American Alternative music reviews

The Throwing Muses "Not Too Soon" is one of their best, and the covers of "That's Entertainment" and "Another Girl, Another Planet" are amazing. This is definitely worth owning if you lived through this time in music, or are just a fan of early '90s college radio.

This is a good Mix of Alternative and Techno songs from over the past five years. If you like this genre of music this Cd is for you.

Now, this is truly a piece for a fine Connaisseur of music. The music in this one is a lot more peacefull and mellow than of the previous albums, but i assure you, the message of the vocals is not. Please enjoy

The greatest threat to conservative American values since Communism; the Crucif**ks deliver non-stop anti-american rants crafted in such a sinister fashion that your inner rebel will feel almost guilty for listening to them (almost). Corbin Dart's shrill vocals are like paint-stripper for the pathetic institutions of Americana which he bashes; no other artists have the guts to glorify the IRA's valient effort to liberate their homeland. Mixed in are the occasional personal songs railing against a society founded on silicon implants and empty promises. A must listen! One of my favorite CDs.

greg ginn has really gone and done it again .making even more of the most wild out guitar funk/punk/metal/albums i have heard in years.just pure music madness at its best .though this did come out in 1987 .i have just finally found a copy.so along with the tightest rythum section in rock .andrew weiss sim cain (A.K.A rollins band)this album will make you beg for and then go out and buy all there albums.but i must suggested to you if you have either never heard black flags ''process of weeding out'' or ''family man''both his instumental works. you must start there first to really understand the entire story of his out- spoken guitar work!!!!!!excellent!!!!

I saw Ghost of an American Airman in Tulsa, Oklahoma back in 1992 after being introduced to their music at the now defunct Mohawk Music.

They played a local venue and I was lucky enough to videotape the performance and have since then collected other live and signed material, including their only (?) music video they made.

I personally think that they were very put-off by the U2 comparison, mainly because every band that comes out of Ireland faces the same comparison and are sometimes not judged on their own merit / music abilities. They do have that rock edge that U2 USED to have before the days of commercialism and self-serving freedom rallies and food drives.

The second album was good, especially for an awesome cover of "Witchita Lineman" which is even ten times better live. One thing for sure, Dodge can sing like a madman. He also has great stage presence and a huge load of stamina.

Sadly, like many bands with more talent than promotion, they got tossed aside, much like another great artist, Denzil (see Denzil: Pub). Dodge's 2nd incarnation, The Sunday Club, was a much more subdued affair, with very solemn and heartfelt songs.

If you can find any of their releases, pick them up, not because they'll probably be a $1.99, but because it's some of the best work that was and is out there.

I saw these guys, who I believe are from Northern Ireland, in NYC at the New Music Seminar festival in '92 and was blown away. I then swiped the promo copy of this album from my college radio station and to this day, I still love every track. For fans of U-2, Live, Collective Soul and other special bands who wear their hearts on their sleeves and are still able to be clever, lyrical, musical, magical. Highly recommended.

I have to say this is one of the best punk albums ever. Its fast, its political, its angry and its true to punk. It also has extra rare tracks that sets this album apart from any other just live album. this cd is a classic punk must have. If this isnt in your collection than it will never be complete. Although the quality is gritty it still sounds great to me. best tracks are its a beautiful day, reagan youth and I hate hate. And remember, this band is not a racist one. so buy it or you (....)

