Somewhere in-between a white trash hero and flippant grandpa boy is what indie folkster John McCauley has been repainting. Deer Tick is the story of American Gothic recovering from a binge. If the Deervana stunt is any evidence. He's literally wearing and proud of his choice of flannel rock. I've always been a fan of the music coming out of Providence RI, it's always a little dark and pleasantly seedy. I think they have more Go Go Bars per square mile in their city limits juxtaposed against [...]
SINGLES: Lets kick this Month's Crop of manly Movember single reviews with South London's lively band called Dead Social Club . Despite the mention of a Jeffrey on the self titled song from EP 'Syrian Kisses' it is not a reference to all inclusive recreational joint from Take Me To The Greek with P-Diddy. This is classic Brit electronic indie rock mixing all of the glorious warehouse vibes into one head bopping tune via their 6 piece ensemble. Syrian Kisses MP3 by Dead Social Club [...]
Slothbear Cantor On Album Review ALBUM REVIEW: A Slothbear is what do you get when you mix some mammals and paint in Staten Island which forms the release they call Cantor On . Some may write this part of New York off as just a breeding ground for lap dance vixens but we won't be so narrow minded. We thought we heard something deeper when we featured them in our Crop-O-Singles over the summer and here we are proven right. They do have more moves than a Go-Go dancer! This [...]
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