Aaron Hartling

Teddy ThompsonA Piece of What You Need(Verve)Teddy Thompson’s fourth release follows his country covers album, Up Front And Down Low, but this LP shows a sound and style that he can call his own. The best examples of Teddy’s own sound are “Don’t Know What I Was Thinking” and “In My Arms,” which combines a […]

My Morning JacketEvil Urges(ATO) My Morning Jacket’s fifth release Evil Urges shows the band moving away from the country-rock of It Still Moves and into more of Z’s experimentation. The songs sound more structured and less jam-based. Gone (for the most part) is the reverb vocal which has almost become a trademark. In recent interviews, […]

John HiattSame Old Man(new west)Same Old Man sounds like the work of a middle-aged man who’s content with his life. The songs on it aren’t covering yesterday, but providing a closer look at where the man is today (along the lines of Neil Young’s Silver & Gold). Old tried-and-true topics (love, relationships) are covered throughout. […]

[image-4]Published May 15, 2008.Daniel LanoisHere Is What Is(Red Floor)The soundtrack (and DVD) documents Daniel’s year-long journey creating his own music. The CD has snippets of Brian Eno offering words of wisdom about creating music. Some songs sound like they coul or should be sung by other artists—“Lovechild”
channels Aaron Neville’s falsetto; “I Like That” has Bono […]

Bob MouldDistrict Line(Anti)On Bob Mould’s seventh solo release—and it’s hard to believe there have been seven
—the dance/electronica influences have continued from previous LPs Modulate and Body of Song. You can hear the dance-floor groove on “Shelter Me” and you’ll find the rockers on tracks such as “Stupid Now” and “The Silence Between Us,” to name […]

AqueductOr Give Me Death(Barsuk)The second full release from Seattle, Washington-based Aqueduct (AKA one-man-band David Terry) shows the influence of piano-driven ’60s pop with an ’80s synthesiser sound. It’s Brian Wilson wrapped in dry wit, resulting in satisfying tunes. A good example is the opening track “Lying in the Bed I’ve Made‚” where Terry sings “Sorry […]

Kristin HershLearn to Sing Like a Star(4AD)Kristin Hersh is the anti-star in today’s music world. Her reputation was built with bands Throwing Muses, 50FootWave and with her solo material. Learn To Sing is in contrast to the quiet tones on her previous release, The Grotto. There’s a full band sound with nice cello arrangements (such […]

Okkervil RiverThe Stage Names(Jagjaguwar)Don’t you love a CD that grabs you from the first song? The Stage Names certainly has it from top to the bottom. Songwriter/vocalist Will Sheff likes to jam as many words as possible into each song (in the John K. Samson vein). He doesn’t try to write a song as much […]

Richard ThompsonSweet Warrior(Shout Factory)On this release Thompson sets his sights on the political front. Several tunes focus on the Iraq war. Whether it’s the soldiers’ daily life (“Dad’s Gonna Kill Me”), the military family (“Johnny’s Far Away”) or Bush/right wing politics (“Mr.Stupid, I’ll Never Give Up”), Thompson aims with a sharp tongue and a pen […]

Teddy ThompsonUpfront & Down LowVerve ForecastTeddy’s third release on a major label is a bit of a head-scratcher. His solo CDs, along with his contributions to mom Linda Thompson’s solo releases, show he has the talent to pen a tune, but why produce an entire CD—with the exception of one self-penned song—of country ballads? Most […]