Wednesday, December 30, 2015

Playlist: December


WHY DO ANGELS HAVE TO FALL from tonichilds on Vimeo.

    • Toni Childs—It's All a Beautiful Noise (2015)
    • Steven Wilson—4 ½ (2016)
    • Shearwater—Jetplane and Oxbow (2016)
    • Wolf Alice—Love is Cool (2015)
    • Neil Finn and Paul Kelly—Goin' Your Way (2015)
    • Sonar—Black Light (2015)
    • Marillion—A Monstrously Festive(al) Christmas (2015)
    • Bohren and Der Club of Gore—Piano Songs (2014)
    • Bent Knee—Shiny Eyed Babies (2016)
    • Roxy Music—The Best of Roxy Music (2001)
    • Darkroom—Carpetworld; Daylight (1998)
    • The Golden Palominos—This is How It Feels (1993)
    • Martin Carthy & Dave Swarbrick—Life and Limb (1991)
    • Michael Hedges—Aerial Boundaries (1984)
    • Yes—Drama (1980)
    • Rickie Lee Jones—Rickie Lee Jones (1979)
    • Bruce Springsteen—Born to Run (1975)
    • Joni Mitchell—Clouds (1969)
    • Velvet Underground—Velvet Underground (1969)


Friday, December 18, 2015

Star Wars: The Great Unifier

I just wrote a newspaper article about why Star Wars: The Force Awakens is that rarest thing: a shared cultural experience that transcends generations, gender, race, politics, and nationality. A look into why this movie is the great unifier at a time of widespread divisions in the world. Here's a link to the article.



With 'Force Awakens,' 'Star Wars' expands its universe (+video)

Monday, November 16, 2015

Playlist: November



  • Steven Wilson—4 ½ (2016)
  • Shearwater—Jetplane and Oxbow (2016)
  • Anna von Hauswolff—The Miraculous (2015)
  • Chris IsaakBecause the Night (2015)
  • DeerhunterFading Frontier (2015)
  • Joanna NewsomDivers (2015)
  • ReignsWidow Blades (2011)
  • Ryan AdamsLove is Hell, Pt. 1 (2003)
  • Sigur Ros - () (2003)
  • David BaerwaldA Fine Mess (1999)
  • MansunSix (1998)
  • Patty GriffinLiving with Ghosts (1996)
  • King CrimsonThrak (1995)
  • Brian Eno & Robert FrippEssential (1994)
  • PJ Harvey4-Track Demos (1993)
  • no-manLoveblows and Lovecries (1993)
  • JellyfishBellybutton (1990)
  • Living ColorVivid (1998)
  • Peter GabrielSecurity (1982)
  • Roxy MusicAvalon (1982)
  • Jaco PastoriusWord of Mouth (1981)
  • Jeff BeckThere and Back (1980)
  • Nick DrakePink Moon (1972)

Monday, October 26, 2015

Now on Newsstands


Prog magazine asked me if I'd interview Perfect Beings for its new issue, now on newsstands (and also available digitally—here's the list of contents). I hadn't come across the Los Angeles-based progressive rock band. As soon as I heard their grabby single "Helicopter" from their debut album, I eagerly took on the assignment.

The five-piece group should appeal to fans of Yes, King Crimson, XTC, Jellyfish, and Supertramp. Singer Ryan Hurtgen writes the main melodies and has an appealingly naturalistic and emotive voice. Until two years ago, Ryan hadn't listened to progressive rock. But then he met guitarist and producer Johannes Luley, who broadened Ryan's music horizons. Result? The formation of one of the most exciting new prog bands I've heard in recent years. Read more about the band in the current issue of Prog and, in the meantime, visit the the official Perfect Beings YouTube channel.The band's superb new album, Perfect Beings II, is out now. Visit www.perfectbeingsband.com

Also on newsstands: the new issue of Classic Rock magazine. I reviewed Robert Plant's recent show here in Boston for the magazine. Over the past year, I've been fortunate to see three different shows by Plant. This was the best of the three (and the 26th time I've seen my all-time favorite singer). To get a feel for just how great the show was, check out this video of Plant's performance of "The Lemon Song."


