Trevor MacLaren

John StetchExponentially Monk(Justin Time)To even tinker with a certified genius and purveyor of all that is holy to be-bop is a heavy burden for anyone, even if you are John Stetch. The arrangements are solid and the proof is in the pudding because chops don’t lie. Reworking some of Monk’s greatest pieces such as “Round […]

Bonnie “Prince” BillyThe Letting Go(Drag City)After a couple of clunkers—Sings Greatest Palace Music and Summer in the Southeast—from Americana wunderkind Will Oldham (AKA Bonnie “Prince” Billy/Palace Music/Palace Brothers/Palace Songs/Palace), it seemed cracks were beginning to appear in the facade of what has been an amazing and prolific career thus far. On his 15th full-length release […]

WilcoBlue Sky BlueNonesuchLove him or hate him, Jeff Tweedy is one hell of a hell of a songwriter. After alienating many fans with his avant-garde-fused masterpieces, he switches currents again, writing an album of straight-ahead 1970s singer-songwriter rock. Avoiding the hippie granola of the ’70s LA mellow-mafia, BSB’s rock/pop should make them superstars. Trevor McLarencategories: […]

Nashville PussyGet Some!SpitfireThough they perfected their sleazy hard-pounding sound on High as Hell, Get Some proves Nashville Pussy has grown, somewhat, as a band. Which means they have moved from the juvenile antics of a 13-year-old to a 14-year-old. They no longer just sound like Mötorhead mixed with Lynyrd Skynyrd — they’ve slowed it down […]

The GourdsHeavy Ornamentals(Eleven Thirty/Redeye) Some may see The Gourds as a novelty due their genius old-time cover of Snoop’s “Gin and Juice.” However, beneath the hillbilly facade created by Kevin Russell and crew is some serious shit. On their eighth record, Heavy Ornamentals, they mix up their sweet brew of country, Tex-Mex and rock ‘n’ […]

Loose FurBorn Again in the USA(Drag City)Loose Fur began as a side project for Jim O’Rourke, Jeff Tweedy and Glenn Kotche of Wilco to stretch out the avant-garde ideologies that began on Yankee Hotel Foxtrot. Their debut was an interesting gem of experimental post-rock styles. Born Again in the USA is more straightforward and poppier […]

The Minus 5At the Organ(Yep Rock)At the Organ is a brilliant EP from the ever-changing Scott McCaughey-led collective The Minus 5. As with each release, the listener is bombarded with a variety of sounds and genres. This time the disc hops from classic ’60s pop to alt-country to punk combining seven tracks in just under […]

VariousChristmas Remixed (Six Degrees)Christmas Remixed features such classics as Andy Williams’ “It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year,” Dean Martin doing “Jingle Bells” and Louis Arm- strong and Velma Middleton with “Baby, it’s Cold Outside,” remixed as the title suggests. The idea is interesting and it sometimes works, but it soon becomes boring and […]

David VanderveldeThe Moonstation Mouse Band(Secretly Canadian)Multi-instrumentalist David Vandervelde recreates the glam-era Marc Bolan that graced such classics as Electric Warrior and The Slider with scary accuracy. While that should make fans of T.Rex and glam rock excited, the line between imitation and influence often gets blurred throughout this debut. But there is no denying that […]