Musician, guitarist and educator Allegra Hernandez returned to Des Moines in 2018 after their stint at McNally Smith College of Music in St. Paul, Minnesota was cut short when the […]
Album Reviews
Album Review: Chaircrusher — ‘Distelfink’
Distelfink by Chaircrusher Iowa City’s very own Chaircrusher (a.k.a. Kent Williams, a regular LV contributor) is back. By Chaircrusher’s frantic standards — four albums in 2021, three each in 2020 […]
Album Review: Jarret Purdy & Dan Padley — ‘Ecotones’
Ecotones by Jarrett Purdy & Dan Padley When Dan Padley played at the Iowa City Farmer’s Market a few weeks ago, I was impressed (as always) by the liquid elegance […]
Album Review: Mr. Softheart (formerly Hex Girls) — “Caravaggio”/“Flower of Tomorrow”
“I suppose the new direction is another pandemic story,” Nick Fisher offers as the impetus for the recent pivot of the band formerly known as Hex Girls. “I had begun […]
Album Review: MEKTOUB — ‘Elizabeth’
In 2019, frequenters of Goosetown Café mingled with friends of John Rapson to delight in the new band he had assembled: MEKTOUB. It was a trio, initially — Rapson on […]
Album Reviews: Bob Bucko Jr. and Samuel Locke Ward — ‘Discount Sacrifice At The Altar Of Bargains’
Discount Sacrifice At The Altar Of Bargains by BBJR + SLW I can’t stop thinking about this album. When it dropped in December of last year, I’d kind of resigned […]
Album Review: Dean Gorman — ‘Outer Space, Iowa’
Outer Space, Iowa by Dean Gorman If we are truly living through the Great Resignation, I’m expecting that the coming months will hold a heavy release of “Future Endeavors” albums […]
Album Review: Sinner Frenz — ‘Separation from Church and State’
Music has done a number on Luke Tweedy. He was a record store guy with a uniquely acerbic bedside manner. He taught himself electronics and audio engineering and built his […]
Album Review: Pictoria Vark — ‘The Parts I Dread’
The Parts I Dread by Pictoria Vark Nobody sounds like Pictoria Vark. She’s a classic punk balladeer and veritable witch of the North. Her melodies are cool and ethereal. It’s […]
Album Review: Ahzia — ‘Welcome to Nowhere’
Iowa does such a great job at spewing out iconic, idealist and illuminous inspiration. Ahzia, a Quad Cities native, established his tone for the year with the release of his […]
Album Review: Death Bag — ‘Stoopgoblin Suite — Live at Trumpet Blossom Cafe’
Stoopgoblin Suite – Live at Trumpet Blossom Cafe by Death Bag In Death Bag, Chris Wiersema (half of the ambient doom duo Lwa) plays electronics gizmos and Gabi Vanek, a […]
Album Review: Dan Tedesco — ‘Morning Bells’
It can be a dicey affair when an artist who operates in traditional songcraft decides to experiment. They risk alienating some of their audience, while the new audience segment they […]