American Alternative music reviews

At some point during "It Goes" I felt shaken from my heart to my toes. By the end of "My Ruins" I was in tears. Carroll is an awesome conduit of the Bard. Rimbaud lives! There are songs and spoken word on this disc. Be warned faint of heat. This will be your most precious of pains. By this CD>

As a 17 year old I wore the ink off my "Catholic Boy" cassette and found "The Basketball Diaries" hypnotic. I forgot about Jim until I stumbled into "Pools of Mercury". He is a breathing Rimbaud, blessed with musical talent. Buy this CD!

If you would ask me to tell you what's the best track on Pools of Mercury. I could not tell you. It's magic from the beginning to the end. This record is the best i have ever heard in my live. I can not compares it with anything.

Cravin Melon has a deep, soulful sound with rich vocals that is completely consuming. A cross between Paw and John Hiatt (and perhaps the Screamin Cheetah Wheelies, if anyone knows of them), Cravin Melon combines lush melodies with southern, country-tinged appeal. Album Red Clay Harvest opens with wistful rocker "Come Undone" and moves through rhythmic subtle grooves with class. Longing, not-really-ballads "Hey Sister" and "Can't Find My Way" are sweetly melodic with thick, complimentary guitar work; strong rock tuned like "Pretend" and "Nobody's Proze" utilize heavy percussive elements to round out their sound. Vocals are heartfelt and sonorous, moving over songs and colored with light harmonization during choruses. Cravin Melon is one of those bands who just feels right -each song on this album offers a perfect picture of soulful rock and roll.

A friend recommended this album to me a few years ago and it instantly became a favorite. I have bought everything I can find by this group. They sound a bit like Sister Hazel--but I think they are even better! The only songs I ever heard on the radio were "Come Undone" and "Sweet Tea" which are great songs--but the whole CD is really good!

My roommate and I are huge fans of this band...they rock...we've only seen them three Xs live and this is an experience everyone should have...when we hung out with them, we realized they are so down to earth and so real (and by the way Doug Jones and Rob Clay are beautiful men)...their music is so soulful

This album is ridiculous it's so friggin amazing. You almost want to laugh, the album is so damn creative and brilliant... and dark! "Ambulance Song" could be one of the best songs ever written, and it really captures the whole ambience these guys project with every album they put out. "Any Day Now" is a great song with some funny lines... "One of these days I'll find these truths to be self evident..." I also think the "Divorce Song" has incredible lyrics, and the way the song ends is like bleeding to death from slit wrists while relaxing in a rusty porcelain bath in a hole-in-the-wall apartment. "Turning Inside Out" is another favorite of mine, and the first three songs are also very very good. The final song is unusually punchy but I also like that one very much, since it has the energy of a punk song (I happen to like punk rock a lot). You won't be disappointed.

It's a toss-up in my mind whether Release or the sadly out-of-print White Noise is Cop Shoot Cop's best album. Of the two, Release is certainly the more accessible, though an accessible C$C album is by no means easy listening. The band infamous for their no-guitar approach bring in a guitarist for their final outing, as well as other incongruous instruments such as harmonica or trumpet. Also, Jim Coleman plays the piano a lot more on this album than in previous ones. However, Cop Shoot Cop's sound is still basically the same: dual bass attack, harsh banging drums, unsettling samples and gritty lyrics sung gruff. This is the easiest album of the band's to find, so by all means pick it up. Also, consider checking out the band members' disparate new projects: Firewater, Here, Phylr and Red Expendables.

Ironically, my first introduction to Tod Ashley's music was through his current klezrock incarnation, Firewater. What immediately grabbed me was his incredible voice, followed quickly by his lyrics and songwriting. Eventually, I followed the trail of dried blood back to this album - the absolute pinnacle of No-Wave. Sure, people will drop names like Arto Lindsay's DNA, or Lydia Lunch's Teenage Jesus and the Jerks, but Cop Shoot Cop were never, ever surpassed, and this is their finest moment. Every single song is a brooding, jagged mess of bass-heavy songwriting and percussive stomp ("Ambulance Song" in particular has an absolutely AWESOME drum part), but the ones that stick out most are "It Only Hurts When I Breathe," "Two At A Time," "Any Day Now," and especially "Ambulance Song." Blow your brains out, baby.