Wednesday, September 30, 2015

Playlist: September




(WHERE POSSIBLE, INCLUDES LINKS TO MUSIC VIDEOS)
  • Shearwater—Jetplane and Oxbow (2016)
  • Richard Barbieri + Jan Linton—Cosmic Prophets (2004)
  • Kansas—Kansas (1974)


Musings on music reviews

photo: Camilo Rueda López (Creative Commons)

Joan Anderman, former music writer for The Boston Globe (before she voluntarily left to co-found the band Field Day), recently wrote, "I listened to records and went to concerts and decided whether they were good or bad, although as time went by, I began to worry that there's no such a thing as good and bad, only people who can persuade you that they know the difference."

So true.

I've been thinking along similar lines. As a professional journalist, I've reviewed a fair number of albums over the years and continue to do so (links to many of them are collected in the bottom half of the rail to the right of your screen). Lately, I've been wondering whether my opinions on music are worth a damn.

Music writers, both professional and amateur, typically present their reviews as some sort of objective truth. The critiques in professional publications carry the imprimatur of Official Truth. Words (and often grades) coming down from on high.

But they're not necessarily right or wrong. When you get down to it, music tastes are entirely subjective. That may seem to be stating the obvious, but many people will still claim that there are only two types of music, good and bad. And proclaim themselves reliable arbiters in determining which is which. If it were only that easy.

"But wait," I hear you object, "Are you telling me that Right Said Fred isn't crap? What about The Village People?"

In my opinion, yes. But, earlier this month I read an essay in The Guardian by British journalist and broadcaster Pete Paphides in which he wrote about how the song "Go West" by the Village People, later covered by The Pet Shop Boys, reduces him to tears. To my ears, it's a camp and cheesy song. But for him it's a song with a far deeper meaning about sexual freedom and its cost. about the American Dream. His essay reminded me just how subjective this stuff is.

Is there a role for music criticism, then? Music reviews don't matter the way they used to. Prior to the information revolution of the Internet, music writers wielded clout because their reviews typically arrived before the release of an album. It was more difficult, back then, to assess the music oneself because you had to wait for songs to show up on the radio or hope that you could listen to a release in a record store. Nowadays, music listeners would much rather decide for themselves by going to YouTube. Recommendations by peers and friends are far more influential than the scribblings of pro journalists. Indeed, the wonderful democratization of the Web means that we can all now be critics, whether it's on Amazon reviews or in the comments section under a YouTube video.

The best music writers, of course, are able to place music inside a historical context and offer observations about what, if anything, the writer is trying to say and how well they achieve that goal. (Great music writers can have a field day dissecting, say, the art—and artifice—of Lana Del Rey.) Music writers can also provide valuable signposts and recommendations to artists that one may have missed—curation is incredibly valuable at a time when there's an overwhelming number of new music released each week. I particularly love reading the stunning prose and witty observations of The Guardian's lead music writer, Alexis Petridis. And I never miss out on the weekly musings of music omnivore Andre Salles (a writer whose broad taste across genres resonates with my own tastes) over at Tuesday Morning 3 a.m.

Having said all that, never forget that every music critic is merely expressing an opinion. His or her critique is filtered through very subjective set of preferences—as well as his/her personal circumstances and what they're seeking from music. A song can strike one in very different ways depending on one's mood. A piece of music that never did anything for you at one time may suddenly seem incredibly moving and profound when you hear it at a different time in one's life. Same picture; different frame of mind.

That's not to say that music critics can't offer valuable and objective criticisms. (Though even these may seem subjective to some.) For instance, one can call out an artist if they've been lazy with the lyrics by resorting to "moon" and "June" rhymes or verses that don't make sense. Similarly, if the artist may not have progressed and may be repeating themselves. Or they may release an album that seems nakedly calculated to be a commercial hit rather than a personal statement.

