I recently reviewed a new record from Acoustic Guillotine, who, like The Post Mortems, comprise a drummer and bassist. The Post Mortems don’t sound at all like Acoustic Guillotine; apparently even the most stripped-down of instrumentation contains many possibilities. The Post Mortems’ sound is defined by a clean bass tone and tom-heavy drums. They remind me a bit of Soundgarden: Devin Alexander’s voice has some of Chris Cornell’s operatic…
Local album reviews
Posted inArts & Entertainment
Elite 8: The best albums of 2013
2013 was a fertile year for music. Rap came strong with ASAP Rocky’s debut, the El-P and Killer Mike Run the Jewels collab and more toughboy posturing from Pusha T. Disclosure kept the dancefloor hot with its improbable ‘90s house flashback while Rhye kept bedrooms steamy with their Sade-inspired R&B jams. Janelle Monae stepped forth […]
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Album Reviews: Greg Brown – The Iowa Waltz, 30th anniversary edition
It is apropos that I’m writing this while sitting in a quiet corner of a warm house during the holidays, revisiting Greg Brown’s 1981 album The Iowa Waltz with…
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Album Reviews: Buffalows – Woe Isn’t Me
Buffalows is Landon Strause, Brooks Strause and Adam Bolts. The Brothers Strause are best known for the formidable Old Scratch Revival Singers, a very freaky, psychedelic take on old time gospel revival. Buffalows has a simpler sound, centered in old-timey country music. I’m not sure who writes the songs, but I hear some of Brooks’ infallible roots-pop ear for melody. The simple acoustic (except for pedal steel guitar) arrangements and close harmony serve the songs well.
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Album Reviews: Contraption – I
Contraption is Joe McNertney and Eric Rohn (a.k.a. The Noble Octopus), who have blazed their own wayward musical paths over the past few years, self-releasing their slanted pop music. They’re a pair of Iowa Citians for whom music is an avocation, pursued when time can be stolen away from day jobs and family obligations.
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Album Reviews: The Pines with Dave Simonett and Erik Koskinen – “Highwayman” Single
It was Glen Campbell who first approached Johnny Cash, Kris Kristofferson, Waylon Jennings and Willie Nelson about recording a version of the Jimmy…
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Album Review: Acoustic Guillotine – Hurry Up and Finish Dying/Raw Meat and Gunpowder 7″
Billy Mackenzie and Peter Rohrbough of Acoustic Guillotine have been contributing members of the Iowa City rock scene for close to 30 years. Their 2011 self-titled…
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Album Review: Har-di-Har – Hard Parent/Thick Child EP
In the laundry, shorts and t-shirts remind me that summer is over. After a brief mourning for the lost season, I banish them to wash not to be seen again until next spring. After much resistance, I resolve to switch the thermostat to “heat” as if it was the last defense of the impending colder weather.
Posted inAlbum Reviews
Album Review: Dana T – abbr. relation
Dana T abbr. relation danatelsrow.bandcamp.com Dana Telsrow is a guy who recently graduated from the University of Iowa and works at Public Access TV. Over the summer he was ps•z’s first artist in residence. He’s also a composer and songwriter, and took classes in the university’s music department. abbr. relation is a four song concept […]
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Album Reviews: Love Over Gold – Fall to Rise
Love Over Gold is the name of a new collaboration between Pieta Brown and Australian singer-songwriter Lucie Thorne, who met during a tour of the land down under a couple of years ago. The two became fast friends, and, after some correspondence and planning, they formed the group named after a Dire Straits song.
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Album Reviews: The White Elephant – Fly
The White Elephant The White Elephant (“Fly”) www.thewhiteelephantband.com The history of distortion effects on guitars dates back to what is usually considered the first rock and roll song, “Rocket 88.” Distortion was accidentally introduced by the guitarist Willie Kizart’s—of Ike Turner’s Kings of Rhythm—broken amplifier. Guitar distortion has come a long way since that fateful […]
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Album Review: Dylan Ettinger and Goldendust – Split 7″
This two-song single, the first release on new Atlanta lable DKA, feature’s Iowa City’s Goldendust and Bloomington Indiana’s Dylan Ettinger. As with nearly all music on the outskirts of popular music, these songs are a re-imagining of a musical style from the past—in this case, 1980s darkwave synth pop. Both Ettinger and Goldendust favor big analog synth sounds and archaic drum machine rhythms; there’s no sound in either song that departs from a musical palette available 30 years ago.
