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D.M. EdwardsFeatures
Various Artists: City of DreamsThis collection spreads piano, blues, street beats, and slippery funk over four discs that are as joyous and imperfect as the Crescent City itself. [13 March 2008] Monty Python’s Matching Tie and HandkerchiefHumor is a funny thing. Here to prove it are three Monty Python albums, revealing the revolutionary constructs of their work, the dangers of self-parody, and, well, something completely different. [19 October 2007] Wyndham Lewis: The Irascible EnemyWyndham Lewis brought a scintillating intellect to his artistic endeavors. If only we could let him loose on the majority culture of our time. [27 August 2007] Howard Devoto: Jerky Versions of The DreamErudite perspectives on the romantic dream from a shape-shifting man-insect who left punk before we knew it existed. Awkwardness has never sounded so varied, cinematic, stupid and sexual. [24 August 2007] Carry on Compressing!: Joe Meek and 1960s BritainJoe Meek’s pioneering genius will not be forgotten, but overexposure to his work is like living in a hall of mirrors, on four hours sleep, tequila, and cotton candy. [5 July 2007] The Gubernatorial Candidates [New Orleans]One of the gems of the often overlooked New Orleans underground rock scene, the Gubernatorial Candidates exist in a place where history overlaps and the Big Easy sidles up to post-punk and post-rock in equal doses. [7 May 2007] Reviews
Lord Gammonshire: Lord Gammonshire’s Guide To ‘Everyday Sounds’Wondrous winning whimsy! [15 September 2009] 
Dan Zanes: The Welcome TableTop-notch musicians can make good music that is unpalatable to some people. Shock. 
Porn Sword Tobacco: Everything Is Music To The EarMore gorgeous electronics from Henrik Jonsson. [13 September 2009] 
Henry’s Funeral Shoe: Everything’s For SaleA new duo play raw, fuzzed-out, garage-boogie with a riff-o-rama sensibility. [24 June 2009] 
Zukanican: The Stumbling BlockAvant dub-jazz, krautrocking workouts for a new generation. [14 June 2009] 
Serge Gainsbourg: Histoire De Melody NelsonAfter 38 years the chilled orchestral-funk study of erotic obsession gets a U.S. release. [15 May 2009] 
I Am Robot and Proud: Uphill CityArtful, playful, voiceless, building block constructions. Big in Japan. [23 March 2009] 
IfIHadAHifi: Fame By ProxyVery underrated group release another crisp, heavy, rock record. [12 February 2009] 
Juana Molina: Un DiaMusical elastigirl purveys Uruguayan, Frippertronic, psychedelic, zany, subterranean songs. Shall we hypnostroll? [24 November 2008] 
Various Artists: Peace (for mom)A unique memorial for a mother -- 34 tracks from Stars of the Lid, Jessica Bailiff, A Place to Bury Strangers, Sandro Perri, Antony and the Johnsons, Keith Fullerton Whitman, Fridge, Nudge, Matmos, Ida, Sybarite, and many others. [7 October 2008] 
Harrisons: No Fighting In The War RoomFormulaic, spiky, anthemic pop from Sheffield. [30 September 2008] 
The Low Anthem: Oh My God, Charlie DarwinGorgeous melodies adorn this album of country-tinged classical sounds and philosophical concerns. [26 September 2008] 
Matt Bauer: The Island Moved in the StormMatt Bauer’s latest draws inspiration from the unsolved 1968 death of a young female who was dubbed “Tent Girl” by the media. [22 September 2008] 
The Subliminator: RakePlenty of wit, pseudo-Gregorian-space chants, 4 Theremins and a microphone. [18 September 2008] 
Laika and the Cosmonauts: CosmopolisTwangtastic! 20 year compilation, (with free album download, and US tour) bids graceful farewell to exponents of surf-instrumentals and beyond. [16 September 2008] 
Computer vs. Banjo: Computer vs. BanjoHere are two musicians who can harmonize, play a range of instruments and write good songs. [25 August 2008] 
Various Artists: Oh, Run Into Me, But Don’t Hurt Me!Lucille Bogan stars on a set of 78s by unknown or rarely heard women. This is how blues should sound: snappy testaments bathed in real crackles and pops. [30 July 2008] 
Karen Dalton: Green Rocky RoadFolk singer Karen Dalton had a voice closer to Charley Patton than Sandy Denny, a unique voice that most people probably either love or hate. [22 July 2008] 
Norma Winstone: DistancesAs her graceful style instinctively shuns histrionics, clutter, heat and overt humor, Winstone is perhaps the opposite of another memorable British jazz singer: the late George Melly. 