And I should know, because I was there for two of the three nights this album was recorded.
FreeWorld has always been a live animal and the evolution of portable digital recording has finally enabled them to capture the essence of what they're really all about. The album does a pretty good job of encompassing the band's history, including songs from each of the group's previous three studio efforts as well as two new songs "Come By The House" and "'Stack" and a fun cover of The Band's ode to lost love "Ophelia". The sonic value of the recording is top-notch; presenting possibly the best sounding horn sections the band has gotten on disc to-date. The closest thing I have to a complaint about the album is a slight lack of variety. I would have liked to hear a few more older songs from the FreeWorld book (six of the thirteen tracks are songs from the band's most recent studio album) or more of their covers. Most bands that include covers in their live shows tend to pretty much go through the motions but anyone who has ever been to a FreeWorld show knows there is a heaping-helping of good ol' Memphis Fonk mixed in to everything they play and can attest to how much power their arrangements lend to the likes of the Grateful Dead's "Feel Like A Stranger" or Herbie Hancock's "Rockit". All-in-all this album is a great introduction to the Best Damn "Jamband" that way too many people have never heard.

WOW!! After waiting so long to get their 4th album, LOUD AMERICAN sure was a surprise. The tracks on this album are yet another step in the evolution of ZWARTE'. The guys in Zwarte are sure to grab your attention with the first song on this one when Randall Zwart and bassist Baron Duncan show everyone just how much range they have with their vocals. Not to worry if "Scream" is not for your taste because something on this album will certainly grab you at some point.

They have combined alot of their newer bluesy concepts on "Moonshine" with alot of the fun that I have come to know from the guys on "Buttcrack Blues". "Wanna Dance" is a sure hit in the making, not to mention their butt kicking cover of the Stones "Gimme Shelter". They also finally put out a song that they have been playing and fine tuning at their shows for years with "Pay the Money" with drummer Bob Zwart kickin' in some awesome vocals. Another fun tune on this album would have to be "Uncle Pervy", this song gets you into sort of a country/down home groove and then picks you up and plants you flat on your seat.

They did not forget the ever famous power ballad of old, re-releasing "Be On My Way". Coming from their 'Hit the Road' album, it is what makes this album complete. One thing is for sure, Monica Lewinsky doesn't have a thing on this group of "Loud American"s.

This masterpiece of an album is a carefully constructed mood piece with great rockers and tender ballads interspersed by short spoken and instrumental tracks. The musical style is similar to that on White Light ... but perhaps more varied. The title track is a great moving rock ballad, and is followed by two gentle ballads with beautiful melodies: The Golden Boy ... and The Other Side of the World. A very eerie number is Her, where a noisy rock riff get interrupted halfway and the voice of a teenage girl comes through, talking about her boyfriend Charlie and the Monterrey pop festival, with period adverts in the background and static noise. The Sound of Freedom is another rousing rock ballad with very moving, poetic lyrics:"The fire that burns this city/Is the white light in freedom's eye", while Identity is another strange one with a little boy reciting a weird spiritual poem. God Loves America and No Cure for the Lonely are tender ballads sung by Michael Gira. The alternating lead vocal of Gira and Jarboe works well to give the album scope and variety. Along with The Great Annihilator and The Burning World, Love of Life is one of the masterpieces of a sadly neglected band that is no more. But the music lives on in the form of Gira's band Angels Of Light. Check out the albums New Mother and How I Loved You.

Kevin Johnson has one of the best voices I've heard in ten years, and he manages to sing rock-- and country-- and anything in between-- with equal finesse, style and power. Between that and his amazing use of language in some of his lyrics, his music makes an emotional connection with my soul every time I hear it-- whether he's doing romantic ballads, quiet, eerie mood pieces or raucous hard-hitting rockers. I tried narrowing down his albums for a 90-minute tape (to play in my car) and an amazing 9 out of the 11 songs here made the cut! My faves here include "Working Woman" (very catchy), "House Of Goin' Gone" (spooky!), "Look Over There" (one of those irresistible songs I find myself singing along with uncontrollably every time I play it) and his cover of Marshall Crenshaw's "You're My Favorite Waste Of Time". My favorite Kevin Johnson songs are really spaced over his first 3 CDs-- but as a complete entity, MEMPHIS FOR BREAKFAST may be my favorite so far! (My CD has a very peculiar glitch-- when it's over, it doesn't go on to the next CD! Anybody else's do that?)