Audiophile
If you’re anything like me, your first inclination will be to roll your eyes when you hear the gonzo sci-fi narrative that drives “The ArchAndroid,” (out now on Bad Boy/Wondaland) the full-length debut album from one of the most buzzed-about recording artists of the last few years. The concept is [...]
We’re now firmly ensconced in top-down, cruising the main drag, lying out by the pool weather which means it’s time to break out the bright, shiny music to match. Here’s a sampling of albums from LGBT and allied artists that seem to go hand-in-hand with this time of year. The [...]
Musically, man should not live by mainstream bread alone. A well-rounded, nourishing diet ought to include regular servings of artists who don’t make the cover of Rolling Stone and albums that don’t dominate the pop and hip-hop charts. With this in mind, here’s a sampling of the recordings I’ve been [...]
I had originally planned to devote this column to looking back at the most important musical artists of the past decade, as well as speculating about who might be the heaviest of the heavyweights in the coming decade. In addition, I was going to shine a particular spotlight on the [...]
Even though I haven’t unwrapped a single Christmas present, my holiday has already been brightened by some fabulous gifts of the musical variety. Most significantly, the one wish I’ve offered up every year to no avail is finally being realized… Yes, Virginia, Sade is recording a new album! The jazzy [...]
Autumn is to album releases what Summer is to movie releases — the season that matters more than any other. As a result, every year the Fall musical harvest yields a cornucopia of projects spanning from potentially star-making debuts to superstar juggernauts seeking to extend their chart reigns to heritage [...]
After only two episodes I’m already giddy for “Glee.” This new musical comedy gem from FOX focuses on the talents and travails of a group of glee club misfits and their earnest teacher, Will Schuester. The characters are swishy (glee club member Kurt) and dishy (Mr. “Shoe,” star QB Finn, [...]
Like millions around the globe, I was saddened by the untimely, unexpected death of Michael Jackson. For Gen Xers like me his passing was particularly difficult because he was a towering icon to us — a musical superhero who, with “Thriller,” provided the soundtrack to our youth. Many of us [...]
The conventional wisdom is that absence makes the heart grow fonder, and in many settings it’s true. Popular music, however, is generally guided by another, more cynical line of thought: Out of sight, out of time. Artists are either consistently releasing new material, performing on awards shows, guesting on talk [...]
Swing Out Sister “Beautiful Mess” (Shanachie) On their ninth studio release “Sister” act Corinne Drewery (vocals) and Andy Connell (various instruments and arranger) continue to mine the rich vein of sophisticated pop and retro soul that has sustained them for two decades. Connell handles production duties on the album, his [...]
“Pins & Panzers,” the debut album by Brooklyn-based post-punk, indie pop trio Plushgun, has struck a chord with queer fans. And the LGBT community’s continued fight for equality has certainly struck a chord with the synth-driven band’s founder and lead-singer, Daniel Ingala. In fact, count him as one of the [...]
Read any press release promoting a new album and you’ll find a paragraph crowing that the collection was influenced by this legendary artist or by that classic album. It’s a simple, effective way to hook the media and create buzz among taste-making record buyers. After getting burned a few times, [...]
From the early/mid ’70s to the mid/late ’90s album art was oftentimes pop art at its finest. One of the joys of exploring a new album in that era was scrutinizing the artwork. The best covers made good albums seem even better while the bad ones left you to wonder [...]
It’s great timing for our issue on gay nightlife because I’ve just become a professional part of it. In the last Audiophile I mentioned that I was booked to DJ a party at Central Station. Would you believe that my set went over so well I was offered a Saturday [...]
It appears that 2009 could be a banner year for album releases. Bruce Springsteen has already issued the year’s first widely acclaimed recording (led by a five-star review in Rolling Stone) titled “Working On A Dream.” I’m hoping that the set is only the first of a handful of great [...]
You know you’re likely to get something special when Seal, one of the finest male vocalists around, decides to cover a dozen stone-cold classics by soul giants like Otis Redding, James Brown, Sam Cooke, Gamble & Huff, Al Green and Curtis Mayfield. When super-producer David Foster is brought in to [...]
Fall is the busiest time of the year for new music releases. Every time you turn around one superstar or another is issuing a blockbuster (or so the ailing industry hopes). Toiling beneath the behemoths are the second-tier majors and ready-for-primetime indies, all hoping to break through with their own [...]
Little Jackie — “The Stoop” (S-Curve) Regular readers of this column (hmmm, is that a bit like saying regular unicorns or regular leprechauns? anyway…) know that I love the ’60s soul-inspired revival that’s exploded in the U.K. the last year and a half. Amy Winehouse (“Back To Black”), Duffy (“Rockferry”) [...]
It’s conventional wisdom that everything old will be new again and the four most interesting “dance music” albums I’ve heard over the last few weeks do their utmost to prove this notion. I’m referring to “Bring Ya To The Brink,” the first all-dance set by ’80s pop icon Cyndi Lauper, [...]
Like most Americans, I love a good comeback. When Rocky pummels Ivan Drago in the last round, I’m throwing haymakers right there with him. When Jimmy Chitwood sinks the last-second jumper to defeat South Bend Central, I’m swishing the net from my La-Z-Boy. In similar fashion, for the last few [...]
