Def Leppard Hysteria 30th Anniversary Super Deluxe EditionGet It At DiscogsWhere Pyromania had set the standard for polished, catchy pop-metal, Hysteria only upped the ante. Pyromania's slick, layered Mutt Lange production turned into a painstaking obsession with dense sonic detail on Hysteria, with the result that some critics dismissed the record as a stiff, mechanized pop sellout (perhaps due in part to Rick Allen's new, partially electronic drum kit). But Def Leppard's music had always…
Joe Cannonball Lewis I've Been Honky Tonkin'Cattle CD (2006)*Jesse Elmo "Cannonball" Lewis (1924-2001)Born in Laurel County, Kentucky, Joe “Cannonball” Lewis grew up in Connersville and Lawrenceburg, Indiana, and eventually made his home in Hamilton, Ohio. He worked the clubs in Cincinnati and secured a recording contract with MGM Records, where he attracted attention with “Train Whistle Nightmare,” in which he vocally imitated a train whistle. An excellent country singer with a strong and…
Instances of monumental awe are so rare, that they remain unforgettable. Only at a handful of cases have I had so rapid a transition from analytical to overwhelmed when first listening to an album, one of them being my introduction to Immolation and their 1996 masterpiece, Here In After. For a band of this magnitude and everyone else, time has carried with it no small measure of change. To fast forward to the twelfth full-length album, Descent, bypasses a lot of context. Related at least to…
"Gentle On My Mind" by John Hartford Listen on Apple Music Your browser does not support the audio element. Which song was the first one that made you realize music can give you goosebumps? Gentle on My Mind by John Hartford Yes, this a great song, a true classic that changed John Hartford's life. The goosebump part isn't so much from the song as it is from the mass appeal it's had over the years. It's been recorded over 400 times and been on the Billboard Hot 100 five different times. Here are…
Can we please all be done with full album live shows? I went to go see The Wallflowers on Thursday, in Gruene, Texas, just outside of New Braunfels. I’ve wanted to see them for a long time etc. I don’t know why I thought they were a little bit cheesy back in the day, but I always liked them—what some people would call a guilty pleasure, but I’m a not guilty pleasures guy. Anyhoo, my wife and I went down, had a wonderful dinner, and saw the show. They sounded great. And just as importantly, they…
Scholar's rock, Qing dynasty1C. says it’s better to make tacos at home because we know what’s in them. But I think it’s the not-knowing that makes Taco Bell the spiritual choice.The sociologist Eva Illouz describes the imagination of our ancestors as “information-thin,” which is why they could conjure such intense visions of gods and ghosts. To fill in the gaps.Today we have “internet imagination.” Our brains cook in a vat of liquid crystal fragments, leaving no room to ponder the whole, let…
The best SCTV sketch ever was this one.I thought of it when I heard Charlie Puth’s Love In Exile (feat. Michael McDonald & Kenny Loggins), a few weeks ago, and then, today, Keith Urban’s We Go Back ft. Michael McDonald.Both prove what we’ve all known all these years: any song can be made better with Michael McDonald backing vocals. And better still if you add in Kenny Loggins too.(Apparently we are amidst a resurgence of Yacht Rock, née the West Coast Sound. These songs are part of it.)
