Spins
Spins: Bob Dylan • Shadow Kingdom • Appearing at Cadillac Theatre • Chicago
Bob Dylan Shadow Kingdom (Columbia/Legacy) The pandemic lockdown finally brought Bob Dylan’s Never Ending Tour to a halt in 2020 after 31 years on the road. A few short months before resuming band travel in late 2021, the Bard gathered a stripped-down ensemble of trusted players for a streamed concert in July as a […]
Spins: Repentance • The Process of Human Demise
Repentance The Process of Human Demise (Nobel Demon) Local metal journeyman Shaun Glass (Sindrome, Soil, The Bloodline, Dirge Within, Broken Hope) has been an integral and crucial part of the Chicago metal scene for decades. With his “new” band Repentance, Glass has been highly prolific since its 2018 formation by releasing an EP and two […]
Spins: Pete Townshend • Empty Glass (Vinyl Remaster)
The Who’s acclaimed, Rock Hall-of-Fame guitarist’s heralded second album (including breakout AOR single “Rough Boys”) gets a vinyl remaster.
Plus: Pete Townshend and Ronnie Lane’s “Rough Mix”
Spins: Cowboys in the Campfire • Wronger
Tommy Stinson’s Cowboys in the Campfire Wronger (Cobraside) The longstanding friendship and musical partnership between Philly guitar-slinger Chip Roberts and Replacements bassist Tommy Stinson (also a veteran of Bash & Pop, Perfect, Guns N’ Roses, and Soul Asylum) has yielded the pair’s debut album as Cowboys in the Campfire. Stinson in particular, has roots in […]
Anniversary Albums: Tears for Fears • The Hurting
Tears for Fears The Hurting (40th anniversary Abbey Road remaster LP) (Mercury/UMC) For a band with its staying power and following, Tears for Fears’ catalog is brief. By all reports, it isn’t a lack of work ethic that suppressed productivity – it’s the internal quality control exercised by principals Roland Orzabal and Curt Smith. The […]
Spins: Flaming Lips: The EPs
The Flaming Lips Hypnotist vinyl EP Fight Test vinyl EP Ego Tripping at the Gates of Hell vinyl EP (Warner Records) Released in conjunction with the Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots 20th-anniversary campaign, these three EPs add to the picture of The Flaming Lips’ surging power during a period of peak creativity while simultaneously edging […]
Spins: Paramore • This Is Why
Paramore This Is Why (Atlantic) After a nearly 6 year hiatus, Paramore is back with a vengeance, and their new album This Is Why is proof that time apart makes the musical heart grow fonder. Joining its neo-pop predecessor After Laughter in solidifying Paramore’s golden trio — Zac Farro on drums, Taylor York on guitar, and the […]
Spins: Crosby, Stills & Nash Debut Album Reissue Box
Crosby, Stills & Nash Crosby, Stills & Nash LP reissue box (Mobile Fidelity/Rhino) As this pristine LP reissue of 1969’s debut release by Crosby, Stills & Nash goes to press, news has just arrived of the passing of David Crosby on January 18, 2023, at the age of 81. Crosby’s notable career spanned nearly 60 years, […]
Spins: Mike Campbell & The Dirty Knobs • External Combustion
Mike Campbell and the Dirty Knobs External Combustion (BMG) Mike Campbell wrote piles of great rock ‘n’ roll and jangle-pop songs during a 40-year career as lead guitarist for Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers (and Mudcrutch), but waited until the untimely 2017 loss of his co-captain before releasing his own album. Campbell even sublimated his […]
Spins: Robbie Williams • I’ve Been Expecting You
Robbie Williams I’ve Been Expecting You LP reissue (Island/UMC) Transcending boy band roots and released at the height of Britpop, erstwhile Take That vocalist Robbie Williams’ I’ve Been Expecting You has aged considerably well. Although Williams never quite became the household name in North America that many expected, the singer made a strong showing while […]
Spins: The Beach Boys • Feel Flows: The Sunflower & Surf’s Up Sessions 1969-1971
The Beach Boys Feel Flows: The Sunflower & Surf’s Up Sessions 1969-1971 (UMe/Capitol) Sunflower and Surf’s Up were the Beach Boys’ 16th and 17th studio albums, released on August 30 of 1970 and 1971, respectively. Sunflower was the Beach Boys’ first album for Reprise Records after the band left Capitol Records ensconced as the most […]
Spins: Daryl Hall and John Oates • Live at the Troubadour
Daryl Hall and John Oates Live at the Troubadour LP (BMG) This 3xLP set marks the vinyl debut of the top-selling pop duo’s 2008 performance at Los Angeles’ famed nightclub. In the pair’s first performance at The Troubadour in 35 years, Daryl Hall and John Oates take a special trip back to 1973 by […]
Spins: Neil Young & Crazy Horse • Barn
Neil Young & Crazy Horse Barn (Reprise) Neil Young collects his trusty, veteran Crazy Horse gang for a freewheeling album that sounds like a joyful weekend getaway among friends in the garage – or in Young’s case, the restored 19th-century barn. The ambiance is amiable, loose, and natural. The recording draws together an intuitive band […]
Media: December 2021 • Never Forget
At the end of every year, we like to take a moment to acknowledge the media giants in Illinois we lost during the year. This year the list includes television and radio icons, familiar faces and voices, and people behind the scenes. One of the most consequential names you might not know is former […]
Spins: Damon Albarn • The Nearer The Fountain, More Pure The Stream Flows
Damon Albarn The Nearer The Fountain, More Pure The Stream Flows (Transgressive Records Ltd) The stark black and white boulder on the cover of Damon Albarn’s new solo album announces immediately that this will not be the Day-Glo dance party of his band Gorillaz, nor will it conjure the dandy day-in-the-English-life of his 90s Britpop […]
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