Alternative Rock music reviews

OK. Here it goes. I saw these guys open up for what I would have called a 'lesser known band' at the time. Stir was great, and the sound surpassed the crisp sound on their album, if that is believable! The vocals on this album remind me of Jackson Browne in the way that they are 'everyman' vocals, and not too high or low, but just perfect. It's a damn shame that these guys didn't get the push they deserved. From top to bottom this CD is worth the money. Buy this CD please, and recognize one of the best undiscovered bands of the '90's...

IT IS A F--ING SHAME THAT NO ONE WILL EVER SEE THIS REVIEW. I INVITE ANYONE THAT GETS TO THIS POINT TO HELP ME RAISE AWARENESS FOR ONE OF THE GREATEST POWER-POP BANDS SINCE CHEAP TRICK. i HAVE SEEN THIS BAND LIVE ONLY ONCE, IN A SMALL VENUE IN A SMALL TOWN CALLED COMBINED LOCKS, WISCONSIN. THEY WERE ABSOLUTELY UNBELIEVABLE AS A LIVE BAND!THERE IS ONLY ONE REASON WHY THEY DIDN'T BECOME STARS, AND THAT IS THAT THEY HAD IDIOTS FOR MANAGEMENT.
THESE BOYS ARE POSSIBLY THE BEST POWER POP TRIO I HAVE EVER SEEN. THEY ARE YOUNG ENOUGH THAT THEY COULD MAKE A COMEBACK IF THEY HAD ENOUGH SUPPORT. MY BEST AND STRONGEST RECCOMENDATION FOR THEM IS THAT IF I HIT THE LOTTERY TOMMOROW, I WOULD DEVOTE EVERY DOLLAR I HAVE TO ALLOWING THEM TO PURSUE THEIR CRAFT, A CRAFT THAT WOULD BRING THEM TO THE FOREFRONT OF ROCK MUSIC.BANDS THAT ARE POPULAR TODAY SUCH AS "GREEN DAY" WOULD PAY MONEY TO KISS THEIR A_S I WOULD APPRECIATE ANY RESPONSE TO THIS REVIEW. I NEVER GIVE UP ON ANYONE, AND ANY HELP OR SUPPORT YOU COULD GIVE ME WOULD BE APPRECIATED
HENGDOG@AOL.COM

I hate to rehash what every other reviewer has said but oh my god are these guys under-rated. THE single greatest thing to happen to music since the Beatles, just without any of the mass popularity. Expect a little bit of AMERICAN classic rock sound mized with semi-country but not so country riffs..it's hard to explain. Songs like "We Belong" "Star" "One Angel" and "Ten Dances" are classics that I'll never stop listening to...truly timeless music that will never go out of style. If you haven't already then do yourself a big favor and buy this.

These guys rule! I've been out of NY for a few years and haven't been able to listen to radio since. I've worn out the two tapes I have from them as well as the CD! I can't wait to see them live again!

Living in Virginia, it's rare that I come across such great music. It's bands like this that make me miss the NJ/NY sounds. As soon as I listened to the clips, I was hooked, and ordered the CD. I hope they consider touring somewhere near Virginia Beach soon. I definately think there are other people out here who would really appreciate their talent. All I can say is... whenever I'm feeling homesick... you're my Southern Comfort! [hey, is there a song in there somewhere?] :)

I just saw this band live and they were great! Baked on The Freeway was an amazing song! The bald guy who sang lead was the sexiest man I have ever seen! Aside from him being my dream man, the band was great. I enjoyed seeing them live -- they had a lot of depth and talent. The CD has a lot of great songs as well. Their ballads are as good as the heavier stuff.

If you like artists with mature songwriting and mature vocal and musical arrangements, this is definitely the album to check out. Outside the realm of genre limitation, TTD just makes music, but he doesn't just perform different genres for versatility; For him, it comes completely from the heart. It's easy to see that he has a genuine love for music in general. TTD gets better and better with time. Anyone who's a fan can attest to that. Not a single bad song on the album. This is all well-crafted, precisely thought-out, and well-executed music. FANTASTIC ALBUM!

Oh my... I honestly did not think this album would be THAT good. I had no idea what type of material was on this album, so I took a gamble based on others reviews and I must say that you guys did not let me down. If the US would give this album a listen, this would be a hot seller... I guess we're not ready for him. I have a lot of favorite tracks, so I won't post my favorites... it's practically the whole album. "Designated Fool" and, "What Shall I Do?" alone, is worth the money... I loved TTD in the 80s, but after hearing this CD, I have a new found respect for him... he is a true talent...not to mention that he arranged and wrote all of his tracks. I'm only in my 20s, but I love to listen to great music... and this is great music. If you're contemplating on buying this album... buy it!! NOW!!