...and yet many listeners will love those albums and songs because of, or in spite of, those very reasons.

What about guilty pleasures? Everyone has them. It's music that we'd blush to admit liking because we think it's something that we like in spite of what our head—and popular opinion—is telling us our response should be. Recently, the virtuoso art-rock guitarist Markus Reuter said something profound to music journalist Anil Prasad in an Innerview.

"When I hear people talk about 'guilty pleasures,' I think that concept is ridiculous. The peer group you belong to is usually why people think of certain music as guilty pleasures. Perhaps you belong to a group of people who like the goth scene, which means you can’t enjoy Eurodance. It’s largely to do with belonging to groups. Why should you feel guilty about enjoying something? I say come into the music with an open heart and indulge in the emotional experience. Don’t let the style of music, the sound or the scene influence what you feel when you listen to music."

I'm more wary, now, of casting aspersions on music that I hate yet others like. If you like Celine Dion, it would be churlish for me to complain if her music makes you happy or elicits an emotional response. If you're an ardent fan of Gloria Estefan and Miami Sound Machine I say, "Have a nice day...but please don't turn up the volume."

My music collection is filled with so many bands and artists that are terminally unhip and which others wouldn't rate as "cool." Everyone's taste is just as valid as mine, even when I'm sure they're wrong. Each and every person in the world can proclaim that they have the best taste in music—and I love that!




Monday, August 31, 2015

Playlist: August




  • Shearwater—Jetplane and Oxbow (2016)
  • David Gilmour—Rattle that Lock (2015)
  • Patty Griffin—Servant of Love (2015)
  • Foals—What Went Down (2015)
  • John Metcalfe—The Appearance of Colour (2015)
  • Gary Clark Jr.—The Story of Sonny Boy Slim (2015)
  • Beach House—Depression Cherry (2015)
  • Vennart—The Demon Joke (2015)
  • Mew—+ - (2015)
  • Riverside—Love, Fear and the Time Machine (2015)
  • Grasscut—Catholic Architecture/Beacons (2014)
  • Calexico—Garden in Ruins (2006)
  • Peter Gabriel—Secret World, live (1994)
  • Steve Hackett—The Tokyo Tapes (1998)
  • Peter Case—The Man with the Blue, Postmodern, Fragmented, Neo-traditionalist Guitar (1998)
  • Frank Zappa—Shut Up and Play Yer Guitar (1981)
  • Friday, July 31, 2015

    Playlist: July





  • Grasscut—Everyone was a Bird (2015)
  • Nils Frahm—Music for the Motion Picture Victoria (2015)
  • Elbow—Lost Worker Bee EP (2015)
  • Tim Bowness—Stupid Things that Mean the World (2015)
  • Gary Clark Jr.—The Story of Sonny Boy Slim (2015)
  • The Acorn—Vieux Loop (2015)
  • Henrik Freischlader—Night Train to Budapest Farewell Tour (2015)
  • Speedy Ortiz—Foil Deer (2015)
  • Rock Candy Funk Party—Groove is King (2015)
  • Buddy Guy—Born to Play Guitar (2015)
  • Joe Satriani—Shockwave Supernova (2015)
  • Polar Bear—In Each and Every One (2014)
  • David Gilmour—Live in Gdansk (2008)
  • David Gilmour—On an Island (2006)
  • Reigns—We Lowered a Microphone into the Ground (2005)
  • Patty Griffin—Impossible Dream (2004)
  • David Gilmour—About Face (1984)
  • David Gilmour—David Gilmour (1978)
  • Led Zeppelin—Coda (Deluxe edition reissue) (1982)
  • Led Zeppelin—In Through the Out Door (Deluxe edition reissue) (1979)
  • Led Zeppelin—Presence (Deluxe edition reissue) (1976)
  • Wednesday, July 29, 2015

    New on Newsstands

    My most exciting musical discovery of late is a purely independent artist named Rian Adkinson, who is based in Georgia. I hadn't heard of him until Prog magazine just asked me to interview him for its latest issue. Rian is primarily influenced by Steven Wilson, Marillion, The Pineapple Thief, Genesis, Yes, Rush, Talk Talk, etc., but his album isn't overtly prog.  

