30 Years Ago the Church Transcended Alternative Rock Limitations with ‘Priest=Aura’
In the 30 years since its release, the Church’s Priest=Aura has gone from a post-“Under the Milky Way” footnote to an acknowledged career pinnacle.
John Bergstrom
John Bergstrom has been writing various reviews and features for PopMatters since 2004. He has been a music fanatic at least since he and a couple friends put together The Rock Group Dictionary in third grade (although he now admits that giving Pat Benatar the title of "first good female rocker" was probably a mistake). He has done freelance writing for Trouser Pressonline, Milwaukee's Shepherd Express, and the late Milk magazine and website. He currently resides in Madison, Wisconsin with his wife and two kids, both of whom are very good dancers.
Coldcut Teams with Ryuichi Sakamoto, Suzanne Ciani, Steve Roach and More on ‘@0’
Coldcut’s @0 swaddles the listener in mellow, relaxing swaths of sound. Slow-building, expansive washes of synthesizer pads dominate, swelling and ebbing with each successive track.
‘Dr. Cholmondley Repents’ Collects the Jazz Butcher’s Odds and Sods
Have mercy! This sprawling, four-disc roundup Dr. Cholmondley Repents is a fine entry point to the wonderful world of British indie legends, the Jazz Butcher.
The Jazz Butcher’s Final Album Is ‘The Highest in the Land’
The final, sadly posthumous album from the great Pat Fish (aka the Jazz Butcher) shows the British indie-pop legend was taken much too soon.
Various Artists: Musik Music Musique 2.0 – 1981
This 51-track compendium of 1981-vintage synthpop tries mighty hard but ultimately falls short. Licensing issues likely kept some of 1981’s best from this set.
‘Lindsey Buckingham’ Sounds Like Lindsey Buckingham
On his first solo album in a decade, former Fleetwood Mac maestro Lindsey Buckingham reasserts his considerable talents and charms.
Saint Etienne Return With ‘I’ve Been Trying to Tell You’
The first album in four years from the British pop aesthetes sounds distinctly like Saint Etienne, which is ironic given some of the source material.
The Vaccines Go All Out Pop on ‘Back in Love City’
The Vaccines’ Back in Love City is their most convincing attempt yet at convincing the world they are a pop band that just happen to use guitars.
Lee Morgan: The Complete Live at the Lighthouse
For the first time, all six hours of the trumpeter’s 1970 concert are released, leaving a hint of where Lee Morgan may have headed if he lived past 33.
Legendary Deejay U-Roy Created ‘Solid Gold U-Roy’ Before His Passing
With an all-star cast helping to perform his classics, Solid Gold U-Roy turns out to be an unexpected epitaph for the legendary Jamaican deejay.
Chet Faker Chills Out at ‘Hotel Surrender’
After a five-year hiatus, Aussie indie-popper Nick Murphy reactivates the alias of Chet Faker that made him famous. The results on Hotel Surrender are chill.
Amusement Parks on Fire Return in Thrilling Fashion on ‘An Archaea’
On the first new Amusement Parks on Fire record in over a decade, Michael Feerick continues to push the boundaries of what a rock album can be.
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