Back in the late 80's I remember seeing Terence Trent D'Arby perform on MTV. He was and still is a great writer, performer, musician and artist. His first album "Introducing the Hardline, According to Terence Trent D'Arby" is still one of my favorites. You remember "Wishing Well" don't you? Ahhh, to reminisce.

After experiencing a lot of changes and hangups with the albums that followed, he relocated to Europe and recorded songs under the name of Sananda Maitreya. This was his best move because he found himself creatively. Being such a visionary, he crafts these songs like sculptures, making them so real in your minds that you can seemingly touch the words. He embodies what a music artist should be. Reminds me a lot of Prince, but with fewer albums and minus the hallucinatory fixation with himself.

"Wildcard!" is an album that wraps you up and comforts you in its flow, continuing to snuggle you even after the final song. I found myself connected to the songs "Girl", "Shalom" and "Some Birds Blue". Even so, if there ever was a perfect album, this is it. I find no fault with it, and I am greatly pleased with what Terence has created.

It is definitely an album you can listen to from start to finish, crying or laughing or dancing or cuddling. Doesn't matter, because if you like good music, you'll love it.

This is the only CD of his I own, but I surely intend to buy more. I've seen him perform live and he is really enjoyable- down to earth and every-mannish- interacts with his listeners-doesn't scurry behind the curtain in narcissistic fashion. I talked to him as we waited in line for a snack at the Kate Wolf Memorial Concert in N Ca a few years ago. He's a cool dude and a very talented musician and charismatic performer. Easy on the eyes, too!

I had thought that contemporary country music had faded into cheesy superficial irrelevance. I was wrong. There are musicians all about the country that shine with great talent. Jimmy LaFave is one. He transcends genres. He has a great voice, and knows how to sing a song in a truly captivatin way. Everyone should give Jimmy LaFave a spin. His music doesn't dissapoing. I especially like "On A Bus to St. Cloud." Jimmy LaFave provides great music, that transcends genre, and even gets a Bostonian like me digging his sound. His music, and his voice is filled with heart, and perhaps Texas Soul.

This is an album that I cannot shelve. I keep getting drawn back to it again & again. They say that for an actor, the best role is one that allows for a wide range of emotions; and on "Texoma," Jimmy LaFave's sweet tenor certainly moves from rowdy to tender with ease. The throbbing guitar line that opens "Bad Bad Girl" is addictive. John Phillips' beautiful ode to hippy days, "San Francisco," comes off exquisitely with David Webb's rolling piano like waves on the ocean. LaFave is in tremendous voice on the gorgeous ballad where he sings, "There never is a moment you are not on my mind." "There's a new highway song playing in your soul," is a great lyric from the cheerful midtempo # "This Glorious Day." Electric guitar propels "Poor Man's Dream" through this country march. Gretchen Peters has become one of my favorite singers this past year. (I recommend both of her CDs, particularly her self-titled one.) So it was a real treat to hear Jimmy do her "On A Bus to St. Cloud" that Trisha Yearwood also recorded. The ballad is sweet and LaFave's tenor is so expressive. "Rock & Roll Music to the World" is kind of rock fluff for me, but enjoyable, which is followed by the midtempo rocker "Red Dirt Song." The sentimental homage to country legend "Woody Guthrie" is growing on me, even if old Woody is "three sheets to the wind." (This song started a family discussion of where that pharse originated which we have yet to answer.) One of my favorite tracks is "Tears" that is a soulful ballad which is like seeing the light after a strong storm. LaFave doesn't dwell on it, but sings, "You'll see what faith can do." "Love Can Find It's Own Way" is joyful country pop. The barrelhouse piano sounds more like Jerry Lee Lewis to me that the "King" on "Elvis Loved His Mama." What a great song selection of Dylan's "Emotionally Yours." Stinging electric guitar makes "Patient Man" another favorite of mine. "On the Road To Rock & Roll" offers some of Webb's nice boogie piano. Jimmy Webb has been a great favorite of mine for a long time, rightfully known as a master songwriter, but equally beautiful as a singer. LaFave's reading of "The Moon's A Harsh Mistress" stands up well to either Jimmy Webb's or those by Joe Cocker, Linda Ronstadt, Joan Baez and Judy Collins. "Texoma" is a great CD because it offers so many different kinds of songs from slow to fast and inbetween, well balanced with tasteful cover choices. This is one not to miss!