Various Artists: Victrola FavoritesDisparate gems in a dazzling hardback full of sublime visual paraphernalia: makes most 21st century music seem shapeless and masturbatory, and its packaging crass. [1 July 2008] 
Herman Dune: I Wish That I Could See You SoonThe combination of laser wit and childlike romanticism can be both alluring and irritating. [26 June 2008] 
Roger Ruskin Spear: Electric Shocks +Amusing and poignant 1972 solo from Bonzo Dog sax player and mad scientist. "English as tuppence, changing and changeless as canal water...." [20 May 2008] 
Gavin Bryars: The Sinking of the TitanicBryars’ magnificent treatise on the persistence of sound, and the courage and invention of human beings renders comment superfluous. Listen to it before you read any review. [15 May 2008] 
Suite Crude: Space Age Gutbucket Afrodelic JazzploitationSuite Crude is a new alias of Daniel Zelonky whose previous projects include Low Res and Crank. [23 April 2008] 
Richard Julian: Sunday Morning in Saturday’s ShoesRichard Julian recalls Peter Case's passion, the jazz-inflected languor of Lyle Lovett, John Prine's worldliness, and the exaggerated laziness of Leon Redbone. [17 April 2008] 
Electric Penguins: Goodbye From The Electric PenguinsIt’s reasonable to expect a debut album to have more energy than this polite affair. [16 April 2008] 
Miwa Gemini: This Is How I Found YouMiwa Gemini’s second record is full of pretty songs that aren’t too radical or terribly profound, yet her floating voice seems perfect for the kind of half-life experience that is afforded by shopping or waiting for someone in a restaurant. [15 April 2008] 
Folklore: The Ghost of H.W. BeavermanFolklore’s debut is a lovely opaque work that should appear on all serious Best of 2008 lists. [14 April 2008] 
Joe Higgs: Life of ContradictionJoe Higgs’ brilliant album is as calm, fluid, and uplifting as Willie Nelson, and as soulful as James Carr on a Jamaican vacation. [4 April 2008] 
Marc Wilkinson: Blood on Satan’s ClawMarc Wilkinson's score is designed to be beautiful, disconcerting, off-kilter and addictive. [3 April 2008] 
Thunderbirds: 40th Anniversary Collector’s Edition MegasetWatching Thunderbirds 40 years on, it is no surprise that Stanley Kubrick tried to hire the masterful innovator Gerry Anderson to work on 2001: A Space Odyssey. [24 March 2008] 
Suzy Mangion: The Other Side of the MountainThis is a far from ordinary record by a singer capable of casting an intimate and melancholy spell. [12 February 2008] 
Various Artists: Soul Jazz Records Singles 2006-2007Anyone waiting for Soul Jazz Records to put a foot wrong might want to find something else to do. [5 February 2008] 
No Neck Blues Band: Live At Kens Electric LakeThose who approach this music with the same instinct and timing they would use when leaping onto a moving merry-go-round will enjoy the cosmic ride. [17 January 2008] 
Various Artists: Now We Are TenThe ten-year celebration of one-man label Trunk contains some of the prettiest, funniest, and strangest sounds you will ever hear. [7 January 2008] 
Hoax Funeral: Pour Away The OceanFrom the flatlands of Lincolnshire, England, Hoax Funeral's pleasing debut blends UK folk and US alt-country with a languid pop sensibility. [18 December 2007] 
Eric Malmberg: Verklighet & BeatEric Malmberg's new album of organ compositions. [11 December 2007] 
Pink Floyd: The Piper at the Gates of DawnFitting tribute or bloated rip-off? Rattling early model Floyd or thrilling blueprint? Listen to mono or stereo? It's make your mind up time.... [7 December 2007] 
Loren Connors: As Roses BowThis may be the most accessible of all Loren Connors' guitar records. As Roses Bow is an excellent balance of the gorgeous and the austere. [5 December 2007] 
Sir Richard Bishop: While My Guitar Violently BleedsA series of entrancing day trips suitable for the most casual traveler. [4 December 2007] 
Mono: GoneThis slightly disturbing collection of relatively rare Mono tracks from the past seven years signifies nothing in particular. That is, unless intensely quiet, very quiet, bloody loud is the new loud. [26 November 2007] 