    Highly recommend you go to iTunes and just buy Rian's album, Villain, which is fantastic from start to finish. You can stream the album on his website here. For starters, listen to the songs "I'll Be the Lightning" and "Les Revenants"—in a perfect world, those two songs would be megahits. The whole album is brimming with great pop-rock melodies. 

    Also in the latest issue, I wrote a short news piece about Francis Dunnery's upcoming studio album, Vampires. Intriguingly, the great songwriter, guitarist and singer has elected to re-record 14 tracks from his first band It Bites. (If you only know It Bites for the band's top 10 hit single "Calling all the Heroes" in 1986, dig deeper - that song is about as representative of the band as  "Hi Ho Silver Lining" is of Jeff Beck's ouevre.) Dunnery's looking to record some of that pop-prog band's best songs in a more organic style that won't sound as dated. 

    Read about that and more in the new issue of Prog, available at Barnes & Nobles, good newsstands, and also available digitally. Find out more at: https://prog.teamrock.com



    Tuesday, July 07, 2015

    My Book in Billboard Magazine

    Billboard magazine has a piece about the book that I wrote for Hugh Syme and Rush about their 40 years of collaborations on album covers.

    Veteran rock journalist Gary Graff interviewed Hugh about The Art of Rush (now available via Rush.com or on the merch stand of the band's R40 tour) as well as his predictions about the band's future. As a bonus, the Billboard piece also includes Rush drummer Neil Peart's foreword to the book.

    It was an honor to be asked by Hugh to write this book and a joy to work with him (and Neil, Alex, and Geddy) on the 272-page tome, an opportunity for Hugh's artwork to enjoy the limelight it so richly deserves.


      Rush Art Director Hugh Syme on the Stories Behind the Band's Iconic Album Covers

    Forty years ago, Hugh Syme designed his first album package for Rush, 1975's Caress of Steel....



    WWW.BILLBOARD.COM


    Thursday, July 02, 2015

    Joy Williams interview


    I recently interviewed Joy Williams (formerly of The Civil Wars) for Under the Radar magazine. It was a very intimate conversation in which we she described how the death of her father, her crumbling marriage, and the demise of The Civil Wars transformed her as an artist. The singer calls her new album, Venus, a "coming of age" album. Follow this link to read my in-depth profile interview with Joy.

    The video below is one of my favorite songs on Venus, a very good album.

    Sunday, May 31, 2015

    Playlist: May





  • The Doughboys—Hot Beat Stew (2015)
  • Sweet Billy Pilgrim—Motorcade Amnesiacs (2015)
  • The Weather Station—Loyalty (2015)
  • My Morning Jacket—The Waterfall (2015)
  • Braids—Deep in the Iris (2015)
  • The Receiver—All Burn (2015)
  • Joe Satriani—Shockwave Supernova (2015)
  • Alabama Shakes—Sound & Color (2015)
  • Mew—+- (2015)
  • Colin Edwin—Melt (2015)
  • Eilen Jewell—Sunset on Ghost Town (2015)
  • Toto—XIV (2015)
  • Reigns—The Widow Blades (2015)
  • Patty Griffin—Inpossible Dream (2004)
  • Steve Hackett—Feedback '86 (2000), The Tokyo Tapes (1998)
  • David Baerwald—Hurly Burly (soundtrack) (1994)
  • Swans—Filfth (reissue) (1983)
  • Friday, May 29, 2015

    Now on Newsstands

    I recently interviewed Laura Marling for the new issue of Under the Radar magazine, now available at your local Barnes & Noble, newsstand, and also as a digital download via iTunes and Zinio. (The magazine includes a tremendous cover story interview with Kevin Parker of Tame Impala.)