TREMOLO is a little better then the EP GLIDER, but it still feels a little expensive at seven or eight dollars. This EP clocks in at slightly under twenty minutes, and one of the songs on this disc is an almost exact version of a track from LOVELESS (it has an extended ending, which is pretty sweet, but besides that, the tracks are identical). If you own LOVELESS, there is no real reason to buy this EP (unless you're a hardcore Valentine fan such as myself). You'll only be getting about 15 minutes of new songs, and although they ("Swallow" and "Honey Power" are among the better tracks) are better then any of the songs off of the EP GLIDER, they're still below anything on LOVELESS or ISN'T ANYTHING. Don't get me wrong, this EP is excellent, it's just not worth the price.

For those starved and still pining for a follow up to Loveless, the EP/Single Tremolo may be as close to it as we'll ever get. The four songs included here are, for lack of a better word, excellent. "To Here Knows When" is the same version found on Loveless, only with a different ending, a better ending in fact - feathery and ephemeral. B-sides "Swallow" and "Honey Power" are worth adding this EP to your collection alone. The latter is 4:33 of My Bloody Valentine-goodness. "Moon Power" is an oddity, a melange of interesting noise. If anything Tremolo is a bitter sweet reminder of just how breathtakingly gifted My Bloody Valentine was. Buy it. Download it. Just hear it. Allow yourself to fall under MBV's beautiful thrall once again.

If you've just gotten in to My Bloody Valentine with "Isn't Anything" and their classic "Loveless", the Tremolo EP is absolutely one of the best places to look afterwards for new songs. Coming off like a series of lost songs that didn't make it onto "Loveless", Tremolo is slightly more accessible (albeit just as beautiful) than their albums, and contains the superior version of the song "To Here Knows When" (the outro to this version fits the song FAR better than the distorted heavy metal one on "Loveless")

"Swallow" is simply breathtaking. Far-Eastern sounding strings and percussion float gently across Bilinda Butcher's dreamy vocals to make this goosebump inducing collage of sound. I have no idea why this never made it onto any of their records.

"Honey Power" is more of a rock-oriented track, with it's catchy, driving grungy guitars, but around the 2/3 mark, it transforms into a sleepy acoustic section that also manages to give you goosebumps.

"Moon Song" is strange, even by MBV standards. It's cold, stark, and contains none of the other song's warmth, but is still stunning, nonetheless, with Kevin Shields melancholy singing that intertwines perfectly with the melody.

With their 3rd album expected shortly after this EP was released, one might expect a rush job. Instead, you get a miniature masterpiece from one of indie rock's most legendary bands. What an excellent surprise.

One part Gaelic Storm, one part Waterboys and one part Jimmy Buffett: that's Turn, one of the latest high-energy offerings from Great Big Sea. As usual there's some good hearty Irish cheer, some straight-ahead modern rock and an occasional ballad to make you cry over your Guinness. It's the kind of party where the dance floor is shared by fast dances, slow dances and hyper jigs in equal measure. "Consequence Free" could almost be a pop single, "I'm a Rover" is a pub floor-stomper just waiting to happen, and "Old Brown's Daughter" shows a four-part a-capella tune as harmonic as Queen and as soulful as the Chieftains at their best. I think you get the picture by now.. I'll just add that though there are some sad moments, the overall tone is one of blue skies, sunshine and good times with good friends. Turn up loud and enjoy.

This band is so refreshing. A first-rate musical group putting out fantastically produced albums in a time when American pop music is producing "blahhhh". Just try one album and you'll buy them all! Turn is a great CD and so is Rant and Roar. Five BIG stars!

These guys are incredible. One listen and you will be hooked. See them live and you won't be able to turn it off.
Imagine 5000 people singing Newfie folks songs at the top of their lungs and just grooving. Life is good north of the border

I bought this CD expecting it to be the same type of music as the hit (When it Comes)... but when I finally got it, I listened, and kept trying to accept it and appreciate the music... But I still can't bring myself to do so. I will admit that I do, in fact, like "When it Comes". Its got a good guitar line and chord progressions - even good vocals. In the rest of the CD, Tyler's voice is husky and "wannabe" country. Another okay song is "The Letter Song"... although I will admit that I cringe every time he says, "I can be romantic, I just gotsta try to be." To sum it up, I guess I'll say that if you like pop-country, this is probably for you. Otherwise, make sure you listen to all the samples first and you're sure you'll like it, because for me, it wasn't worth the money.
Over and out.

this EP version of the songs is awesome! tyler has such an amazing voice, everyone should own this cd.

