Esperanza Spalding, Chamber Music Society, 2010
by J Frazzetta March 29th, 2011 | Album Review, Emerging Artists
The Grammy’s did two things right this year: they gave "Album of the Year" to a band that deserved it and has shown plenty of artist growth and they gave "Best New Artist" to someone that hasn’t had their face plastered on teen mags and YouTube. Most times I bypass this category since the nominees are awful, but when I hear that a female, double jazz bassist and vocalist wins then I start to take notice. Esperanza Spalding did not have a rosy childhood growing up with a single mother; she dropped out of school early for homeschooling and
Under the Covers
by Jason Lightner March 25th, 2011 | Music Opinions
An album's cover art used to be almost as important as the music contained within. I remember listening to tapes and CDs, enjoying the included artwork of several bands and reading the liner notes. With the advent of digital music, a lot of that has gone away, but some artists like Trent Reznor are paving the way for a hybrid of sorts, where digital downloads and physical media are offered together and with additional content for purchasers of the physical media. Nevertheless, album art is still (thankfully) included within most digital offerings. I'd like to present three of
Lykke Li, Wounded Rhymes, 2/28/11
by J Frazzetta March 22nd, 2011 | Album Review
There seems to be a trend with artists trying to go retro as of late: Adele, Amy Winehouse, Fitz and the Tantrums to name a few. If you move a little bit out of radar range you may come across the Swedish singer Lykke Li (pronounced 'like lee') in your travels. I had read about her on some websites and after finding out that Beck remixed one of her songs, I decided to drop the cash and see what the fuss was about.
She has this kind of swagger to her songs that pulls you in after a few tracks
She has this kind of swagger to her songs that pulls you in after a few tracks
Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness: The Very Definition of Timeless
by Jason Lightner March 18th, 2011 | Album Review, Music Opinions, Rock
While doing research for last week's column, I spied #487 on the Rolling Stone 500 Greatest Albums of All Time and it got me to thinking... It's been a long time since The Smashing Pumpkins' masterpiece Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness tore up the airwaves, and I've been chomping at the bit to give it another good listen. Mellon Collie, which was released in 1995, is a concept album based around the ideas of the cycle of life and death. The 28-track, two-disc album runs the gamut from the morose, to the angry, to the enchanting
R.E.M., Collapse Into Now, 3/8/11
by J Frazzetta March 15th, 2011 | Album Review
The release date for this album happened to coincide with a very special day in my own life: my birthday. Whenever my birthday lands on a Tuesday, last time was 2005, I make it a point to hit a record store and buy an album to celebrate. I don’t remember what I got in 2005, and this time R.E.M. released their latest, and I thought I would give it a try. I am no super fan and I have not followed these guys for years, but I do appreciate the work they have done for alternative rock and post-punk
