Authors: Dean O Hillis
Andy Bell – Non-Stop review
While comparisons to his active role as one half of Erasure are inevitable (they’d have to be) Andy Bell—one of the world’s most underrated vocalists—has captured the magic on his second solo album, the sublime Non-Stop. The secret here, besides Bell’s ability to always create a hummable chorus, is his willingness to experiment with his vocals. … read more
The Mynabirds and The Art Of Losing Oneself
When any artist finds their defining sound it is a moment of revelation as much as it is a celebration. Laura Burhenn, singer/songwriter extraordinaire and one of the hardest working artists in recent memory seems to have found both in her great and critically acclaimed project The Mynabirds, and the world is musically a better place for it. … read more
k.d. lang and the Siss Boom Bang – Sing It...
There is nothing better than hearing k.d. lang wrap that heavenly voice around brand new material, and the ease of how she works so seamlessly with a great band only makes this fantastic album that much more pleasurable. … read more
Pet Shop Boys: Together, Battleship Potemkin & Concrete reviews
As troubling as I find the dying out of US physical CD singles, this is actually not the first release that the Pet Shop Boys have experimented with in the digital format—the singles from their last album were only available digitally in the US. I won’t lament too much on this, as the web has brought availability and accessibility to us all—especially since I procured the singles as a standard British CD single set last November, as I’m sure many US fans did. … read more
Beauty And The Beat At 30: Go-Go’s Jane Wiedlin Interview
I recently chatted with Jane about the tour and the anniversary of one of the finest and most legendary debuts in pop history. It was the first album completely written and performed by an all-female band to top the Billboard charts, where it remained for an astounding consecutive six-week reign. A feat, incidentally, never reached before or since. … read more
Kate Bush Director’s Cut: The Thrill And The Hurting
Imagine my surprise several months ago to find that s new album entitled Director’s Cut was forthcoming from Kate Bush. I was extremely intrigued to learn that this new release was a reworking of eleven previously released Kate Bush songs. Bush has retained her favorite parts of these tracks and completely re-recorded the drums and vocals so they more reflect her original vision. … read more
Erasure Tomorrow’s World: The Sound of the Future, Today
I was graciously given a review copy of their brand new album, entitled Tomorrow’s World. It has been an interesting juxtaposition to hear these early recordings compared to their brand new music for 2011 … read more
Kate Bush – 50 Words For Snow review
Performing one of the year’s greatest musical achievements—releasing not one but two varied and nearly perfect records—would be daunting for any artist, but when that artist is Kate Bush the announcement of a second release within six months seemed nearly to good to be true. But as the details of 50 Words for Snow were tantalizingly revealed, this dream notion was very much a reality. … read more
The Opiates- Hollywood Under The Knife & Rainy Days and...
A long time in the making, the Opiates full-length debut, Hollywood Under The Knife, was worth every single second of wait time. With a world-weary truth—the album’s mostly female protagonists emerge song by song with their faults and weaknesses laid bare for the listener. As the album works its magic and emblazons itself upon the listener’s brain, this ultra-sophisticated concept album triumphs as one of this year’s finest releases. … read more
The Opiates – Hollywood Cuts: The Remixes Review
There’s always something to be said of a great remix and what it can do to transform a song—from reverent ballad to tits-out club stomper—and how it can revitalize or even reinvent a release. One of my favorite albums of last year was easily Hollywood Under the Knife, released under dance diva extraordinaire Billie Ray Martin’s great Opiates moniker. I was excited by the notion of a new full-length remix album, but didn’t expect to be so blown away by it. … read more
The Revolution Starts Now: The Mynabirds’ Generals
When the hypnotic, big beats and power guitar riffs of the Mynabirds’ “Generals”—the first single and also, incidentally, the title track of Laura Burhenn’s sophomore effort—were introduced in February, I was immediately excited by the possibility of a promised new sound. … read more
My Quality Minutes with Alison Moyet
It was wonderful news when Alison Moyet announced she was going to release a new album (the minutes) this year, and an even bigger surprise when it charted so highly in the UK charts (at Number Five, her second-highest-charting studio album there since 1987’s Raindancing to be precise)—a remarkable feat for any artist, especially one who hasn’t released new material in seven years and more specifically—in what remains a sexist industry—a woman. … read more
