From the opening strains of “Kazakhstan,” Future Lives‘ forthcoming Mansions will hook you, awash as it is in sumptuous melodies and Americana hooks. It’s no surprise, given the band features among its members Brandon Taj Hanick (King of Prussia) singing and playing guitar, along...
Reissue of an end-era Stax lost classic Stax / Concord Music / Craft Recordings Sweet soul music. Is there anything which brings more delight to the record collector than obscure soul records being reissued? Probably not. Even your most devoted genre-specific vinyl nerd is going to find something wonderful...
Madonna’s debut, self-titled album was a slow-burn success, taking a year to reach its peak Billboard position of eight 1. It’s a nice disco record, while the catchy singles still hold up, but listening to them at a 30-year remove, you can really hear the thinness. “Lucky Star,” “Borderline,”...
Iconic Detroit rockers finally get a vinyl best-of Rhino / Run Out Groove New label Run Out Groove aims to be a little different. Rather than just another subscription service, the label’s website features a number of titles which can be voted on by fans. Each month, they list potential projects and ask for fans’...
Rising blues star goes minimal for maximum impact Self-Released Recorded live at Sun Studios in Memphis, Shawn James’ On the Shoulders of Giants is just the musician, a pair of resonator guitars from Austin’s Republic Guitars, a kick drum, and a tambourine. It was recorded in one day, early in February...
Debut solo release from Mindless Self Indulgence frontman should intrigue The End Records To be completely honest, I have never liked Mindless Self Indulgence (Alternative Press’ description of “gloriously annoying” is rather on point), so I put this record on the turntable with quite a few reservations....