This cd is amazing!!! All the songs on here are awesome! Tyler is just extremely talented and has an amazing voice!!! Awesome CD and Tyler is just amazing!

Granian is the most talented and devoted group that I have ever seen or heard. Their music has changed my life. You will surely be hooked on this remarkable acoustic-driven rock group. Buy this CD and your money will be well spent - I guarantee it!

This CD completely changed the way I appreciate music. It is easily the best [money] i have ever spent and i have listened to it constantly for a few years now. Buy this album and see them in concert. Garen, Graycon, and Nate are cool guys who make awesome music together.

This CD was reccomended to me from a freind. The first listen through, I was hooked! It's incredible and made from the best stuff on earth! Definetly do yourself a favor and check out Granian. Their newest CD-Hang Around is tremendous as well!

Talk Talk Talk is the Furs at the height of their game, exhilarating and dense, with one riveting piece of candy-coated trash after another floating out of the speakers. In my own punk heydey, this was killer choice stuff -- even though it's not really punk at all -- and came at a time when doctrinal rigidity to crud like hardcore or straightcore or whatever didn't mean diddly. Talk Talk Talk came out at a time before radio had completed its terrible march to niche segregation, and exciting music was coming at kids from all corners. Punk and new wave stuff led the blast. The Furs were among the best and most disposable at the same time. One quibble with the Amazon reviewer: He takes a crack at what followed this from the Furs, but Forever Now is a very good record that, with the devastating Brechtian nightmare of "Easy Street" and sweet metalic joy of "Yes I Do" and when they went all mushy on us ("Heaven," "The Ghost In You") it was still irresistable. Last great one for me: "Until She Comes."

Back in the day, I flat wore this record out. Played it more than Iron Maiden and The Sex Pistols put together.

It has what a lot of great records have. Layers. The 80's jangle guitar, the hard riff guitar, horns, a really disaffected vocal style throughout, solid basswork, drums that never bore. The lyrics create a great sense of space, are concrete enough to relate to, but ambigious enough to withstand heavy repeat listening.

It's a Steve Lillywhite produced record, and he was to the early 80's what Rick Rubin would be to the 90's.

After this record, the band got smaller (ie the texture went away), and while Forever Now is a really good follow-up, the writing was on the wall and they would kind of fade-out like acts do.

Skip the compilations and soundtracks. Get the first three Psychedelic Furs albums. Quintessential 80's. I can still listen to all three, almost 30 years later and that makes them classic.

This is the best Furs album, despite what later happened with the song Pretty in Pink.

This music blew me away when it came out. At eighteen, I really thought I'd heard it all. I'd gone through my rebellious phase and snuck out to see Rocky Horror a gazillion times, I'd become a loyal listener to both of the cool weekly punk shows: Mike Halloran's "Radios in Motion" on the Wayne State U. public radio station and "W-4 Play" on Detroit's WWWW (which, unbeknownst to the DJ's, was soon to be sold and turned overnight into a country station). Mike's show was especially great for catching the new and imported acts. But the P-furs didn't sound like anything else, despite the Steve Lilywhite production. Metallic, yet melodic. That gravelly voice of Richard Butler set against a velvet saxaphone. Can such pretty pop come out of such hard-edged punk?

This particular disc, thanks to its role in introucing us to the "Pretty in Pink" single, was accompanied by a pair of pink panties, initially. Or, it may be that Mike and other DJ's just got one as a promotional gag (artists had to get creative after payola was outlawed, after all, although what Mike Halloran would do with a pair of pink panties, I will not speculate here).

I especially love the version of Pretty in Pink on this disk. It is quite different than that on the soundtrack of the film, Pretty in Pink, which was made some seven or eight years after this recording and has nothing to do with it. The song has a different meaning entirely, empathizing with a girl--perhaps a prostitute-- who keeps hoping the men whom she lets use her will turn out to love her, when obviously that's not likely. And it was re-recorded for the film in a much more "refined" way, even as a "solo" for Richard Butler. A lot of the edge is taken out, some of the saxaphone solo isn't there, and it loses some of the darkness of the earlier version.