Judee Sill: Live in LondonHer fans maintain that none of the work of the Laurel Canyon singer/songwriters exhibits less self-indulgence or more grace. Listening to the very best of these performances from 1972-73, it’s hard to disagree. [21 November 2007] 
A Place To Bury Strangers: A Place to Bury StrangersA thrilling listen for those who love early Jesus and Mary Chain, late Joy Division, and the Cure circa 1982. [7 November 2007] 
Sleepy John Estes: On The Chicago Blues SceneOn The Chicago Blues Scene may be a novel juxtaposition for diehard blues devotees, but is likely to prove an uninspired workaday session for everyone else. 
Richard Youngs: Autumn ResponseRichard Youngs’ vast discography, frequent collaborations, and restless experimentation cannot disguise his continued devotion to the pursuit of electro-hymnal magic. [2 November 2007] 
The Jimi Hendrix Experience: Live at MontereyOver-hyped anniversary celebrations detract from the potency of any album. Listeners who hurry can get a version of this release that comes with a commemorative beer glass. And the wind cries: Bullshit. [26 October 2007] 
John Wolfington: American DreamsicleSolid songwriting, direct lyrics, un-flashy production, and minimal overdubs add up to a deceptively simple, wonderfully consistent, accessible record. [19 October 2007] 
Wooden Shjips: Wooden ShjipsPlenty of lovely fuzz-drenched guitar, spaced-out production, and intense use of repetition. [18 October 2007] 
Vashti Bunyan: Some Things Just Stick In Your MindSome songs can pass through generations like cultural DNA, and it is possible that the conviction and simplicity of Vashti Bunyan’s will assure she is still adored in 400 years. Just don’t call her a folk-singer. [17 October 2007] 
Cory Arcangel: The Bruce Springsteen Born to Run Glockenspiel AddendumWith wit and glockenspiel, Brooklyn artist Cory Arcangel finishes The Boss's 1975 classic and creates his own minimalist work of art. 
Jakob Olausson: Moonlight FarmA psychedelic folk-rock masterpiece. When the music-police take 99% of my collection, this will be in the bundle, under the floorboards. [12 October 2007] 
Burnt Friedman: First night ForeverBurnt Friedman is a prolific, well-respected, genre-defying, technically innovative artist who travels the world recording and performing with people I’ve never heard of. [9 October 2007] 
Filmic: Peacock PeopleDespite Filmic covering a range of styles the end result lacks coherence. [4 October 2007] 
Ingrid Michaelson: Girls and BoysIngrid Michaelson has had several of her songs chosen to be played on the wildly popular Grey’s Anatomy TV show and, subsequently, her MySpace page is a huge hit. [3 October 2007] 
Celephais: I Am KuranesCelephais are some distance behind bands who have either broadened the palate or are erroneously termed metal: Jesu, Isis and Pelican come to mind. [24 September 2007] 
Fog: DithererI can think of no higher praise than to say that Ditherer is somehow the bastard spawn of a three-way orgy between Mountain Goats, 10cc and Tortoise. [20 September 2007] 
Sir Richard Bishop: Polytheistic FragmentsMixing the odor of Jimmy Page and the missing link between Brian Eno’s Another Green World and mid-period Pink Floyd,Polytheistic Fragments is a veritable treat for fans of guitar music from yesterday, today and tomorrow. [18 September 2007] 
Young Marble Giants: Colossal YouthAn absolute gem of a record from 1980. As stylish, dynamic, and full of heart as the day it was made. [14 September 2007] 
A Hawk And A Hacksaw And The Hun Hangar Ensemble: A Hawk And A Hacksaw And The Hun Hangar EnsembleA Hawk and a Hacksaw’s collaboration with The Hun Hangár Ensemble continues its journey into the musical forms of the Old World of Europe. [12 September 2007] 
Bleach 03: The Head That Controls Both Right And Left Sides Eats Meat And Slobbers Even TodayFerocious all-girl group from Japan gives us more thrashing, screaming, lovably cartoonish aggression. [10 September 2007] 
Colleen: Les Ondes SilencieusesColleen strips away the electronics and loops of her previous efforts for a glacial, elegant album that never takes an obvious compositional path nor relies on an easy appeal to the emotions. 
