The Lighthouse Band ‘Sweetness and Sorrow’ Independent “Sweetness and Sorrow” is an uneven collection of work. The album has a couple of things working in its favor, most notably being the harmonies between front man Chris Trampel and vocalist Jenny Wood. Trampel’s guitar work is also, at times, a very

Ben Folds Five ‘Ben Folds Five Live’ Sony After a hiatus of 13 years, Ben Folds Five made its triumphant return to music with 2012’s “The Sound of the Life of the Mind.” It was during the tour in support of said album that the idea for BFF’s first live

CD Reviews

Daft Punk ‘Random Access Memories’ Columbia Daft Punk has officially put the ketamine-addled, second-rate purveyors of electronic dance music on notice: “We’re better than you.” Before EDM — as it has come to be defined — was a thing, Daft Punk was churning out some of the world’s most recognizable

CD Reviews

She and Him ‘Volume 3’ Merge M. Ward and Zooey Deschanel are entertaining enough people. Ward is a perfectly acceptable guitarist and Deschanel gamely holds up the vocals. But there’s this niggling part of me that can’t help but ask: If Deschanel was just another girl, would this group have

Ira Grace and The Bible Belt Prophets ‘Big Tent Whiskey Revival’ Independent There are a few bands in town for which the magical alchemy of male/female harmonies mean everything. The High Crest and Dustin Smith and the Sunday Silos immediately come to mind as prime examples, with the former setting

CD Reviews

The Melvins ‘Everybody Loves Sausages’ Ipecac Previous Melvins releases have been more than a little cover-heavy, but with “Everybody Loves Sausages,” the Washington state rockers have gone all in. Boasting 13 tracks, “Sausages” is wildly creative and covers everything from Queen and Bowie to Throbbing Gristle and The Jam. The

CD Reviews

Rob Zombie ‘Venomous Rat Regeneration Vendor’ Zodiac Swan Rob Zombie has smeared his fingerprints all over heavy metal, industrial and three-chord garage rock, as well as the realms of film and the written word. Not everything he has done with his career has necessarily been a rousing success, but Zombie

CD Reviews

H.D. Harmsen ‘Papoose’ Maximum Ames Maximum Ames’ biggest strengths also the biggest knock against the label: It encourages everyone, so you never really know what you’re going to get. Some of it is really good, really interesting music; some of it is navel gazing and ego masturbation. “Papoose,” for the

CD Reviews

As For You ‘The Process of Separation’ Independent As For You describes itself as “a breath of fresh air” and, after listening to “The Process of Separation,” I’m not inclined to argue all that hard. The thing that makes the album so interesting is As For You’s ability to change

CD Reviews

Alkaline Trio ‘My Shame is True’ Epitaph As a punk band, Alkaline Trio has always left me flat. They’ve never moved me the way that Green Day was capable of, but they’ve also never driven me to fits of bile and rage like, say, Blink-182. And so, “My Shame is