    I've been a fan of Marling ever since the release of her magnificent second album, I Speak Because I Can (2010). The lead single, "Devil's Spoke," signaled that the young British songwriter wasn't a genteel folk artist. She percolated her acoustic-based songs through brooding atmospheric textures and her vocal delivery had an edge to it. The follow-up single "Rambling Man" showcased lovely harmonies and a dynamic arrangement.

    The Elfin musician was all of 20 years old at the time. As many, many, many writers chimed in unison, her sophisticated lyrics suggested she was wise beyond her years.

    Marling's third album, A Creature I Don't Know, was even better and included the lovely single "Sophia." But it was Marling's 2013 album, Once I was an Eagle, that found her testing the boundaries. Holed up in a studio with longtime producer Ethan Johns (son of legendary producer and engineer Glyn Johns), she created a song cycle of often-interlinked songs that sounded like an emotional exorcism. In retrospect, though, the album was perhaps too dense, too long, but it has some great moments including the unusual but catchy"Master Hunter."

    The subject of my phone interview with Marling was her latest acclaimed album, Short Movie. She produced it herself and also played electric guitar for the first time on record. It features some of my favorite Marling songs to date, such as "False Hope" and "I Feel Your Love."

    Prior to the interview, I wondered whether Marling would be shy and less-than-forthcoming, In concert, she tends to gaze upward rather than make eye contact with the audience. But she was friendly and open during our half-hour call. She has one of those speaking voices one could listen to all day. (She could pursue a sideline career in narrating audiobooks.) Among other topics, we chatted about how a night in a backwoods "axe-murderer town" inspired the title track of her new album, why she shelved an entire recorded album and started over, and how guitar practice equipped her to cover this Led Zeppelin classic.

    You can read the main interview in the magazine. But I wrote a second piece from leftover quotes for the magazine's website.

    Seek out Marling's tour of the US this summer.

    Thursday, April 30, 2015

    Playlist: April






  • Joy Williams—Venus (2015)
  • Blur—The Magic Whip (2015)
  • Jeff Beck—Live + (2015)
  • Ludovico Einaudi—Taranta Project (2015)
  • Field Music—Music for Drifters (2015)
  • Robert Plant—More Roar (2015)
  • Punch Brothers—The Phosphorescent Blues (2015)
  • Steve Jansen & Richard Barbieri (feat. Mick Karn and Steven Wilson)—Lumen (2015)
  • Joe Bonamassa—Muddy Wolf at Red Rocks (2015)
  • Death Cab for Cutie—Kintsugi (2015)
  • Steve Hackett—Wolflight (2015)
  • Calexico—Edge of the Sun (2015)
  • Ozric Tentacles—Technicians of the Sacred (2015)
  • Gary Clark Jr.—Live (2014)
  • Rokia Traoré—Bawnboi (2004)
  • Pearl Jam—rearviewmirror (2004)
  • Soundgarden—A-Sides (2004)
  • Nirvana—In Utero (1993)
  • PJ Harvey—Dry (1992)
  • Talking Heads—Popular Favorites, discs 1&2 (1992)
  • Miles Davis—Sketches of Spain (1960)
  • Thursday, March 26, 2015

    My first book: Art of Rush


    I can now reveal the project I've been working on over the past year: my first book, The Art of Rush.

    It's a beautiful coffee-table keepsake that the band Rush, and its art director Hugh Syme, asked me to write in celebration of the group's 40th anniversary.

    I was approached to write The Art of Rush by my friend Matt Scannell of Vertical Horizon. I'd written the sleeve notes for his band's most recent album, Echoes from the Underground, which features Rush's Neil Peart on drums on stunning tracks such as this one. and so Matt kindly recommended my writing skills to Neil and Hugh. When Matt told me about the concept for the book, I'll admit I was dubious that anyone would want to read about how album covers were made.

