If you haven't had a chance to check out Part 1 of this interview check it out below. The final part I asked Alex to give me some idea about each song on his new record. Sorry it's taken so long to post! EZ: Give me an idea of what inspired you lyrically and melodically for each track in as few or many words as you'd like. [...]
Having reviewed Alex Nackman's newest CD a number of weeks ago I wanted to dive in a bit further. Thankfully Alex was nice enough to have a little e-mail Q&A session. Here's what transpired. EZ: Your sound has evolved over the years, personally I hear a lot of U2, early Coldplay, and even Radiohead in this new album that makes it so unique from previous work. What were your actual [...]
Well, more than two years have passed since Alex Nackman released a new album. A pretty standard amount of time, but longer than normal from Alex's normal mode of writing and releasing music on an almost annual basis. I'm a firm believer that a band should only put out a new album every 2-3 years. Yet, I realize this is a lot to ask for in our current music climate where songs/albums are listened to, digested, and discarded almost instantaneously. However, the time it takes to craft a good song can often take months in the making. Rushing things is [...]
How do you write a review for an album that hasn't been officially released and has already been reviewed by anyone and everyone - two - three ? The praise being heaped upon Kanye West's newest album endangers inflating his massive ego to astronomical proportions...that is, if it wasn't already on that level. My personal affection for 'Ye/Yeezy/Kanye/et al. runs all the way back to circa 2005 in between College Dropout and Late Registration. In fact, [...]
Well, this is the one everyone has been waiting for (especially the NYT ). But if you're expecting The Boxer, Part II you may be disappointed. I'm pretty sure The National's new album could have just as easily been titled: "Where did we go from there?" Which is basically the question to be asked after the huge success of The Boxer 3+ years ago. Upon finishing the previous album you were not only left wanting more, but thinking, "What do you do [...]
Dear Rock 'n Roll, Occasionally I think you've been murdered. Not literally, but maybe your core ideals have changed too much over the last 30+ years to the point you're unrecognizable. The shirtless guys with long hair, too-tight jeans, et al. now look like posers trying to recreate a time before they were even born. Juicy guitar riffs are such a rarity, that when I hear a good one (let alone a few on one album) I have to play the track back just to confirm [...]
What do you get when two singer-songwriters team up? What about when one of them performs with a cello instead of a guitar? Ben Sollee and Daniel Martin Moore may seem to only be related by the fact they're two of the more celebrated young indie folk artists in the last few years, but they're both from Kentucky and love mountains. Literally. Written in remonstration of the heinous form of surface mining known as mountaintop removal, Sollee explains in the liner notes how this type of [...]
You may have seen some cool new commercials for the Amazon Kindle ( #1 and #2 ) and thought to yourself, "who the hell sings those songs?!?" Well, glad you asked. Little & Ashley is an L.A. based duo consisting of Annie Little and Marcus Ashley. Annie is an actress/model/singer having appeared in numerous commercials, TV shows and fashion magazines. Marcus is also an actor/musician who has been in commercials, movies and TV shows. The duo came together to record "Fly Me Away" (#1 above) to accompany an Amazon commercial contest entry (which also starred Annie) that was [...]
The best decision Jakob Dylan made for his second solo album was ditching Rick Rubin's production for the man that put him and The Wallflowers on the map way back in 1996 with Bringing Down The Horse : T-Bone Burnett. The same man that helped secure an Oscar for Best Song with Ryan Bingham. Why he stopped working with him I have no idea and it's not important. At this point in Dylan's career he's not a rocker, he's more the stripped-down songwriter. The new album has many Country tinges with slide guitars by Marc Ribot and walking (sometimes [...]
Somewhere in the world of Lily Allen and Amy Winehouse rests a girl named Kate Nash whose lyrics are just as brash and voice is somewhere in the middle in terms of raw talent. Seemingly out of nowhere she landed on the musical scene with her breakout debut Made of Bricks and had a lot to prove on her eagerly anticipated sophomore effort My Best Friend Is You . I don't think it's a stretch to say this album finds Nash totally in love and quite a bit happier...mostly. There's still a Parental Advisory label on the front [...]
This is the third consecutive album by The Hold Steady that I've taken the time to mention over the last few years. It took me a while to warm up to Craig Finn and his unique (some would say harsh) delivery that is somewhere between singing and stream of consciousness speaking, but I've been on the bandwagon for a little while now. The biggest news leading up to the release of this new album was the fact that their quirky, mustachioed keyboardist (and backing vocalist) Franz Nicolay was leaving the band and wouldn't be involved with the recording. On the [...]
