Music Reviews

The reason today’s choice is not on vinyl (and I might still buy a vinyl copy just because I really love Squeeze) is that all the demo and bonus tracks are only available on the CD version.Trixies is a concept album that dates way back to the beginning of Squeeze in the early 70s, that they wrote but never recorded. Read More

Nearly everything The Bad Plus does is pretty trippy and off the map. And I say that in a really good way.This double LP set of classic covers on For All I Care might just trigger your inner art school kid. Or you might run away screaming. One thing’s for sure… You won’t hear anything from this record at a hifi show anytime soon. Read More

Do you remember when the video for “Ironic” broke on MTV?With that clip, no one knew (then) that Morissette’s third record was headed for five Grammy’s and 17x Platinum status, but it was stunning then, as it is now.30 years later, this record is still a masterpiece, combining sublime musicianship and 90s angst, and a fantastic recording all in one. Read More

Im still in that 60s groove…Somehow Moby Grape and Steppenwolf always make me dig out In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida Yeah, I know the new kids don’t care for this, but it’s my party and I’ll play 60s music if I want to.When I bought my original copy of this, I mostly just listened to the title track, sometimes really loud just to annoy my parents. Read More

Sally’s Dream is the all-female punk band I wish I’d known about when I was hanging out at punk clubs in Milwaukee, Wisconsin in the 80s. I wish I would have seen them.Unfortunately, it took till now to finally get the record out, but it’s just as awesome today as it was then.Ironically, this foursome was made up of Cynthia Hammond (Bass, keyboards, guitar and vocals) Jenny Davis (Keyboards, bass, guitar, and vocals) Emily Jackson on drums, and Chrissie Dickinson on guitar and vocals. Read More

Time to head back to the 60s…What a better way than some major psychedelic rock from Moby Grape? Their Wow/Grape Jam record was a two record set, released April 3, 1968. I was too young for this one on the first go, but in the early 70s when I started hanging out with a lot of the older dudes in high school that were really into Moby Grape, Iron Butterfly and Zappa, it made a big impression. Read More

Jeff once asked me why I leave music playing in a room when I’m not even there. My answer goes back to something I read years ago that stuck with me.

In the 1970s, Christopher Bird and Peter Tompkins published The Secret Life of Plants. The book described studies suggesting that plants respond to music. Read More

Bet you didn’t know I was a total closet prog-head. It started with Yes, and Emerson, Lake & Palmer many years ago. Guilty as charged.If you loved the auspicious debut (arguably their best and most pure effort) of this prog powerhouse consisting of John Wetton, Bill Bruford, Eddie Jobson, and Alan Holdsworth, try and find this disc. Read More

Im still on a Joni Mitchell kick, but now that MoFi’s SACD pressing plant is back open after summer maintenance, it’s just the way things are shaking out.This album, harkening from 1975 and 76, is a continuation of the more dense, jazzy groove that Mitchell started with Hissing of Summer Lawns. Read More