Author: Clark Lamson

Music, Print, Reviews

Top Tunes Thursday: Kurt Vile — Pretty Pimpin

July 30, 2015

Of all the musical instruments iconic to American music, the paramount would be the guitar. Although blues music originally came in the form of African spirituals and hymnals, it was changed forever when it met it’s six stringed soul mate. Rock n’ roll, arguably the most American genre there is, was built around the glistening tones of the 1957 Gibson ES-350 T. For Kurt Vile, Pennsylvania born indie rocker, the guitar is both the means and the end.

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Music, Print, Reviews

Album Review: Currency of Man — Melody Gardot

July 28, 2015

Philadelphia based singer/songwriter/siren Melody Gardot hasn’t known many times in her life without music. Being raised by two grandparents and a travelling mother, Gardot was rarely in one place for long, so when she began to take piano lessons at the age of nine, the blooming musician finally had something that was hers: music. At 16, she began playing in local bars two nights a week, and in 2003, after being in a near fatal car accident, she coped with excruciating pain by teaching herself to play guitar.

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Music, Print, Reviews

Top Tunes Thursday: Ben Folds — Phone In a Pool / Capable of Anything

July 23, 2015

It’s been a long time since I was first introduced to the sonorous sounds of Ben Folds, but he’s still making music. This week, Folds released some of the first new material since his 2008 record, Way To Normal, which was followed with a college a-capella record, and a compilation album. The two singles, titled “Phone in a Pool” and “Capable of Anything” instantly remind me of what I found so appealing as a rolly-polly youngster, and what I still find appealing as a, well, rolly-polly not-so-youngster.

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Music, Print, Reviews

Top Tunes Thursday: Ezra Furman — Perpetual Motion People

July 16, 2015

Frenetic and shaky, Furman delivers a parcel of tunes so jam packed of intention it’s hard not to break down in some punk rock convulsion, hunched over your air piano, banging out imaginary chords. While not as feverishly paced as his usual fare, “Lousy Connection,” a lead single, lays the toothy lyrical musings over a groovy doo-wop, shining light on Furman’s sensitive side.

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The End of New Music Tuesday, and What Comes Next

July 13, 2015

All across these United States, Tuesday represent beginnings and possibilities for the ravenous music geek. Whether snuggled close to a cup of joe, or on the commute to work, Tuesday mornings means scrolling over your favorite music blog or the new releases section on your music service of choice. If this sounds like your Tuesday mornings, than you probably noticed that the new releases section was uncharacteristically quiet last week. Here’s why:

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Music, Print, Reviews

New Music Monday: Bilal — In Another Life

July 6, 2015

With In Another Life, Bilal releases a collection of tunes ripe for the season. The record kicks off with “Sirens II,” which paints the picture of the slow and unwitting seduction of our main character. With a bossy beat, and a bass line some of you might recognize from Jay-z’s “Picasso Baby,” it’s the perfect setting for the sensual jaunt that is to come.

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Music, Print, Reviews

Album Review: Django and Jimmie— Merle Haggard and Willie Nelson

July 2, 2015

Though we’d all like to believe that each inspired sound that comes from our favorite artists are completely original, the fact is that even our heroes have influences. Bob Dylan had Woodie Guthrie, Jack White had Son House. Even Chuck Berry (who’s credited with creating rock n’ roll music) was influenced by the blues and jazz musicians of his time. Chuck Berry influenced The Beatles, and I don’t have to tell you how many people have been influenced by The Beatles.

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Music, Print, Reviews

New Music Monday: Thundercat — The Beyond / Where Giants Roam

June 29, 2015

This week, Thundercat has released a new “mini-album” entitled The Beyond / Where the Giants Roam. Co-produced by long time collaborator Flying Lotus, TB/WtGR clocks in at a bite sized six tracks. If you’re thinking the diminutive packaging is telling of the content, think again. In an interview with Billboard, Bruner discussed how the high volume of collaborations he’s been involved with generated a creative catalyst within him: “it was kind of like a by-product of everything that would be happening.

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