2010 is already turning out to be one of the best years for music in a while. So far, the year has already seen releases by Beach House, Eels, Four Tet, Corinne Bailey Rae, Spoon, She & Him, Surfer Blood, Vampire Weekend, The Soft Pack, Yeasayer, Frightened Rabbit, and Gorillaz. That's just to name a few; some expected and some not. Even with all those names, May is shaping up to be a HUGE month (and we haven't closed out April yet). A few of which are detailed below. [...]
Is Norah Jones boring? I didn't used to think so, now I'm not so sure. She recently released her fourth studio album The Fall . Whose title could be referring to the fall of man, or the autumnal season -- either way it just seems like we've heard it all before. Don't get me wrong the music isn't awful, and the quality of song-writing is still superior to most sultry bluesmen, but it just sounds too familiar. It's like eating a turkey sandwich [...]
After winning an Academy Award for Best Original Song (Falling Slowly), Glen Hansard & Markéta Irglová practically became household names. In addition to their popularity rising exponentially, their personal romance was speculated and then confirmed as being genuine. It seemed to be a match made for a TV movie. If the songs that were written and performed in the film Once were about them falling in love and finding the spark in each other, then their newest album can only be seen as its antithesis. They are no longer [...]
K'naan was "b orn in Mogadishu, Somalia, just as the civil unrest that rocked the country was beginning, he spent the early years of his life trying to avoid death and listening to the hip-hop records sent to him from America by his father, who had left Somalia earlier. When K'naan was 13, he, his mother, and his two siblings were able to leave their homeland and join relatives in Harlem, where they stayed briefly before moving to Rexdale, Ontario, Canada."( AllMusic Guide ). With this as background, it's been an amazing [...]
What happens when you form a band with three certifiable Rock Stars? The short answer is the band Them Crooked Vultures. They are comprised of foot-stomping drummer Dave Grohl (Foo Fighters and Nirvana), guitarist and vocalist Josh Homme (Queens of the Stone Age and Eagles of Death Metal), and the one and only bassist John Paul Jones (Led Zeppelin...yes, the Led Zeppelin). That sounds like a band whose shitty songs would make most artists' "great" songs pale in comparison, right? Right. This was a project/band that had been in the works for a number of years according to [...]
By this point in time John Mayer is a most certainly ubiquitous on the pop music landscape. His rise to fame, fortune and tabloid celebrity is well-documented. Most recently, his music hasn't been the most interesting thing about him. He returned to the studio with his blues trio bandmates (Pino Palladino and Steve Jordan) to record the newest album Battle Studies , which was released on 11/17. Firstly, you'll notice the hideous cover art. I hope and pray this picture is tongue-in-cheek, because it's truly awful. The title of the album would lead you to believe this a concept [...]
Before the tragic and untimely passing of LeRoi Moore (Dave Matthews Band's horn master), he made a musical discovery that was clearly very special. This gem was evident in the singer's passionate voice, which is smoother than burnished marble. LeRoi saw that "it" quality in Samantha Farrell and was determined to grow and mold her talent into something exceptional. The eventual product is titled Luminous . Completed after LeRoi's death, it was the last thing LeRoi put his golden touch upon/produced, and features a couple all-star horn players (John D'earth and Bobby Read) sitting in on a few tracks. [...]
I never actually thought I'd get to the point where bands would contact me and ask me to consider reviewing their music. Maybe I'm overly modest, but I'm still kinda amazed anyone outside my family or my Facebook "friendship" circle even knows this space exists. So, thank you musicians for trusting your work with me. I still don't think I'm the exposure you're looking for, but I'll do my best to spread the word one way or another. In the coming days and weeks I'm going to try and give a taste of some [...]
Another entry filled with newcomers or soon to be released albums. MF DOOM - Born Like This Maybe the most hyped "underground" rapper of the past few years finally returns to reveal something other than a disc of beats or a mixtape. Rumors of impostors aside, this album doesn't sound like it was worth the wait. Anyone hoping for something on the level of Madvillainy will have to keep hoping. There is no new ground covered, nor lines that [...]
Keep It On the B-Side
The Shins: “September” (b-side of “Simple Song” 7”)
St. Vincent - 'Cheerleader'
Jay-Z & Kanye West - Ni**as In Paris (Explicit)
OK Go - Needing/Getting - Official Video
M.I.A. - Bad Girls (Official Video)
Download: James Blake Live Album (Unofficial)
My Funny Valentines
The Kills on Letterman (Video)
Lana Del Rey - Without You (Kill Paris Remix) [Dubstep]
