music-and-concert-reviews-you-wont-see-anywhere-else
#39 album of 2012 – Delta Spirit by Delta Spirit
Artist: Delta Spirit
Album: Delta Spirit
Delta Spirit ‘s Matthew Vasquez sings with a twang, and their rock music has strong heartland folk/country leanings. I’m told this was even truer on their first two albums, which had titles; Delta Spirit is their third, and shows an, apparently new, interest in keyboards and mild electronic beats. That’s not what you’d notice first.
Me, I noticed the drummer first. I’m not sure whether Brandon Young is unusually good — his […]
#40 album of 2012 – MTMTMK by the Very Best
Artist: the Very Best
Album: MTMTMK
As should be obvious from the plaintive opening blasts of fog-horn, the Very Best are a dance band, and MTMTMK is a bright, shiny, transnational, transcultural electro-pop dance record … Well, fine, but it *becomes* obvious once the fog-horn has been made to hold down the ultra-low bass end. Meanwhile, groaning synthesizer has been drafted to hold down the almost-as-low bass; ultra-trebly synthesizer whistles and bleats have started playing the high […]
#41 album of 2012 – Wing Beat Fantastic by Mike Keneally (with Andy Partridge)
Artist: Mike Keneally (with Andy Partridge)
Album: Wing Beat Fantastic
First, I got two careers to quickly summarize here. Mike Keneally — former “stunt guitarist” for Frank Zappa’s touring band — comes across as a friendly, goofy man who simply happens, by dint of hours a day of practice, to be a jaw-droppingly brilliant guitarist. His playing has gotten more understated and subtle over his solo career. This matches the trend in his songwriting, which has developed […]