In the Book Notes series, authors create and discuss a music playlist that relates in some way to their recently published book. Previous contributors include Jesmyn Ward, Lauren Groff, Bret Easton Ellis, Celeste Ng, T.C. Boyle, Dana Spiotta, Amy Bloom, Aimee Bender, Roxane Gay, and many others. Alicia Kennedy’s memoir On Eating is a thoughtful and wise meditation on a life through the lens of food. The Atlantic wrote of the book: “One of the pleasures of reading this book is that it prompts us…
Because there’s more than the Orange Man that spills over the Atlantic! Agitpop by The Iron Roses. I had the pleasure to see them live at the Reconstruction Tour last year. Ben by Macklemore whom I have dreadfully neglected since the glorious Macklemore & Ryan Lewis days. Heroes feat. DJ Premier is particularly superb. Rawlaw LP by BBGuns credited as Lazyblackman. Because there can never be too many hip hop/rock crossovers with tracks like Bittersweet Symphony and Where Is My Mind? in my music…
Duo GazzanaProkofiev/Pärt/Schnittke Natascia Gazzana violinRaffaella Gazzana pianoRecorded February 2025, Reitstadel NeumarktEngineer: Markus HeilandMixed September 2025by Manfred Eicher and Michael Hinreiner (engineer)Cover photo: Michael KennaProduced by Manfred EicherRelease date: April 17, 2026 Since 2011, Duo Gazzana have occupied a rarefied space within the ECM New Series realm, where sound is uncovered as a relic from beneath layers of listening. Across their previous recordings, the…
Sadly I don't have the whole Mackenzie singles page, nor do I recall where it came from (the year must be around 1987). Still, William is quite as flamboyantly caustic as his erstwhile chum Morrissey in decreeing these efforts to be really nothing. Here in fact is Morrissey being harsher still on a David Sylvian singleIn my class on The Artist As Critic / The Critic as Artist last week, assigned readings included Morrissey's singles columns of the 1980s - and I thought it would be fun to play…
Rawer session than usual by Land. View fullsize View fullsize View fullsize View fullsize View fullsize View fullsize View fullsize View fullsize View fullsize View fullsize View fullsize View fullsize View fullsize View fullsize It opens with the title track. The drums are raucous and quite tinny sounding. One might suggest they are not optimally recorded. But it could also be the artistic intention of course. Lots of bashing, less finesse. And there are two drummers. So it feels auite…
Narium Prizes Opening with something akin to a speed garage rhythm played by a hardcore rock band, Prizes sits with a gritty little dark heart, the centre of attention on a tear-streaked dance floor. Taking her inspiration from 2010s indie and alt pop, from M83, the 1975, Daughter and Lorde, Narium’s sound is a romanticised take on the mid-digital era of Tumblr. Berlin based, Narium’s sound is deliberately edgy-yet-playful, pulsing bass and electric guitars contrasting with the vulnerability of…
My first thought when the RNG chose this as my weekly revisit was to skip it. After all, I only just reviewed this for my music site. And then I checked the timelines and realised I reviewed this in 2023. Christ, time, what the hell? I still co-sign my more analytical, long-form ramblings which you can read through link the above, so there isn't really much to say in that respect without risking repeating myself. Because Bright Eyes were a US indie project, the whole concept of "b-sides" was…
I’m going take a break with the band obits for a bit in favour of some good news – specifically the official announcement of this year’s Next Music From Tokyo lineup, aka the best live music weekend of the year. While there had been some discussion last year of TWO separate showcases this year, reality […] The post 揺れるは幽霊 -『ポイント・ネモ』 appeared first on Space Echo.
Neil Young & The Chrome Hearts - Fiddler’s Green Amphitheatre, Englewood, Colorado, September 1, 2025Since we talked to Micah Nelson on All One Song this week, let’s check him out in action with Neil and the Chrome Hearts, live at Fiddler’s Green in Englewood, CO last year. It’s May Day today, and it was Labor Day then, so like Neil said in “Union Man”: “Live music is better— bumper stickers should be issued!” And hey, I was there, too! It was a great time, and this tape is also a great time.…
Fleshcrave: GodhandOut 20th February, self-released Debut EP from this Indian outfit showcases energetic, Slayer derived death metal, integrating a mechanical and foreboding inevitability with a playful modernist hue. The production is oddly anachronistic, grasping at a muscular digitalism that dates it toward the early 00s despite the older vintage behind the stylistic reference points. One dimensional blasts of violence akin to Malevolent Creation are softened by a strong melodic edge, one…
Welcome to part 109 of my Never Ending Mixtape where the latest additions take us from 4,852 songs to 4,934 with the addition of The Dardanelles by Glass Cheques - a glorious burst of sunshine indie guitar pop. Look out for a blog on them soon. Check their video at the foot of the blog.I've been listening to loads of music! You'll find a few of the additions listed below. I've recently discovered way too many new soul tunes to list!Thanks if you are one of the 383 who follow the playlist, or if…
