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The Low Anthem – EyelandRazor and Tie– out now1.5 / 5 We generally try to listen to each album we review here five to ten times as a minimum before we review it. Sometimes there’s something we miss; but here, on the Providence, RI band’s fourth studio album, we’re pretty sure they missed something. We could only manage three obligatory listens of Eyeland before declaring the project overly ambitious, trite, arrogant; and defunct. What’s up with the band that made the glorious 2009 Oh My God, Charlie Darwin? We can’t answer that, but if we had to take a guess, it could be that theirRead More →

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The Suffers – Self-TitledRhyme and Reason-out now 3.5 / 5 Let’s cut to the chase, not run around and make you suffer with our writing: we like The Suffers. We want to love them, yes, but we think we just like them. That this Houston, TX ten-some is so young is something of an anomaly, as they produce fine, original classic soul a la Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings (seemingly embodied in the form of Suffers lead singer, Kam Franklin). And to cut past the chase – is that an expression, even? – we’re going to say this: The Suffers is going to be aRead More →

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Andy Shauf – The PartyAnti Records– out May 204 / 5 We have a strange relationship with Saskatchewan-ian Andy Shauf. We’re going to be honest: we caught a bit of his set at the Newport Folk Fest a year or two back, and we were entirely not blown away. Kind of underwhelmed. And so his fourth album, The Party, almost feels the same. But hear us out, because we believe the studio is his element. The Party is a concept album, a large cast of characters thrown together, each given a slice of the life of a house party. What seems underwhelming is here actuallyRead More →

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Andrew Bird has a new album out today. This Andrew Bird: Hey you *wink*. Photo (c) Reuben Cox. Not this bird: Tweet tweet *wink*. Photo c.o. Wikipedia. Both are given to flights of fancy, whistling, and yes, and occasional silliness and absurdity. But only one of these above is touring for his new album. Guess which. ****************** Citi Wang Theatre, Boston, MA. Sat. 4-9-16, 7pm. $40 and up. Mr. Bird, formerly of Squirrel Nuts Zippers fame, has one spot in New England to hit, that spot being Boston, and we – as your musical legal counsel – strongly advise you catch this extraordinary lyricist andRead More →