// Category Archive for: Music

Music Review: Peregrine Falls, Two Fish EP

By Tyler Hodg

Gritty, hard hitting, in your face: these are all things that almost completely describe Peregrine Falls (formally PinkBrown). With the release of their EP Two Fish, the band showcases what they’ve got in a condensed, to the point package—and what they have released is a frustrating product that just barely under-delivers.

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Podcast Alert: 20th Century Nostalgia

By Less Lee Moore

If you’re looking for a fun new music podcast, might I suggest this one? 20th Century Nostalgia! From their Mixcloud page:

It’s 2014 and music is dead. We long for the glory days of 1920s blues, 1930s country, 1940s bebop, ’50s rock and roll, ’60s girl groups, ’70s punk, ’80s new wave, ’90s alternative, and everything in between. We focus on music and pop culture from 1900 to 1999—no later! Join us as we complain about the decline of pop culture and obsess over musicians who died before we were born. We post, discuss, and podcast about anything and everything, as long as it’s good (or funny) and from the past.

Their newest podcast “We R Thankful 4 Prince” is now up, just in time for the holidays!

Notable Christmas Albums: Past, Present, and Future

By Brenna Chase

Tired of the same worn out Christmas songs you’re subjected to every season, but still want to get into the holiday spirit? While there are tons of dispensable versions of every yuletide tune in existence, there are still some notable albums worthy of consideration.

Christmas Albums Everyone Should Try At Least Once

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Best Of 2014: Noreen Sobczyk

The Muffs, Whoop De Doo: 100% satisfaction guaranteed with this album.

TRS-80, Volume One: A great compilation of remastered early works by a fantastic electronic band.

Jack White, Lazaretto: A terrific album with phenomenal, record-setting vinyl format bells and whistles.

OFF!, Wasted Years: It gave us the gold standard for punk rock and more recently, some pretty excellent videos, too.

Omnivore Recordings: They recently announced the imminent release of two Jellyfish reissues with new liners and over 50 tracks.

Pee Wee Herman: He’s back and making his presence known on social media and television. Pee Wee’s Playhouse was remastered and the news of that long-awaited movie seems very promising.

The Walking Dead: It continues to set the standard for good television. From the premiere to the mid-season finale, I think this has been my favorite season.

David Bowie Is, Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago, Illinois: A staggering amount of memorabilia and information with backing audio, providing even the most ardent fan some surprises.

Dolenz Jones Boyce & Hart reissue from Cherry Red: A must have for any die-hard Monkees fan and a better bet than most of the band’s later recordings.

Best Of 2014: Jeffery X Martin

True Detective

This was a shit year. It’s hard to find a “best” thing about a terrible time frame, so it’s no surprise that my Best Of list is exceeding dark. We are the times, and times is hard, Missus Lovett. But my choices, all of them, provide small glimmers of hope, muted rays within the coal dust, a little something to grab for. In a year like 2014, it’s the best I can do.

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Best Of 2014: Johnette Napolitano, Concrete Blonde

Top Ten Happy Things of 2014 (that I can recall)

1. The good folks at Pioneer Feed in Joshua Tree finding me an awesome new truck, ending almost two years of vehicle hell.
2. Watching my horse, True, mellow out into the sweetheart I always knew he could be.
3. Singing the “Ave Maria” live in Lexington, Kentucky.
4. Seeing and hanging out with my old school pals Toto out here in the desert.
5. Finding amazing Flamencos to open for me in Las Vegas, and the cool ride back to the hotel with the security guys in the squad car.
6. Emo Roadie
7. Best show I’ve ever played with Flamenco LA at Hotel Cafe, Hollywood
8. Ride up to No Cal with Ben Woods and getting all schooled up on music on the way. . . and hanging with old bandmate Jerry Harrison
9. East Coast with Laurie Sargent, accidentally finding we needed to get on a ferry two minutes before it left.
10. Too many ghost stories.

Johnette Napolitano is in the middle of a solo North American tour. Her book, Rough Mix, is available on Barnes & Noble and Amazon.

Best Of 2014: Steve Wynn, The Dream Syndicate

1. Minus 5, Scott The Hoople in the Dungeon of Horror
2. The War On Drugs, Lost In The Dream
3. The Black Keys, Turn Blue
4. Ryan Adams, Ryan Adams
5. Leonard Cohen, Popular Problems
6. Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, Hypnotic Eye
7. Tamikrest, Chatma
8. Beck, Morning Phase
9. Sun Kil Moon, Benji
10. Stephen Malkmus and The Jicks, Wig Out At Jagbags

Steve Wynn has played with The Dream Syndicate and Miracle 3, among others. His previously unavailable 1990s recording sessions have recently been released on Omnivore Recordings as Sketches In Spain.

Music Review: Supertramp, Crime Of The Century (Reissue)

By Tyler Hodg

It’s been 40 years since Supertramp released their globally successful album Crime of the Century, and to commemorate its anniversary, the band released a new vinyl box set featuring the remastered album, a 7,500 word essay, rare photos, and an audio version of one of their 1975 concerts. If you have a feeling the album will hold up after four decades, you’d be “bloody well right.”

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Music Review, tētēma, geocidal

By Natalie Zina Walschots

There is not a single aspect of tētēma that is easy to pin down. Even when talking about the contributors to the project, things quickly become complicated. Billed as a duo—a collaboration between Mike Patton (who is beautifully credited with “voices,” a gesture towards plurality that attempts to take account of the breadth and depth of the Faith No More singer’s extraordinary talent) and Anthony Pateras (of Thymolphthalein and Pivixki)—the list of artists who contributed to geocidal is much more extensive.

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Best Of 2014: Melissa Bratcher

Omaha Live

10. Friday Night Lights
This is the year that, when I wasn’t watching chickens (see #5), I was watching Friday Night Lights. I also bought an ill-advised pair of cowboy boots because of it. Thanks, Netflix, for making FNL so bingeable. I aspire to be as amazing as Tami Taylor, and I miss her. Tim Riggins, thanks for the smoulder and for being an unlikely moral compass. Jason Street, thanks for the pathos. Matt Saracen, thanks for being the character that makes me cry just thinking about you (and thanks for singing to your awesome Grandma. She’s the best). Coach Taylor, thanks for being inspiring. Tyra Colette, thanks for being completely kick ass. I hope you’re a politician somewhere. Landry, thanks for being Lance. Buddy Garrity, thanks for growing on me. Vince, thanks for letting me know where Wallace is. And damn, Julie. Damn.

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