Best Record of 2001: Day 30 Good morning! Today we’re taking a look at Lucinda Williams’ Essence as it faces off against Superchunk’s Here’s to Shutting Up. Note: As many of you saw, I recently wrote about a Best Record of 2001 challenge and noted that I’d be writing some of these up. The plan is to do quick hits on each first-round matchup and post them directly to the page. Some will be longer, some won’t, and some might just be a handful of sentences. There’ll probably be a few typos. We’ll…
Recently my friend Gavin posted a blog here about owning music versus renting and then posed a challenge about what albums you want to own for the rest of your life, rather than lease from streaming etc. I’ve decided to give this some thought myself. However, since I own a lot of my favourite albums already I’m treating this as a sort of wish list. Ten albums I don’t own yet but would like to eventually. That’s the reason records like British Steel and Holy Diver aren’t on here for instance.…
"Atomic Power" by Uncle Tupelo Listen on Apple Music Your browser does not support the audio element. Post one of your favorite country songs. - Atomic Power by Uncle Tupelo Uncle Tupelo is one of those bands that I'm just glad I got to be on the same earth with them while they were making music. There is no other group to have affected my adult listening habits like they did. The whole altcounty/Americana/indie/whatever you want to call it scene traces its roots back to these boys in the early…
#Bandcampfriday #vinyl 7# EP to £5.00Reduced for this weekend only. Digital version also available.Cover versions of four songs by The Chefs by original members James McCallum and yours trulyhttps://helenmccookerybook.bandcamp.com/album/the-pop-up-chefs-ep
A new month has arrived, a new release week is upon us and it’s also Bandcamp Friday. So here’s bunch of new metal releases to get stuck in to. If you find something you love then be sure to support the artists if you’re able to. Let’s get into it. Hails! Devenial Verdict - death - FinlandBlood Grave - death - ChileCreeping Flesh - death - SwedenMalconstruct - prog/death - USAJesus Crustus - death/sludge - GermanyManøver - death/sludge - GermanyIlienses Tree - death/doom - ItalyNecropia -…
Mix by DJ STUXNET Intertext · Digital Listen & Download Tracklist Hearts in Valencia, Chapter 3 (59:44) Notes We can't live foreverBut our love will never dieWill you hold me in your heart?Be the light when it gets dark?We can't live forever Credits STUXNET is Tyler Etters.
“First of May” being of course Jonathan Coulton’s immortal celebration of spring, love, and outdoor recreation, possibly the most gentle song ever to drop multiple f-bombs. I thought, what if “First of May,” but with lots of drums and buzzy guitars? The answer to this question awaits you when you click on the video. Fun fact: The basis for this version of the song is a previous cover version I did with an acoustic tenor guitar, eight years ago. I took that version, ran it through Logic to…
I went to Guitar Center this week and looked at guitars. This is funny because for years I have snobbishly insisted that I don't like "guitar music." This is still largely true, and not all music that features guitars is "guitar music," but I know it when I hear it. I was looking at guitars because I am still on my journey for Expressive Musical Performance. My music from this past weekend was I think some of my most sonically interesting yet, even if some of that sonic interest was quite…
No Man's Sky is an action-adventure survival game developed and published by Hello Games. The game is built around four pillars: exploration, survival, combat, and trading. Players can engage with the entirety of a procedurally generated deterministic open world universe, which includes over 18 quintillion planets.The game's first soundtrack, No Man's Sky: Music for an Infinite Universe by 65daysofstatic, was released on 5 August 2016, and received positive reviews from music critics. The first…
Piri “Cosuluvme” “Cosuluvme” is Piri’s solo debut – as in, she’s singing, she’s writing, she’s producing, it’s all her. The lyrics basically explain how Piri & Tommy broke up, or more specifically, how they broke up as a couple and then as a band. There are some harsh lines directed towards Tommy (“he’s a baby boy, very young for 26”) but it’s not a bitter or mean spirited song. She mostly sounds frustrated with herself for trying to hold on to the relationship for longer than she should have,…
Spreadsheets can be wonderful. The semi-annual Disquiet Junto music community’s “trios” sequence of weekly projects is now well underway. I love seeing how this all takes shape over time. I waited to post an example until a track from project 0747 (in which musicians uploaded solos) yielded two different tracks in project 0748 (in which other musicians turn those solos into duets), and that just happened with Tay Ploops’ “eerie bean (and a one).” I love how charting the activity in a…
Launched in July of last year No Way Back is a music and culture magazine curated by Andy Crysell and Mark Maddox. The two friends have a huge amount of experience within the music and media industry, that began with roles at Blues & Soul, DJ, DMC, The Face, i-D, Muzik, and The NME. Issue 1 ran with the tag line “Better ways forward through music and subculture stories” and did exactly what it said on the tin – carefully compiling key archival articles from an exhaustive range of seminal…