    That was before I first talked to Hugh.

    Limited Edition, with custom slipcase
    The art director regaled me with stories about trying to herd a warren of rabbits for the cover of Presto, furtively crossing the Canadian border to do a Guerilla film shoot for A Farewell to Kings, descending into the depths of an autopsy lab to find a brain for Hemispheres, building a swimming pool inside his studio for Test for Echo, and tying photographer Deborah Samuel to the stake and setting her on fire for Moving Pictures. Ok, I'm exaggerating about the last part. Hugh only made it appear as if Deborah, posing as Joan of Arc, was being burnt alive. But, as he recalls, a bottle of The Macallan whiskey may have been involved to calm the nerves before the stunt.


    Limited Edition, with Anvil roadcase
    Interviewing band members Alex Lifeson, Geddy Lee, and Neil Peart was just as interesting. As a longtime fan of Rush, I was thrilled to delve into the conceptual discussions about the theme of each album and its lyrics. A hallmark of Rush's releases if the considerable care that goes into every aspect of what they do, including the artwork. As such, readers of The Art of Rush will be surprised to discover just how much effort went into each album cover. In the days before Photoshop, each element of the artwork had to be handcrafted and pieced together like the innards of a Swiss wristwatch. Take the inside gatefold of Hold Your Fire, for example. Hugh first had to construct a miniature model of a city street and then super-impose a picture of a fireball juggler on to it. It's the kind of thing Hollywood special effects teams used to do. Nowadays, of course, Hugh utilizes digital technology to create Rush's art. But as Neil put it, “The tools got easier, but the thinking doesn’t.”

    A casual observer would be amazed to discover that Rush's album covers, which boast more diversity than the Period Table of Elements, have been designed by the same person since 1975. Many album cover designers offer up variations of a narrow style. But Hugh is an art director whose expansive vision complements Rush's tradition of continually pushing the boundaries of its music.

    This project was a great pleasure to work on and I feel privileged to have done it.
    The Pre-order for the Art of Rush book will begin on Friday, March 27 at 10 am ET at rushbackstage.com on Friday March 27 at 10 a.m. ET.

    Roadcase Deluxe Limited Edition 1/100

    • Limited to 100 copies, this deluxe limited edition will be numbered and signed by all 3 members of Rush & Hugh Syme.
    • The book will come in a hand-crafted road case designed by Anvil approx. 15" x 15" x 3" in size and will be enclosed in a custom slipcase.
    • A signed and numbered limited edition lithograph of Hugh Syme's detailed drawing of Caress of Steel, the first cover he worked on for Rush, will be inside the case,.
    • The case will have a metal plate affixed to the outside with the limited edition number and the limited edition lithograph of the Caress of Steel lithograph will match.
    • $995
    Limited Edition, with Anvil roadcase

    Limited Special Edition 1/250

    • Limited to 250 copies, the hardcover book will be numbered and signed by all 3 members of the band and artist Hugh Syme, enclosed in a custom slipcase.
    • $495
    Limited Edition, with custom slipcase

    Classic Edition

    • The 272 page hardcover book
    • $99




    Thursday, March 05, 2015

    Steven Wilson interview


    Photo: Lasse Hoile

    I'm occasionally asked what my worst interviewee was. Without hesitation, my response is "Coldplay." When I interviewed the band's guitarist, Johnny Buckland circa the release of the band's debut album, his reponses were mostly monosyllabic and he couldn't have been less effusive or articulate. After he hung up, I had to figure out how to write my Coldplay article with hardly any great quotes or insights from the musician. Not a fun day.

    By contrast, I can tell you exactly who my best interviewee is: Steven Wilson. I've interviewed the British musician many, many, times since 2002 and he always offers thoughtful, intelligent, articulate responses to my questions. That's certainly the case with my latest interview with Steven Wilson about his new album, Hand.Cannot.Erase., for Under the Radar magazine. For example, read what he has to say about Facebook's impact upon human relationships or his philosophical musings about how to get the best things out of life by remaining proactive in all areas of life.

