Neutral Milk Hotel’s “In the Aeroplane Over the Sea” stood out in the music world, suddenly obsessed with standardizing genres and making all artists adhere to a formula. Such eccentricities seemed to guarantee that these freak-folk ramblings would only…
Pink Floyd - “Wish You Were Here” Reviewed and Revisited
December 7, 2024
Pink Floyd, like the very best bands of the classic rock era, relied on self-mythology just as much as on songs. With “Wish You Were Here,” they made progressive-rock that was often minimalistic and used their former leader, Syd Barrett, as the symbol for the…
Brian Halloran - "Four Orphans" Reviewed
December 5, 2024
Writers don’t get a lot of respect these days, at least not from the people bankrolling creative projects. But while this is a sad thing to witness, in some ways, it makes sense. How do you invest money in a person who only needs a pen and a dose of caffeine to do the…
Påls butikk - "Utakkens sønn" Reviewed
December 2, 2024
If you’re optimistic, you will regard life as a kind of make-your-own-adventure experience. That, in turn, will mean that you’ll trust that possibilities are endless, roads are always open, adventures are plentiful, and always feature a happy ending.
If you’re…
Titus Drott - "Writing In The Dark" Reviewed
December 2, 2024
I hear lies whenever I remove my headphones from people who are trying to sell me cheese, insurance, and the brand new political movements. I am suspicious of everyone who tries to stop me on the street to hand me a pamphlet. And if the doorbell rings in the middle of the…
The Animal Objective - "Creature Law" Reviewed
December 2, 2024
There’ll come a day, and that day is practically here, when to make art, you’ll need to drive over to the Head Office and ask for a permit. You’ll be told what kind of art you can make or if you’re prohibited from making it all. And you won’t have to travel all the…
The Libertines - “Up the Bracket” Reviewed and Revisited
December 1, 2024
The Libertines, by their own admission, came to London seeking fame and fortune and willing to do anything for it. By 2002, they were England’s answer to New York’s The Strokes and heralded by the local music press as geniuses. “Up the Bracket,” in…
Arctic Monkeys - "Whatever People Say I Am, That’s What I’m Not" Reviewed and Revisited
November 28, 2024
Arctic Monkeys weren’t the sons of someone working at NME, or inside of the music press. But they might as well could’ve been considering the praise they’d received from the press before even releasing an album. By the time the debut was delivered, the same…
The Rolling Stones - "Beggars Banquet" Reviewed and Revisited
November 22, 2024
The Rolling Stones has had the history of classic rock n’ roll smile down upon them. Why not? They are, after all, the victors – the last gang standing in a game that’s proved to be deadly for so many. “Beggars Banquet” was the album where The…