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 […]

The Exploding HeartsShattered(Dirtnap)The roads of rock are lined with many a tragedy, not least with with the Portland, Oregon, band The Exploding Hearts. The band released Guitar Romantic, hit the road and generated a buzz. In 2003, driving home from a show, three members died in a car accident. Shattered is an expanded re-issue of […]

Bob MouldBody of Song (Deluxe Edition)(Yep Roc)The deluxe version of Bob Mould’s latest CD finds Mr. Mould returning to what has kept him on the alternative scene for more than 20 years; but this is not an artist mining past glories. Body of Song shows the right mix of electronic and guitar tones. “(Shine Your) […]

Stars Of Track And FieldCenturies Before Love And War(Wind-Up)The first major label long form release from the two guitar/drum trio from Portland, Oregon consists of seven new tunes plus three from the 2005 EP You Came Here For Sunset Last Year. Songs such as “Movies Of Antarctica,” “Real Time” and “Say Hello” show the influence […]

Jesse Sykes & The Sweet HereafterLike, Love, Lust & the Open Halls of the Soul (Barsuk)Sykes’ fourth LP finds her building on the previous success of 2004 critical darling Oh, My Girl. Opening track “Eisenhower Moon” could be mistaken for a Neil Young cast-off, while there are traces of Jefferson Airplane-era Grace Slick (“LLL”) and […]

VariousHeartworn Highways OST(Hacktone)In 1976, for those who didn’t fit into the Nashville country scene, it was called “outlaw country.” Now it’s alt-country or Americana. This is a sound recording of a documentary about this breed of singer-songwriter. It features artists such as Guy Clark, Townes Van Zandt and David Allen Coe along with (then) unknowns […]