music-and-concert-reviews-you-wont-see-anywhere-else
FORTY-FIVE REVOLUTIONS PER MINUTE #38: Sanitized By Swisher
R.E.M. “Driver 8″ b/w “Crazy” (I.R.S. Records #52678, 1985)
Alternative rock became a saleable commodity in the 1990’s, but back in ’85 it was mostly confined to non-commercial college radio stations, dorm-room record-players, frat-house keggers and a string of musky all-ages clubs that stretched from Jacksonville to San Diego. Acting as a genuine “alternative” to all the Poison, Warrant and Cinderella gumming up the airwaves, down-to-earth acts like The Minutemen, Husker Du and The Replacements provided a […]
The 200-Word Review: Charlie Wilson’s “Uncle Charlie”
Former Gap Band lead singer Charlie Wilson scored big with his 2005 comeback album Charlie, Last Name Wilson, and after four years (and a bout with prostate cancer), he returns with a more club-oriented, contemporary sound on Uncle Charlie. Fans of the last album may be a little disappointed with the club beats and contemporary flourishes from a classic R&B artist, but Wilson’s signature voice is good enough to overcome the occasional sonic […]
Nothing Like It Was In My Room (The National concert review)
I can’t talk about The National without putting my hand over my heart. Boxer runs second to OK Computer on my list of albums that kill me (in a good way). The National doesn’t quite have the depth of Radiohead yet, but they occupy and bear mentioning in the same emotional, catharsis-inducing territory. Frontman Matt Berninger’s resonant Leonard Cohen-esque voice instantly distinguishes The National from other emotional alterna-rock bands such as Arcade Fire, Band of […]