Musings: Reviews & Notes 
Tuesday, 28 October 2008
Early Birthday Gifts to Myself: Steve Jansen’s Slope and Thomas Feiner’s The Opiates (Revised)
Some of you know that I just had the last birthday before I reach the big 4-0. Partially by way of celebration, I ordered two discs that have taken up almost all of my listening time since then: releases by Steve Jansen and Thomas Feiner. They are two of the most cinematic releases I’ve heard in ages. Read on to find exactly why they are so brilliant and why you should add them to your sonic arsenal…
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Sunday, 19 October 2008
What Two Merchants’ Children Have to Do with Two Topical Songs (Or, What Paul Weller and Dr. Robert Taught Me about Economics and Society)
Regardless of political affiliation, economic status or level of education, the last several weeks have been a trying time for people in US as well as the wider world. As doubts spread about the world economy and a pivotal election approaches, there are two songs that keep popping back into my head and giving me a bit of perspective: one from the Style Council and the other from the Blow Monkeys. Read on to find out what they work that way, and why they’ve meant so much to me…
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Sunday, 28 September 2008
And Then Transcendence: My Bloody Valentine’s Sensory Assault
Last night, I finally had the opportunity to do something I've been waiting 16 years to do: experience a live show by My Bloody Valentine. The group is touring the U.S. for the first time since 1992 and has sold out every show on the tour. Click through to read about last night’s Chicago show as well as see a few grainy images from it…
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Thursday, 18 September 2008
“Things Evolve Out of Nothing”: Daniel Lanois’s Here Is What Is
In the past, I’ve lamented the romantic distortions that pervade most films about musicians. After having seen Daniel Lanois’s sumptuous documentary Here It What Is, I can finally say that I’ve seen a film that gets it right … beautifully, brilliantly right. Use the link to get the rest of the story…
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Saturday, 13 September 2008
Lizz Wright and Her Beautiful Orchard
After not quite getting things to gel on the first two albums, Lizz Wright's latest, The Orchard, finally hits the sweet spot. She’s using the same strategy she always has, working with a huge stable of collaborators and hands-on producers. Read on to learn why things are different this time…