From the deeply moving Granite Mills and the chill-inducing Knife to the rich harmonies of Wake Up and the vibrant instrumentals on tracks 5 and 8, this is a masterpiece of Traditional American folk music.

I have seen both Knife and Granite Mills performed live on several occasions, and the band has managed to capture the same raw intensity on this recording that they bring to every performance.

Definitely my favorite Cordelia's Dad album, with How Can I Sleep? a close second. Definitely pick this baby up.

I won't bother trying to categorize this music as others are perhaps too quick to do so, but whatever else you want to call it, this is a powerful and moving CD, with one of the greatest emotional ranges of any I have ever heard, from uptempo fiddle tunes to the intense longing of "Pilgrim." All the songs are acoustic, some a capella, some instrumental, and some both vocal and instrumental -- whatever the case, all are done with great skill and passion. I have heard few albums of any genre that impress me as much.

I can't recommend it highly enough.

Few better folk bands have come out of the US in the last decade as this excellent CD illustrates. Fill a puzzling gap in the market for music based on the earlest traditions of american folk and contry. Should be a much higher profile band on both sides of the Atlantic!

The spirit of 1607 lives on ...............

Psychadelic rockabilly lovemaking music that would've turned Elvis onto B&D. If you can imagine Scarlett O' Hara and James Dean collaborating with Betty Page, Twiggy, David Lynch, and Charles Manson, and they all made love to each other on the set of a possible Troma Entertainment remake of "Night Of The Living Dead", then zoomed back in time to 1957... Throw in a dash of "Behind The Green Door" and a splash of Jerry Lee Lewis... a twist of lemon... and a tall, ice-cold, Sky Vodka Martini, shaken and extra, extra dirty... You'd have this must-have rockabilly sex-classic. It's as if Lords Of Acid did country and read Robert Crumb comics... The Cramps R fancy cats !

If the Cramps ever recorded an album with Carl Perkins, this is what it would sound like. It's an awesome record that's closed out with the Perkins rarity "Her Love Rubbed Off"--a song that Carl turned out to be embarassed about due to the suggestive lyrics.

This is probably their most upbeat record. It's a huge improvement from their previous album "A Date with Elvis", which can probably be contributed to the fact that they added Candy Del Mar on bass, who added great melodic basslines.

Like Songs the Lord Taught Us, it contains great covers and originals. Highly recommended.

the Cramps best, 2 albums i think (stay sick &Creature from the black leather lagoon )Creature from the black leather lagoon has been out of print for god knows how long.

A must have for all music lovers, and the perfect introduction to a very talented band. The vastly disparate singing styles of Brian Jones and Andrew Winn and even Stewert Meyers (yes... three of the four are able to take over lead vocals... another tribute to their musical craftmanship) are far from your typical main-stream leads and add yet another diverse and sometimes unfamilair level to each of their albums. More importantly, the ability of this band to improvise and work their way into a methodical groove helps separate Agents from most bands of the day. If only picking stocks were this easy...

Here's hoping new basist Kevin Hamilton can sustain the groove!

Agents of Good Roots is a band that has more talent that the majority of the artists that you hear today. This album proves that. I was first exposed to Agents on a suggestion from a friend, and bought their major-label debut, One By One. That album is more of a sonic collage of many styles, including rock, jazz, and gospel. Straightaround seems to focus a little more on the healthy jazz obsession carried by the band. Plus, these guys can PLAY! It's so unfortunate that our ears are primed to hear cookie-cutter music unlike this. Andrew Winn's guitar/keyboard playing provides an excellent setup for J.C. Kuhl's incredible sax playing. Kuhl really goes off on tracks like "Straight," which ends the album on an impressive, tight jam. This album gets better with every listen, because in spite of the fact that you're only listening to five instruments (guitar, keyboard, sax, bass, drums), Agents always bring something new to the table when you listen. Jazz fans, rejoice! Your voice is beginning to be heard in rock circles! Highly recommended for jazz fans, as well as fans of Dave Matthews Band.

