// Category Archive for: Music

Music Review: Bill Fay, Who Is The Sender?

By Tyler Hodg

Bill Fay released two albums, one in 1970 and the other in 1971, before disappearing into the wind like so many artists have done over the years. Virtually erased from musical history, Fay’s work has since been resurrected, along with his drive to create new music. His second album since his 2012 return, Who Is The Sender? is a reminder that even musicians with his immense caliber of talent are able to slip through the cracks every once in a while.

(more…)

Music Review: Allie X, CollXtion I

By Less Lee Moore

There are a lot of singers with impeccable voices who make terrible music. And there are many great songwriters who can’t sing worth a damn. Luckily, Allie X is not plagued with either of these problems.

(more…)

CMW 2015 Concert Review: The Jesus & Mary Chain At The Phoenix

By Stephanie Quinlan

May 1, 2015
Toronto, ON

Sometimes, nostalgia is all it’s cracked up to be. Friday night’s blistering and brilliant Jesus & Mary Chain show was one of those times.

(more…)

Music Review: Marc Almond, The Velvet Trail

By Melissa Bratcher

Marc Almond’s latest, The Velvet Trail, feels like something of a miracle and sounds even better. After his 2010 release, Varieté, Almond intimated that he would no longer record his original material. When producer and songwriter Chris Braide (Lana Del Rey, Britney Spears, Beyoncé) heard this news, it became his mission to change Almond’s mind. Braide composed a trio of instrumental tracks specifically for Almond. Upon hearing them, Marc Almond changed his mind. They worked together long distance: sending files to each other, writing long emails and not speaking on the phone, all to keep their chemistry intact. They didn’t meet until the album was finished.

(more…)

Music Review: Roger Taylor, Strange Frontier (Reissue)

By Tyler Hodg

Omnivore Recordings has reissued two previously unreleased CD versions of Roger Taylor’s early solo work—with Fun in Space being the first and Strange Frontier the second—and now it’s easier than ever to revisit or become acquainted with them. The latter, which was Taylor’s sophomore solo album, saw its initial release in 1984.

(more…)

Music Review: Roger Taylor, Fun In Space (Reissue)

By Tyler Hodg

Queen drummer Roger Taylor, along with Omnivore Recordings, has dug into the vaults and re-mastered his first solo record, Fun in Space. Initially released on vinyl in 1981, the album was previously only obtainable on CD as part of a ten-CD plus DVD collection titled The Lot, but now, it has been packaged with three bonus tracks (“I Wanna Testify,” “Turn on the TV,” “My Country [Single Version]”) and made available on a single disc. Generally, the album may not be considered a classic per se, but it’s definitely underrated enough to deserve the reissue treatment.

(more…)

Music Review: Kermit Ruffins, #imsoneworleans

By Melissa Bratcher

It’s not often that I listen to an album that makes me grin like a lunatic after every track. Kermit Ruffins and the Barbecue Swingers’ #imsoneworleans is nine tracks of pure joy. (See what they did there? It’s a hashtag, for the Twitters.) (Incidentally, I kept reading it as “I’ms One Worleans” which makes no sense. I mean, I knew New Orleans was in there, but I just didn’t know where exactly. Pardon the digression.) A mix of covers and originals, #imsoneworleans is a fun album. The musicians sound like they love what they’re doing, and Ruffins always brings a great time.

(more…)

Music Review: Ambrosia Parsley, Weeping Cherry

By Melissa Bratcher

There’s a compelling, understated darkness to Ambrosia Parsley’s Weeping Cherry. The former Shivaree front woman’s new album has an undercurrent of dread and danger running through: off-kilter keyboards, fiery slashes of guitar, dangerous percussion, and Parsley’s own curious, fascinating vocals. The songs are evocative and rich, experimental and strange. Even the most typical song structure (verse-chorus-verse), becomes a bit twisted in her hands.

(more…)

Music Review: Jimbo Mathus, Blue Healer

By Melissa Bratcher

“Well bless my soul and hush my mouth.” With the first words on Blue Healer, you know that Jimbo Mathus’s latest is going to be more of the gritty, swampy Southern Rock that is his stock in trade. Drawing from a lifetime in the South, Jimbo Mathus has created his manifesto with Blue Healer. It’s a concept album that eschews the parts of concept albums that make them so annoying, and instead is filled to the brim with excellent hooks, fine songwriting, and and a layer of honesty that is deeply authentic.

(more…)

Music Review, Death, N.E.W.

By Tyler Hodg

The music industry is a funny one: how a band can exist for 40 years, go completely unappreciated, and then experience a surge in popularity decades into the game is quite remarkable. Detroit punk rock band Death has accomplished this very feat—and in grand style, naturally—with their first album since 1976. Appropriately titled, N.E.W. is refreshing and surprisingly current, and is a testament to the longevity of rock’n’roll music.

(more…)