Talk Talk: Spirit Of Eden (Parlophone (EMI)) – Album Review
Reviewed by Harry Kaplan
This album was released on September 16, 1988, which was my very first day working at an independent record store. Yes, record stores were a thing in 1988 and I was lucky enough to score a gig working at one. I had listened to almost nothing voluntarily apart from Grateful Dead music for the previous four and a half years. My horizons needed expansion, only I didn’t know it yet.
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molly BANG: She Caught My Fancy (A Country-ish Tribute to Ween) – Album Review
Reviewed by Harry Kaplan
This is what the band wrote about themselves on their Bandcamp page: “We’ve been booed. We’ve been banned from establishments. We’ve emptied entire venues by the end of our first song. We are the worst band in Portland… ” In the words of Nurse Ratchet, “Those are some very challenging observations you made, Randall.” And indeed, they are. Worst band in Portland, which could mean worst overall worldwide? Nahhh. They’re actually pretty good. If you like a side dish of weirdness with your music, this is very enjoyable. After all, this is a country tribute to Ween, who were pretty “out there” musically in their own rights. If however, your idea of a good mix tape includes Achy Breaky Heart, Livin’ La Vida Loca, Macarena, and Who Let The Dogs Out?, this is a hard pass.
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Barry Walker Unit – At The 13th Moon Gravity Well Album Review
Reviewed by Harry Kaplan
Sun Ra exclaimed, “space is the place,” and I think he was on to something profound. The Barry Walker Unit seems to live in a realm that is not just physical but ethereal and nebulous. They challenge the very concept of structure in music and flirt with chaos; in doing so, they create new lines and new borders that have yet to be defined. Their sound, infused with unique twang and innovative use of pedal steel, offers a fresh take that is both avant-garde and deeply comforting at the same time.
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Analog Kid: OURB Album Review
Reviewed by Harry Kaplan
OURB proves that rock and roll is still very much alive and well. Analog Kid delivers the goods with an offering that provides sounds and influences that listeners will be familiar with. It’s got prog roots with some great pop sensibilities. The songs are a continuation and appears to be a retrospective of life from birth through adulthood and maybe through death, depending on your interpretation.
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