Album Reviews « Knox Road

When former Lungfish front man Daniel Higgs joined Swedish noise-rock juggernaut The Skull Defekts on their Peer Amid album earlier this year, it seemed like a natural fit that played to the strengths of both parties. Now, taking things one step further, The Skull Defekts teamed up with Zomes, the solo moniker of […]

Jesse

Luke Roberts needs a moment of your time

One of the greatest qualities of folk music is the story. There’s always a story in the song somewhere; you might have to search deep down in the lyrics or deep within yourself to find the story, but it’s there.

The songs on Luke Robert’s debut, Big Bells and Dime Songs, […]

Jesse

High Places are confident, mature on Original Colors

At some point in a band’s career there is a noticeable shift from a sort of musical adolescence to the comfort and confidence of maturity. High Places have clearly reached their maturity with their latest record, Original Colors. Please note that this level of maturity in no way translates to boring or tired. […]

Jesse

Future Islands use sounds of 25 years ago for On The Water

On the Water, the latest album from Baltimore’s Future Islands, is the most interesting indie-dance record released this year. Wait, it’s not really a dance record, maybe I meant indie-rock record. Well, it’s not really rock either. Is it chill-wave? I’m thinking not. Honestly, On the Water doesn’t deserve to be shoved into […]

Jesse

It is rain in my face’s Wishbone EP

One of my favorite aspects of listening to new music is the ability to discover new approaches to established sounds or genres. On more than one occasion I’ve been treated to an artist who explores a genre that isn’t one of my favorites and takes it in a direction that is unexpected and […]

Jesse

Wooden Shjips make best record to date with West

San Francisco has a long history with psychedelic music, but no band epitomizes the new psychedelic sound of San Francisco like Wooden Shjips. After releasing some great records on Holy Mountain, Wooden Shjips unleash West, their first record for Thrill Jockey. West finds the band in a proper studio for the first time […]

Jesse

Glenn Jones’ The Wanting fills us with satisfaction

The Wanting is an intriguing title for Glenn Jones’ fourth solo record, and first for the Thrill Jockey label. You expect to feel a deep yearning of sense of loss pouring from each song; instead, each track is completely satisfying and exudes feelings of contentment.

Jones comes from the John Fahey and Robbie […]

Jesse

Barn Owl’s psych-doom-folk is hypnotic on Lost in the Glare

Do you remember that forgotten space station marooned in some remote corner of the universe populated by two half-insane astronauts? You’ve probably seen it in a late night movie that blurred in your mind years ago. It seems impossible, but at some point our two lonely and mostly-out-of-their-minds astronauts get it together and […]

Jesse

[The Past Presents] U2 – “Achtung Baby”

The Past Presents revisits revered albums from the past 20-25 years to ask the question, “Is this album still a classic, or has it lost its edge over the years?”. Was it a great record for that particular time and place, or is it something we’ll be passing on to our kids? It also looks at the “lost classics” – countless albums that should have earned more attention but for one reason or another fell through the cracks.

The comparison of music, particularly specific albums or songs, to mile markers on the highway of life is an apt one. It’s exceedingly easy to trace your life’s path just by looking at your record collection. It’s all there: the highs and lows, memorable moments, moments of high accomplishment, and periods of boredom and depression, preserved for all time by the music that scored those moments. In my own experience, U2 found a place on many of life’s mile markers; but, since its release, Achtung Baby has been more like another passenger in the car than just another mile marker. U2 first cropped up for me in 1983. I remember hearing “Sunday Bloody Sunday” and “New Year’s Day” on the radio seemingly every time I got in the car. Soon “Pride” was also a fixture on every car ride. It went on and on. U2 were always there, lurking around the edges, always slightly out of synch with me. I liked the band, but it was mostly the singles that stuck with me. I was, without a doubt, a greatest hits fan when it came to U2.

Everything changed in the fall of 1991. At this time I was starting my senior year of high school. My friends and I had been obsessed with music since middle school and we showed no signs of stopping. That summer of 1991 we’d logged many hours at the local record store and spent many more hours pouring over video tape of recent episodes of 120 Minutes (for those too young to remember, this was an MTV show that played videos from alternative/indie/punk bands). I remember being slack-jawed the first time we saw the video for Nirvana’s “Smells Like Teen Spirit.” When that video ended I knew this band from Seattle had just changed something for me. What I didn’t know was that I would have that feeling again just a few weeks later when U2 released the video for “The Fly,”the first single from their new record, Achtung Baby.

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