Galactic - Ruckus
For its fourth studio album, funk-favorite Galactic says goodbye to its established ’70s-style production, this time calling Dan “The Automator” Nakamura to the boards... read more
Meshell Ndegeocello - Comfort Woman
For those who know Ndegeocello only as the funky singer/bassist who rocked out with John Mellencamp on a mid-’90s cover of Van Morrison’s “Wild Night,” Comfort Woman comes as a bit of a surprise... read more
Isolation Years - Inland Traveler
One of many bands to come streaming in from Scandinavia, Sweden’s Isolation Years marry modern-rock gloss with touches of quasi-folk creakiness on their ambitious yet calculated debut... read more
jKETTLE - Momentary Delights
Jeff Kettle’s résumé is a crazy quilt of musical experience—radio programmer, turntablist and band member (Menthol Hill, Suki Tawdry). With Momentary Delights, Kettle transforms into jKETTLE, self-professed aural chemist... read more
Gamble Brothers Band - Back to the Bottom
GBB’s sophomore album rings with the sweet soul shimmer of Booker T & the MGs and shuffles with the funky Naw’lins syncopation of The Meters... read more
Explosions in the Sky - The Earth Is Not a Cold...
It’s hard to make instrumental rock interesting. Ride out one boring riff for too long and your listeners are asleep, or worse—listening to another band... read more
MYLAB - MYLAB
Ambient jazz drummer and producer Tucker Martine and jazz keyboardist Wayne Horvitz have crossed paths many times since their first meeting over a decade ago, playing together in Four Plus One Ensemble and working the groove-based Zony Mash assemblage... read more
Ticklepenny Corner - Seven Years Bad Luck
Following two albums rooted in homespun charm, Ticklepenny Corner fosters gentle evolution on Seven Years Bad Luck. The familiarity of Noah Riemer’s acoustic guitar and Beth Spransy’s lyrical violin remain in place... read more
Ghosts & Vodka - Addicts and Drunks
Ghosts & Vodka seems to pride itself on the Mogwai-esque inscrutability of song titles on its posthumous instrumental album. “Andrea Loves Horses”? “Futuristic Genitalia”? ... read more
Oranger - Shutdown the Sun
A good melody and a winning hook will wear down my cynicism pretty quickly. Maybe that’s why the undiluted nostalgia of Oranger’s psychedelic side doesn’t bother me as much as it might... read more
Chris Daniels, The Kings & Friends - The Spark
Modern blues albums can be a tricky sell, so musicians add to the traditional sound in order to broaden their appeal. Not only is this tricky, it often leads to a tangle of blues, boogie-woogie, jazz and reggae with no real center or substance... read more
Kate Rusby: Underneath the Stars
Britain’s wonderful folk artist Kate Rusby has mesmerized fans for more than a decade with her glistening renditions of old, old stories, accompanied by old, old instruments... read more
John Lennon: Lennon Legend: The Very Best of John Lennon
Much of Lennon’s post-Beatles work was drenched in autobiographical reflection. This DVD companion to a greatest-hits collection is no exception... read more
South - With the Tides
Lesser bands than South aspire to the sprawling, anthemic soundscape first sketched out by The Edge’s reverb-drenched Stratocaster, but, invariably, they fall prey to the easy gratification of a two-chord drone and pointless bloat... read more
Jonathan Richman - Take Me to the Plaza (DVD)
Ever since he shed his proto-punk angst and settled into the role of willfully silly balladeer, Jonathan Richman has been perfecting a body of work that boasts so much childlike sincerity and bittersweet romanticism he virtually stands alone as rock’s greatest oddball troubadour... read more
The Allman Brothers Band
Though it lacks the polish, majestic dynamic peaks and subtle beauty of the legendary Live at the Fillmore East, this double-disc recording from July 1970 (released by Epic/Legacy) is crackling with raw, youthful energy... read more
Bird York - The Velvet Hour
York plays Andrea Wyatt on The West Wing. The history of TV (and movie) stars using their celebrity to jump-start a music career is pretty dismal, making York’s latest album (she released a self-produced indie record in 1999) a pleasant surprise... read more
A.J. Roach - Dogwood Winter
There’s a sad beauty, a bittersweet melancholy that runs through the story songs of A.J. Roach, as pure and welcome as an Appalachian spring... read more
Volebeats - Country Favorites
Sometimes making the intangible tangible (i.e. trying to describe sonic vibrations using the printed word) can be exceedingly difficult, especially when it’s something as downright simple and beautiful as the jangly country-rock of Detroit’s Volebeats... read more
Luce - Luce
The San Francisco band Luce strikes me as the latest in what will no doubt be an almost endless succession of Dave Matthews and John Mayer acolytes—purveyors of tasteful, non-threatening Lite Rock that will appeal to frat boys and soccer moms alike... read more
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