"It Goes On," "Dumb Waiters", and "Into You Like a Train" have riffs boppy enough to dance to. "I Just Want To Sleep With You" pretty much says it just like it is. My very favorite, bringing together a wistful melody with a dreamlike lyric is "All of This and Nothing". Girl leaves boy, and girl leaves behind stuff, but nothing makes sense to him.

P. Furs told the world in name, style and lyric that rebellion and fashion could co-habitate freely. Yes, we knew that already from the Stones and David Bowie, but it doesn't hurt to be reminded by the pros.

The Swan's apocolyptic epic double disc collection is arranged like a regular lp and the illusion holds up well. Gira's vocals are wise but ultimately souless, sounding like the weary teachings of an empty shell of a man who has lost all reason to live years ago. His lyrics paint a portrait of a world where the sun, love, and God no longer offer comfort, a world where human life is nothing but a meaningless blip on the radar of time and nature. During her songs, Jarboe's more expressive operic vocals often serve as a break from Gira's nihilism though she is equally effective accenting his songs with atmospheric haromonizing.

While the vocals are at the forefront, the Swans are almost just as interesting musically. Employing a minimalist approach the music often lurches with dark strumming accoustic guitars and ringing synth melodies that alternate between eerie and hammering. The result is a menacing intimate sound that threatens to suffocate the listner like a slowly lowering ceiling. This album can indeed be truly terrifing.

In her cover of "Black Eyed Dog", Jarboe transforms the dreary saddness of the original into a hellish, assaulting nightmare. While songs like "Was He Ever Alive?" are just as unsettling in a more unnerving cerebral way with Gira's hollow voice pondering the finality of death and the insignifance of life while the God of the Old Testament offers no answers, just violence and cruelty as he unleashes his curses on the Egyptians.

But there are rare moments of beauty as well. "Picture of Maryanne" in particular rises out of the oceans of despair with its haunting strings and gentle tribal percussion as Gira's vocals are delivering in a more soothing comforting manner. The country ballad, "God Damn the Sun" is indeed mournful but there is hope in that Gira is expressing a human emotion that he previously seemed incapable of. While Jarboe's memorable cover of "Love Will Tear us Apart" is shockingly bittersweet and peaceful. And of course the opener, "Miracle of Love" is a masterpiece of rising tension that greatly contrasts with the rest of the album's deliberate sluggish pace.

But the true highlight is the powerful "Blind", dealing with regret and the enlightenment of age. Gira's vocals are mostly a stoic drone but when he sings "I'm Blind" his voice breaks into this single delicate held note that manages to convey all the sorrow the protagonist/himself has been carrying over the years. This song alone makes this album a worthy purchase but buyer beware, the entire album is a very tough and patient listen that you have to be in a certain kind of mood for.

I've owned this double album for 3 years and only love it more with the passage of time. Not since the band "Neurosis" have I felt music more in the quietest places of my mind that continue to encant such calm and depth in the loudest crashing of thunder.

Swans are amongst the deepest places you'll ever look for music and you'll find a world of music open to you. You will find Michael Gira and his "Angels of Light" and just the end of last year you get to hear Jarboe with Neurosis(the 2 making a perfect collaboration) and many solo albums and projects along the way for both Jarboe and Michael Gira.

The music of Swans in this album is so warm. Swans become the warmth of the darkness. Never a cold and lonely place to be. The acoustic guitars, keyboards and drums all lend so much while the beats will pound like thunder and the gentle elegant melodies give way to an enrapture of intensity completely unexpected lending the listener a new set of ears.

Most people that are new to Swans will like them in the most uncertin way. Like all things that are worth thier time should require time, Swans go slowly and directly into your darkness and remain as friends.

That's the correct title of the last song on the first disc. You can't find it anywhere else these days, just here. It's right up there with "Miracle of Love". YOU NEED TO HEAR THIS SONG, SWANS FANS. Jealous Yahweh, deserting his people in Old Testament style. That's the spirit of the symbolism here, the true feeling of nothing left and the questioning of all dreams and hope. Such beautiful bitterness, for it's absolute desolation, as you've maybe never heard. And such poetic economy in the transition from literal circumstance to expansive existential doubt. I have all Swans' albums and this is one of the most amazing songs ever. A Top-5 Swanssong, this offering. No one has done this kind of stuff like Gira, that I've heard. "Was he ever born in blood..." See my other review for other stuff.