The Quavers: Lit By Your PhoneRepeat listens indicate that Lit By Your Phone is more than stylized God-sausage. [20 August 2007] 
Edward Ka-Spel: Dream Logik Part OneDream Logik Part One continues Edward Ka-Spel's prolific run of solo releases which began in 1984. [15 August 2007] 
Two Loons For Tea: Nine Lucid DreamsI can see Nine Lucid Dreams playing in St*rb*cks and being enjoyed by people with less severely idiosyncratic taste than myself. [13 August 2007] 
Vinson, Eddie Cleanhead: Kidney Stew Is FineKidney Stew Is Fine is one of the most popular sessions of a charming man who convincingly straddled the worlds of blues, jazz and R&B. [3 August 2007] 
Mr Geoffrey & JD Franzke: be cominIn the hands of Mr.Geoffrey & J.D. Franzke, music and sound become dynamic narrative voices moving the action, engaging the intellect and emotions. [24 July 2007] 
Mogwai: Zidane: A 21st Century PortraitMogwai's soundtrack for the portrait of soccer genius Zinédine Zidane offers slow-burning pleasure, and not just to fans of post-rock and Association Football. [29 June 2007] 
Alasdair Roberts: The Amber GatherersAlasdair Roberts continues on a deceptively simple path, strewing magical depictions of everyday concerns in his wake. [14 June 2007] 
Garrison Keillor: When I Get Home: SongsA nifty pair of musical releases by the wry wordsmith and bittersweet observer Garrison Keillor, or That Twit, as I have referred to him on many previous occasions. [31 May 2007] 
Charlie Rich: The Essential Charlie RichCharlie Rich’s mastery of a range of styles was almost like Ray Charles in reverse, and as Tom Waits once sang, “The radio’s spitting out Charlie Rich…He sure can sing, that son of a bitch”. [11 May 2007] 
Aufgehoben: MessidorIf Heaven is an eternity spent in the act of dying, Aufgehoben provide the soundtrack. [8 May 2007] 
Avey Tare & Kria Brekkan: Pullhair RubeyeA couple of kooks step forward with their debut release. They’re artists, they don’t look back. Pigeons beware! [4 May 2007] 
Coco Rosie: The Adventures of Ghosthorse and StillbornPop, eating itself and then throwing up and eating itself again. Sounds great? Not when verve and a trash aesthetic are lacking. [1 May 2007] 
Dragon or Emperor: Dragon or EmperorDragon or Emperor's deft rage evokes the sound of a Pere Ubu v Back Door arm-wrestle. [27 March 2007] 
John Peel & Sheila: The Pig’s Big 78sThis marvelous collection of ancient audio gems hints at the breadth and vision of John Peel's incredible radio show. [9 March 2007] 
The Residents: Freak ShowAn intriguing place for someone to approach listening to, and looking at, the Residents' work. [20 February 2007] 
O.M.F.O.: We Are the ShepherdsO.M.F.O.’s merging of Eastern folk and Kraftwerkian dub on the Essay label is therefore only as surprising as, say, finding Osama bin Laden in his cave listening to Joe Meek. [9 January 2007] BlogsRe:Print: Still: Cowboys at the Start of the 21st Century [25 April 2008]Consuming Consumables: Young Marble Giants: Colossal Youth [$19.98] [26 November 2007] |
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