    Never heard of Wilson? Here's how I introduce him in my piece:

    He's almost never played on the radio despite the fact that his previous album, The Raven that Refused to Sing (and Other Stories), sold well over 100,000 copies worldwide. He's seldom mentioned in the press even though he plays for crowds of over 2,000 per night and can sell out London's Royal Albert Hall. And Wilson has yet to be regularly compared to musical polymaths such as Trent Reznor and Damon Albarn even though his wide-ranging side projects include No-Man (art rock), Bass Communion (ambient electronica), Blackfield (indie pop), Storm Corrosion (psychedelic folk), and Porcupine Tree (progressive rock).
    Steven's fourth solo album is his best work to date and I'd be surprised if I hear a better album in 2015. (Here's a taste of what it sounds like.)

    Now on Newsstands

    American Way magazine recently asked if I'd interview Joshua Radin for them. I was only casually familiar with the songwriter's work but happily took on the assignment. It was a pleasure chatting with the friendly and chatty songwriter, who only picked up a guitar for the first time at age 28. He scored his first hit a mere two years later!

    Radin’s sixth album, Onward and Sideways. chronicles his love affair with a Swedish woman he befriended after a chance meeting in the lobby of a New York hotel. Read the piece here for Joshua's account of how he went to extraordinary lengths to woo her.

    When it comes to romance, Joshua Radin makes the rest of us men look like chumps!

    Friday, February 27, 2015

    Playlist: February





    • Steven Wilson—Hand.Cannot. Erase (2015)
    • Courtney Barnett—Sometimes I Just Sits and Thinks, and Sometimes I Just Sits (2015)
    • Public Service Broadcasting—Race for Space (2015)
    • Laura Marling—Short Movie (2015)
    • Robben Ford—Into the Sun (2015)
    • Gavin Harrison—Cheating the Polygraph (2015)
    • Mark Knopfler—Tracker (2015)
    • Lonely Robot—Please Come Home (2015)
    • The Waterboys—Modern Blues (2015)
    • The Amazing—Picture You (2015)
    • Bill Frisell—Guitar in the Space Age! (2014)
    • Linda Sutti—Wild Skies (2014)
    • Field Music—Field Music (2005)
    • Joseph Arthur—Junkyard Hearts (2002)
    • Chris Whitley—Living Within the Law (1991)
    • Tears for Fears—Songs from the Big Chair (1985, bonus track remix 2014)
    • David Bowie—Stages (1978, bonus track reissue 2005)
    • Led Zeppelin—Physical Graffiti (1975, deluxe reissue 2015) 
    • Camel—Flight of the Snow Goose (1975, bonus track remaster 2002)
    • Can—Tago Mago (1971)

    Tuesday, January 27, 2015

    Playlist: January


      • Steven Wilson—Hand.Cannot. Erase (2015)
      • Laura Marling—Short Movie (2015)
      • King Crimson—Live at the Orpheum (2015)
      • Björk—Vulnicura (2015)
      • Ralph Stanley and Friends—Man of Constant Sorrow (2015)
      • The Waterboys—Modern Blues (2015)
      • The Amazing—Picture You (2015)
      • Jane Weaver—The Silver Globe (2014)
      • North Atlantic Oscillation—The Third Day (2014)
      • A Winged Victory for the Sullen—Atomos (2014)
      • Trevor Rabin—Live in L.A. (2014 re-release)
      • Julie Slick—Fourth Dementia (2014)
      • Lunatic Soul—Walking on a Flashlight Beam (2014)
      • Sam Weber—Shadows in the Road (2014)
      • Markus Reuter—Todmorden 513, Concerto for Orchestra (2013)
      • Joanna Newsom—Have One on Me (2010)
      • Nik Bärtsch's Ronin—Stoa (2006)
      • Thornley—Come Again (2004)