If you're looking for an introduction to this Richmond, VA band, this would clearly be your best bet. Check out the hot 9/8 time of Exodus of Left as well as the 11 minute Straight that closes the album. A definite recommend - you will go see this band if you hear this record.

Simply masterful. Everyone who dissects music apppreciates the nuances of music - we critique everything we hear. When an apex has been reached (Beethoven's Ninth), we know it immediately. But as much as we appreciate the cognitive details in the final cut, it is the emotional force that sets the blood aflow. Side 2 of this baby (Mary, Joyful Reunion, etc.) is PERFECTION - pure, raw yet disturbingly refined, malevolent and fast, the insanity of the unknown coupled with grit your teeth, shove the safety pin through your cheek, down a shot of whatever happens to be available, punch a hole in the wall and get ready to take the "beater" out for some "alley-can bashin".......If you're not bleedin' by the end of side two, you don't know no @#$%!

This is the album which put me in touch with NOMEANSNO, and since its first playing I was hooked. So here I am, back to replace the cassette that I wore thin over the many years. Keep in mind that NOMEANSNO is produced by Alternative Tentacles, a record company started by Jello Biafra of the Dead Kennedy's. You can't go wrong with a company like that behind you music. Enjoy. I sure as hell will.

Nomeansno are the most criminally under-rated band in the history of rock. Buy this and find out how good they are. 0 + 2 = 1 is a more-than-usually accessible mixture of the catchy (Now), the amusing (Every Day I Start To Ooze) and the disturbed (Ghosts). Highly recommended. And then go and buy Wrong...

Easy listening, in spite of being a punk band...

Discount is the greatest band to ever come out of the Treasure Coast of florida...they're from Vero Beach. I've been going to Discount shows since I was 13 years old, i went to high school with the band, and they're still absolutely incredible. wonderful pop punk. alison's vocals are wonderful. the energy from one of their shows is fully apparent on their CDs.

If you like bands like Velocity Girl, The Cranberries, Sarge, and Sleater-Kinney, you'll love this record. This album gets my highest rating.

As expected, the Mannheim Steamroller collection is outstanding. A new twist on the traditional Christmas songs.

Wonderful, uplifting. It is just what I was looking for to take care of my Christmas music needs.

Bought this for my husband for Christmas and we listen to it every year! What great arrangements for background any time of the year!

As a compilation of rare B-sides and the first EP, this album provides an enjoyable listening experience although it may not be up there with the best of this brilliant band. With its 22 tracks, it offers good value for money anyway.

My favorites include the three Velvet Underground covers: There She Goes Again, Pale Blue Eyes and Femme Fatale. I also love the spiritual song Voice Of Harold with its gripping melody, churning guitars and whistling towards the end.

Other tracks of note are the instrumental White Tornado with its powerful guitars, the speedy and energetic Toys In The Attic, Wolves Lower with its nervous rhythm, Gardening At Night with its lovely winding melody and All The Right Friends.

Their sound appears a bit thin in places in this early phase of their career but it's rather charming to listen to the beginnings of this amazing band that later give us masterpieces like Document, Out Of Time and Automatic For The People.

Chronic town my very well be the worlds first and only concept EP. The concept is the title 'a chronic town', chronic meaning 'bad' in french. All 5 songs on this EP are simply wonderful with the band mebers using thier insrtuments to thier full potential and the mumbled vocals of Michael Stipe gives it a good vibe along with the compelling lyrics. You don't have to be a die-hard fan of R.E.M. to like this EP because it's just fantastic, however I really don't like Dead letter office, The 5 stars I give to this album are strictly for the 5 songs of Chronic town. So just buy Dead letter office for the Chronic town EP! You'll love it!

This alblum, when it came out, was my absolute favorite. I was, and still am, a huge R.E.M. fan from the beginning. This alblum filled a gap for me since I did not have all their single at the time. Also the cover of "King of the Road" is not to be missed. If you are a fan of their latest work, check this one out to see where they came from.