Yeah I want a house with a crowded tableAnd a place by the fire for everyoneLet us take on the world while we’re young and ableAnd bring us back together when the day is done Review by Jason Gonulsen Eight years ago, I met Amanda Shires in St. Louis. She had just finished her set … Read more
after all maybe I should thank you for giving me what I’ve found Forgiveness has been a hot topic for, oh, I don’t know, a thousand plus years. And music has a way of forcing us to remember the reason why we chose to forgive — that’s just the way it works. “Without you around, … Read more
Walkin’ with the devil on a twisted road Listenin’ to the Dead on the radio That old-time music used to soothe my soul If I ever get home, I’m gonna let the good times roll It’s been a big year for Neil Young & Crazy Horse, with the release of Americana in June, which featured … Read more
Joy Williams recently told the Associated Press, “If you want to know what happened to the band, listen to the album.” The album is The Civil Wars, the sophomore self-titled release by Williams and John Paul White, a duo, who, as you might have read, are not currently on speaking terms. The language used by … Read more
HAIM might as well be the new word for hype, as Danielle, Este, and Alana — the Haim sisters –have picked up roaring (and deserved) accolades, starting with the release of “Forever” and “Don’t Save Me” in 2012, and continuing with “Falling” and “The Wire” in 2013, the latter which begins similarly to The Eagles’ … Read more
Do you ever wonder what your favorite singers were like in high school? Two things you should know: One, I’m from St. Louis, and the question that defines a St. Louisan is “What high school did you go to?” (Not answering that); Two, I was in band from sixth through twelfth grade. Most of my … Read more
San Fermin is one of those almost impossible albums to review. I could talk about it for hours, but I’ve now begun the writing process for this review five times, pleading to *insert your god here* for divine intervention or, in the least, a muse-ish jolt of creativity to perfectly encapsulate my feelings for this … Read more
First impressions are both hard to break, and totally inaccurate most of the time. They’re a very human reaction to some sort of stimulation or another, be it visual or something more ethereal. And as presumptuous, and downright narcissistic as they are, they’re these powerful, lingering feelings illustrated by that brain of yours each time … Read more
Photo by Agatha Donkar (If this seems familiar, it first appeared on my personal blog on 3/4/13.) I am in awe of Josh Ritter; I have been for many years, because he’s the most literate songwriter working today, and he’s funny and awkward and genius, and he’s probably sincerely a complete charming weirdo, and he … Read more
I lost my dream I lost my reason all again Somewhere in the dark, Angel Olsen created these songs about the ghosts of wasted time, forgiveness, and a lonesome land shoulder-to-shoulder without a guarantee in sight. “Unfucktheworld” opens the demolition with an honest cry: “I am the only one now / You may not be … Read more
“I need you to be afraid of nothing,” Sharon Van Etten sings on “Afraid of Nothing,” the opening track from her latest album, Are We There. Later, she repeats the sentiment differently: “I can’t wait ’til we’re afraid of nothing.” But, will we ever get to that place? Her words on many of these songs … Read more
“How long do I have here with you?” sings Ryan Adams on “Shadows,” a dark, tortured gem that could have fit on Love Is Hell, right after “Please Do Not Let Me Go.” This might not be an album filled with “slow, adult shit,” but I assure you, we haven’t exactly exploded into a honeymoon … Read more
The Lion’s Roar album art courtesy of Wichita Recordings Speakers Rating: 85/100 Sisters Söderberg, Johanna and Klara of Sweden’s First Aid Kit, bowled over critics, music lovers, and esteemed colleagues alike with the release of their folkie debut LP, The Big Black and The Blue, back in 2010. The effort was easily one of our … Read more
I don’t need any help to be breakable, believe me I know nobody else who can laugh along to any kind of joke I won’t need any help to be lonely when you leave me It’ll be easy to cover Gather my skeletons far inside “I should live in salt for leaving you behind,” Matt … Read more
She’ll say your name again but it’ll never sound the same Some things we lose are lost but never go away They never go away Oh, it’s been a painful year. And it’s been a beautiful year, full of memories, songs, and moments that I’ll never forget. Still, it’s a bittersweet life, full of questions … Read more
