Bloggerhythms

You really have to hand it to The Avett Brothers for their perseverance. Since 2002 they have averaged one CD release per year.  It took until their eighth disc, issued last year, before they were able to finally land a major label deal from American Recordings, a Columbia Records affiliate headed by producer Rick Rubin. He is renowned for working with The Beastie Boys, Run-DMC, Metallica, Red Hot Chilli Peppers, Rage Against The Machine, and perhaps most famously, Johnny Cash. Rubin, currently the number two in command at Columbia, helped make the brothers stars with their latest album, I and Love and You . Seth and Scott Avett are the lead singers for a trio that includes bassist and keyboard player Bob Crawford. They are ably assisted by an unofficial fourth member, Joe Kwon on cello. Scott, Seth, and others play drums in the studio, but they use a fulltime drummer for concerts. The very slow and quiet title track was the unlikely first single, becoming a big hit on college...

Except for 2004's Smile Brian Wilson's solo releases have never matched the quality of his best Beach Boys material. His frequently juvenile lyrics are the reason. While the genius arranger reacquired his lost sanity around 1983 emotionally he is still locked into 1965 and it shows in his songs.  The problem is emphasized by the lyrics found on his new CD of George Gershwin standards, Brian Wilson Reimagines Gershwin .  Everything on this disc was written many years before the Hawthorne, CA native was even born and because Gershwin's lyrics are more sophisticated than Wilson's we are rewarded with a set of tunes that are more enjoyable than anything found on the latter's recent original work.  For this album the star only needed to use the talents he is best suited for: arranging the music and producing the record in the studio. Wilson has said many times that his favorite piece of music has always been Gershwin's "Rhapsody in Blue." He even reme...

Lead singer Ken Stringfellow and fellow songwriter Jonathan Auer are the two main spokes in the musical wheel known as The Posies , another revered 90s band from Seattle. They're back with a whole new rhythm section and a brand new CD, Blood/Candy . The Posies songwriting has always been their strong suit and while they are fine musicians, Stringfellow and Auer are not about flashy axe work or even a good groove. Solos are short and sweet, and as with most power pop, excellent harmonies and melodies share space everywhere. The Posies don't mimic their influences, they honor them. The early Who, Squeeze, and The Beatles all turn up in their repertoire and you shouldn't be surprised to learn that Stringfellow was recently an important member of Big Star. He helped keep Alex Chilton's much cherished cult band alive over the last few years. The two bandleaders prove that rock doesn't have to be filled with bombast, rebellion, or alienation to win over the hearts...

Roy Orbison, one of the extraordinary talents of rock 'n roll's formative years, was almost Elvis Presley's vocal equal. Like "The King" he preferred ballads to rocking out and, just like Presley, he excelled at both. For those unfamiliar with Orbison his often dramatic (some would say melodramatic) singing style is best represented today by the likes of The Mavericks' Raul Malo. The Last Concert features the star in top vocal form all during this last memorable show at Highland Heights in Akron, Ohio on December 4, 1988. Unfortunately, one can't listen to it without just a touch of sadness because Orbison died only two days later of a heart attack at age 52 making the title of the CD the cold, dark truth. The singer's passing is made even sadder when you realize he died less than two months after his new supergroup, Traveling Wilburys, released the first of their only two CDs. The Wilburys helped put one of Sun Records iconic pioneers back...