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 and 2019 — 2022 has constituted a hibernation of sorts; an Eastern Gray Squirrel tucked away inside a tree hollow with nothing but an analog […]
Album reviews
Posted inAlbum Reviews
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 of his playing on the jazz standard “All the things you are.” I’m sure there was effort expended, but he played effortlessly, pulling different sounds […]
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Album Review: William J Locker — ‘BRAINWASH’
BRAINWASH by William J Locker Those of us of a certain age who spent any time on the rave or club scenes during their heyday are familiar with that distinct sensation of coming out the other side of a night of partying, with the sun starting to rise and the DJ lifting the music along […]
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Album Review: FlyLife — ‘A Different View’
FlyLife · A Different View “Cause who the fuck gon’ save your family if it isn’t you?” raps FlyLife on the title track from his recently released album. “I know it’s usually guns and drugs but this a different view.” The song serves as the culmination of a broader idea, each prior track helping to […]
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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 writing lyrics to songs that seemed to lend themselves to a new project: The themes were darker, perhaps more complex. Personal grief, as well as […]
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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 the keys, Ryan Smith on woodwinds and Nielo Gaglione on vocals and mandole. Together, the three produced a distinct style of improvisational music they describe […]
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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 myself to not writing about it, just given the way our coverage schedule usually falls out. Typically, I avoid running reviews of albums that dropped […]
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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 and straight-up “I Quit” albums. Early to the party is Outer Space, Iowa, the second album from Burlington-by-way-of-Portland musician Dean Gorman. In the album’s description, […]
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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 recording studio, Flat Black, from scratch. He’s documented (in first-rate commercial recordings) adventurous music from Iowa and beyond. He founded the infamous ft(The Shadow Government), […]
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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 the lyrics that are warm, and when she sings, her voice is naked: wholly unadulterated and unpretentious. Carrie Brownstein would be a fan if she […]
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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 latest project, 2021’s Welcome to Nowhere, released in December. He’s an Iowa favorite who has even snagged a spot at the upcoming 2022 Mission Creek […]
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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 veteran performer in the experimental live music scene who has grown up in the shadows of the University of Iowa School of Music, plays live […]