Ben Schneider is the calypso-rock-Voodoo-poet-Atlas behind Lord Huron, seemingly bearing the weight of the world on his shoulders. In 2010, I took their single “Mighty” and ran. I was pleasantly obsessed and assuaged by the tropical sounds and soothing sentiments Schneider delivered on Lord Huron’s debut EPs “Into The Sun” and “Mighty.” As Lonesome Dreams teasers … Read more
I’ve never made an album. Never written a song, or even attempted to write a lyric that would make a potential ladyfriend swoon. But there is one piece of knowledge that I share with those who have, and it comes from listening to countless albums, as a whole, instead of individual tracks downloaded piecemeal due … Read more
How I missed her! How I missed her How I missed my Clementine, So I kissed her little sister, And forgot my Clementine. “Clementine, Clementine!” Neil Young howls on Americana, his long-awaited reunion album with Crazy Horse. These are beloved songs of American heritage, many that you already know and can sing along to, and … Read more
“I found the heart of a lion, in the belly of the beast,” Grace Potter sings on the title track of her new album with The Nocturnals, The Lion The Beast The Beat. Potter, who had to halt the initial recordings to find herself in the form of a “fantasy road trip,” didn’t just find … Read more
Speakers Rating: 91/100 Fleet Foxes clearly know their sweet spot. Rather than pulling a 180 or switching things up with any degree of significance, the Seattle sextet nestled themselves deep into their rich, velvety folk-rock comfort zone for the recording of their second LP, Helplessness Blues. This approach has yielded a consistent, impeccable record that … Read more
Speakers Rating: 96/100 Do I wait here forever for you? Would you ask me to? I’ll be honest: I’ve always loved the softer side of Ryan Adams’ music. Don’t get me wrong — I respect how Adams has been true to his muse over the years, giving us great country, rock, and pop albums along … Read more
Speakers Rating: 89/100 Kiss quick I got a line out the door Who all think they can save me When I interviewed Matt Nathanson a few years ago, I remember him telling me that he wanted his newest album at the time, Some Mad Hope, to be the one that defined him as an artist. … Read more
Speakers Rating: 90/100 On “Hermetically Sealed,” track number three off The Blind Eyes’ upcoming album, With A Bang, vocalist Seth Porter sings: “I’ve been hermetically sealed/ In a room that’s too cold to feel/ Keep my head down, summer is coming soon…” These lines, intermixed with sun-soaked “bah bah bahs” hailing from the heyday of … Read more
Speakers Rating: 96/100 “I still love you to death, and I won’t ever forget how,” Jeff Tweedy sings on the title track of Wilco’s eighth studio album, The Whole Love. It’s one of Wilco’s best albums in a few years because it exudes happiness and vulnerability at the same time. Yes, this is the band … Read more
Photo by Nate Burrell Speakers Rating: 90/100 It doesn’t take long to gather from the album art of the latest Old Lights EP, Like Strangers, that we’re treading into some disturbing territory here. Oh yes, love is a many splendored/splintered thing, and the six-song collection from the Saint Louis foursome isn’t afraid to delve into … Read more
Speakers Rating: 79/100 Back when The Strokes released “Under Cover of Darkness,” the lead single from their new LP Angles, we wrote about how excited we were about a return to form, a deportation from the overworked anthems and somewhat indulgent compositions of First Impressions of Earth, and about a reunion with the sonic buzz … Read more
Lauren Mayberry of CHVRCHES is the kind of live performer who doesn’t smile nor frown; if I had to pick one emotion, it would be that she looks rather pissed off. And on Every Open Eye, this kind of attitude is hard for me to ignore — it’s not indifference I hear in hear voice, … Read more
I am lost in my own home I am lost While I don’t consider myself a full-blown music critic, I do like writing about how songs and albums make me feel, and Lucius’ first album, Wildewoman, was an emotional grand slam. Songs like “Two of Us on the Run” and “Go Home” didn’t need a … Read more
Speakers Rating: 88/100 “I’m tired of saying that I won’t get lost ever again/ Who knows? Maybe I will…” These are the first two lines from “Record Collector,” track one off Lissie’s debut album, Catching a Tiger (produced by Jacquire King and Bill Reynolds and out 8/17 in the States). I think there’s a massive … Read more
Speakers Rating: 90/100 On September 28th, Steve Schlitz, singer and guitarist of Longwave for nearly ten years, will continue on his solo journey with the release of Hurricane Bells‘ Down Comes the Rain EP, a quick follow to the side project’s debut LP, Tonight Is the Ghost, released digitally last November and in stores last April. … Read more