Bloggerhythms

I wasn't planning on writing about The Beach Boys again so soon after extolling the virtues of Sunflower a few weeks ago. However, because writer Scott D. Parker is hosting a new feature on the last Thursday of every month in which a bevy of bloggers will write about forgotten music I've decided to participate by discussing one of the later albums by the famous surf-rockers. Their eponymous 1985 album, The Beach Boys , is one with an interesting backstory. Except for Dennis Wilson, who died in December 1983, everyone else was present and accounted for on their first album since the drummer's passing. The lineup included both Brian and Carl Wilson, Mike Love, Al Jardine, and Bruce Johnston. They dedicated the album "to the memory of our beloved, brother, cousin, and friend." This LP was released around the same time that Brian was awakening from his twenty year death spiral. It was hailed as his comeback because he was fully integrated into the band for ...

The always controversial Michelle Shocked is back. After fighting a losing battle for artistic freedom with Mercury Records in the early 90s (a result that left her without a label for seven years) the singer-songwriter's releases have been uneven. However, when Shocked is "on" she is so good her talent can not be denied. Such is the case with one of her harder rocking CDs, Soul of my Soul . It favors mainstream rock more than most of her albums do and that accounts for much of its artistic success. In Shocked's case "mainstream" is not synonymous with sellout. Despite the overall feel of the album Shocked still hits hard with her liberal to left leaning politics. If that's a problem then she is an artist who is clearly not for you. Three of the ten tracks blast the former George W. Bush Administration. "Ballad of the Battle of the Ballot and the Bullet, Pt. 1: Ugly Americans" is the most pointed example. Worried about her rights Shoc...

Sea Wolf , the name of the musical project put together by Alex Brown Church, is back with its second full length CD, White Water, White Bloom . It's similar to Church's debut, Leaves In the River , minus it's two very catchy radio tracks, "Winter Windows" and "You're A Wolf." In their place is "Wicked Blood," a song that comes close to stealing the same upbeat instrumental vibe. This is highly produced rock music that fortunately falls short of pretentiousness even while using a small rock orchestra and that's because, just like its predecessor, it's serious and mostly obscure lyrics are often offset by lively tempos that avoid the heaviness of prog-rock. Strings are used in abundance but they don't weigh the music down either. It also helps that Church's somewhat mysterious voice is quite appealing. In addition to "Wicked Blood," other highlights include the title track, "Spirit Horse," and the ha...

Edgehill Avenue , the mighty fine Southern rock band from Louisville, continue to search for some much deserved attention for Rambler , their first full length studio CD. In the meantime they just released a brand new live EP, Off the Edge: Live at the Highlands Festival , that includes three songs from Rambler . There are two more from their currently out of print, self-titled EP ("All I Need" and "60 Days") and two previously unreleased tunes ("Corduroy" and "Summer Rain"). While band leader Drew Perkins calls Off The Edge an EP it's not one of those short, twenty minute, overpriced disappointments. At thirty-seven minutes it would have been a full length album in the pre-digital age so, because it's priced economically at $7 for a CD and only $5 for a download of all seven songs, it's worth every penny, especially because the band proved they are just as comfortable playing live as they are in the studio. While the quintet ...

Forgiven , Los Lonely Boys third full length studio CD was loaded with more great roots-rock that continued to cement their reputation as one of our best current American bands. One of its highlights included a cover of The Spencer Davis Group/Chicago Transit Authority hit "I'm a Man." It showcased a lot of what the trio does best. I don't know if that song became the band's inspiration to record more classic rock oldies but if an educated guess has to be made I'd say it laid the foundation that eventually gave birth to 1969 , a five track EP full of songs from that great year in rock 'n roll history. On Santana's "Evil Ways," a song that is perfect for these Texans, the brothers created a whole new groove with their usually fine harmony vocals and guitarist Henry Garza's blazing solo. On "Polk Salad Annie" they can't match Tony Joe White's deep baritone voice that was a huge part of the song's appeal but H...

Paul McCartney's Good Evening New York City celebrates the opening of Citi Field, the brand new baseball stadium of the New York Mets, that was built right next door to old Shea Stadium. If you're a Beatles fan (and maybe even if you're not) then you know about the Fab Four's historic night at Shea in 1965. It was rock 'n roll's first outdoor stadium concert. It's easy to dismiss Good Evening as a clone of McCartney's last live album, Back in The U. S. Live 2002 , and that is because seventeen of it's thirty-five tracks appear on both of the double disc sets. The two releases even sound alike at times so the best way to get the full effect and most enjoyment out of Good Evening is to watch its accompanying DVD on your home theater system. The sound is amazing and you'll believe you're right there fighting the crowd for a place in the front row. Despite the repetition Good Evening does have a few surprises. "A Day In The Life...