Larkin Grimm – Chasing an Illusion  Northern Spy Records – out June 16 2.5 / 5   We respect Alice Coltrane. We like Ornette Coleman. We love Pharoah Sanders. And New York City-based Larkin Grimm references them all on her latest full-length, Chasing an Illusion. But somehow, with all this free-form Jazz woven into Illusion, it’s not enough to get us to enjoy her ostensibly folk-ish album. We’re not saying one can’t work a little of Sanders’ magic into modern folk (or what remains of folk, here), but what Grimm has offered, while earnest and certainly adventurous, is actually fairly boring. Yes. We apologize for the unimaginative term,Read More →

Goodbye June – Magic Valley  Interscope Records – out now 4 / 5 Time for a bit of rock and roll. That must be the impetus behind this Nashville trio’s debut LP. Goodbye June, we must say, sounds like they’re already on their third or fourth album – Magic Valley is a polished piece of record right here. They’ve got cookers (“Good Side,” “Bamboozler”), quiet ones (“Darling”), and just generally a good chex-mix of rock singles. Musically, think of aggravated vocals taking a hint from Angus-Young, simplified, clear guitar hooks (perhaps also a la AC/DC), and singable choruses. All in all, a good time with GoodbyeRead More →

Matthew Logan Vasquez – Does What He Wants  Dine Alone Music – out April 21 3 / 5 Delta Spirit frontman Matthew Logan Vasquez comes upon his second solo LP, the perhaps aptly named Does What He Wants. Up front, we’ll tell you: it’s not bad, and it’s more of the same a la 2016’s Solicitor Returns. That is to say, this is a Vasquez comfortable in his own skin, not the wild yells of a Vasquez of early Delta Spirit fame. But we miss those wild yells, those impassioned pleas stretching, reaching for an imagined musical perfection. But such is life: we grow old, weRead More →

Ecstatic Vision – Raw Rock Fury  Relapse Records – out April 7 1.5 / 5 Philadelphia’s hard rock foursome Ecstatic Vision slash their way through their second LP. Their approach is part gut punch, part slam-your-head-against-the-wall; that is to say, unapologetic. And while we appreciate their forwardness, their energy and approach, we still have to say: sorry, no. Their aimless jams certainly do not appeal to us, and in total feel like an album-long experiment in playing the same few brazen notes obnoxiously loud. There’s nothing wrong with loud, no. But there is when 11 is the only volume you understand: there is a deepRead More →