[bandcamp track=2636494487 bgcol=FFFFFF linkcol=4285BB size=grande] [R]eleased this past June I must admit the beautiful, self-titled debut album from Prairie Empire fell under my radar until just recently and I simply had to tell the good readers of Music Savage all about it to atone for my music review crime. Brooklyn based singer-songwriter Brittain Ashford and her orchestral bandmates of Prairie Empire created their starkly sparse, beautifully arranged album in Portland, OR as a good portion of the band reside in the indie-rock haven of the west coast. The opening track “Ten Fold” automatically draws the listener in as Ashford’s delicate…
Leave a CommentAuthor: Ryan Doyon
a music loving, world traveling, hockey loving, Star Wars nerd. If you play music I want to know about it.
[I]t has been six years since Chan Marshall released The Greatest, her last album of original material, and 4 years since the release of her covers album Jukebox. Needless to say the songstress takes her time crafting her songs. However, the wait is finally over this week with the release of the highly anticipated new Cat Power album titled Sun. The opening track on Sun is the gorgeous “Cherokee” which incorporates Chan’s distinctive duel-vocal track recording laid over an infectious drumbeat. The type of sound runs through the entire album, welcoming old fans back and introducing new listeners to Cat…
Leave a CommentThe Technicolors – Sweet Time [P]hoenix, AZ rockers The Technicolors newest album The Listener is the slickly-produced follow up to the band’s 2010 breakout album Who Are You and builds upon the foursome’s ability to take the classic rock sound and convincingly mix it with 90’s Britpop attitude to create their own rhythm heavy style. When the opening track “Again” kicks in the listener of The Listener might think they were listening to the love child of Oasis and Supergrass, and would not be too far off. The 70’s guitar riff laden track “Sweet Time” stays on the same classic…
1 CommentAir Traffic Controller – Blame [B]oston native and former US Navy air traffic controller Dave Munro makes a triumphant return to the music world with the much-anticipated second album from Air Traffic Controller, titled Nordo. With the help of 150 fans and a little site called Kickstarter, Munro was able to release his follow up to 2009’s The One in June and give his fans what they have been waiting for these past few years… an amazing collection of new songs! Nordo opens with one of the catchiest tracks I have heard in years, “Hurry Hurry,” and it quickly becomes…
1 CommentRhett Miller – Out Of Love Old 97’s frontman and solo artist extraordinaire Rhett Miller delivers another dreamy Saturday afternoon album (appropriately title The Dreamer), the first on his own Maximum Sunshine label, affirming his place as one of the hardest-working men in rock n’ roll. After five solo albums and many Old 97’s releases, you would think a break would be in order, but luckily for his fans Miller’s music is his life. We, the humble listeners, get to sit back on a porch, perhaps with a refreshing summer cocktail, and take in his new offering. The delightful opening…
Leave a Comment[7] years! A lot has happened in the past 7 years that could make an artist not want to come back to the spotlight, especially since that spotlight was never really the goal, all things considered. That being said, it is the perfect time for Fiona Apple to release her 4th album, The Idler Wheel is Wiser than the Driver of the Screw and Whipping Cords Will Serve You More than Ropes Will Ever Do. You have to be able to back a title like that up with music that packs a punch, and Fiona has that ability in spades.…
Leave a CommentRamona Falls – Spore Portland, Oregon has graced the world of music with many fine bands these past few years, one of which is Brent Knopf’s latest project Ramona Falls. Knopf was a founding member of one of Portland’s finest live acts, Menomena, and created Ramona Falls as a side project in 2009, releasing the album Intuit, which was widely embraced by fans. In 2011 Knopf parted ways with Menomena to focus solely on Ramona Falls, and the new album Prophet, which was released on Barsuk Records in May of 2012. The latest release finds our fearless front man in…
Leave a CommentRegina Spektor has come a long way since her 2001 self-released debut “11:11,” which was exclusively sold at shows she played at venues in and around New York’s East Village. And while this album has become the holy grail of records for her fans, a search through eBay provides no help, her latest “What We Saw from the Cheap Seats” is a highlight in an already impressive repertoire. The album’s first single “All the Rowboats” has all the makings of a classic Regina Spektor hit as she combines lyrics which compare works of art as prisoners condemned to life, with…
Leave a CommentEdward Sharpe & the Magnetic Zeros – Man On Fire It would not be foolish to think that a breakout band, with a breakout song that took the world by storm, would have a hard time following up on the success that followed. It would be foolish however to think that of Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros. The new album “Here” finds the lead singer Alex Ebert and his merry band of musicians in fine, folk rock form, wearing the past 2 years of extraordinary success like a badge of honor. The album opens with the rambling, dreamy “Man…
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