“DD Review: Mark Mulcahy – Live at the Red Room (2019).”

Score: 9/10 For this review I handle the newly furnished live album from Mark Mulcahy, who’s notable for his former membership in Miracle Legion and for having garnered public praise from Thom Yorke for his musical synergy. Adding to the poignancy is the exact point in time this show took place in Boston — October … Read more“DD Review: Mark Mulcahy – Live at the Red Room (2019).”

“DD Review: The Black Crowes – Shake Your Money Maker (30th Anniversary Deluxe).”

Score: 10/10 Somewhere after my recent efforts upon this anniversary to see through The Black Crowes that now seem to have been about as well-fated as walking a lizard across Antarctica, I had a rather disconcerting thought: this might be the best American rock and roll band of all time [1].  Now, before you say … Read more“DD Review: The Black Crowes – Shake Your Money Maker (30th Anniversary Deluxe).”

“DD Review: Ghost of Vroom – Ghost of Vroom 1.”

Score: 5.5/10 Wow, the surprises just keep coming: this new Ghost of Vroom album (Ghost of Vroom 1, as opposed to the EP Ghost of Vroom 2, which came out before) is actually a full-length, and it came out a day ahead of schedule, yesterday. Then there’s all these ephemeral, seemingly artistically autonomous sounds clouding … Read more“DD Review: Ghost of Vroom – Ghost of Vroom 1.”

“DD Review: Foo Fighters – Medicine at Midnight.”

Score: 7.5/10 Hello? Knock, knock. Hello? Anyone in there? The new Foo Fighters album is out. Oh yeah, I guess you’re right. This fact isn’t that noteworthy. But ya know how we’re into paying attention to things that aren’t noteworthy these days, like that Michael Jordan documentary that aired last April? There, I figured that … Read more“DD Review: Foo Fighters – Medicine at Midnight.”

“DD Review: Weezer – ‘All My Favorite Songs’”

Score: ***`/***** Usually I don’t review individual singles but a couple of forces propelled me to examination of this new Weezer tune, which per report comes as part of two new albums due out this winter. One, I’m bored off my tits, and I haven’t gotten any new tunes from Bandcamp since the beginning of … Read more“DD Review: Weezer – ‘All My Favorite Songs’”

“DD Review: Ghost of Vroom – Ghost of Vroom 2.”

Score: *****/***** Lots of things are puzzling about this new release, Ghost of Vroom 2, by the band Ghost of Vroom, which is led by Soul Coughing lead singer and solo pop writer Mike Doughty. The first is that, as is gleaned from the Stereogum interview with Doughty, “this is our second release, though the … Read more“DD Review: Ghost of Vroom – Ghost of Vroom 2.”

“DD Review: Throwing Muses – Sun Racket.”

Score: 7.5/10 Well, there’s certainly a lot to unpack in 2020 about the Throwing Muses, vaunted East Coast ’90s alt-rock crew who have now set in our piqued laps a new full-length effort entitled Sun Racket, their first new album in seven years.  Just for normalcy’s sake, I’ll start with the title and cover, the … Read more“DD Review: Throwing Muses – Sun Racket.”

“DD Review: Mike Gordon & Leo Kottke – Noon.”

Score: 8/10 It seems we’ve all of a sudden come across a little pocket of “Bonnaroo vibes” even in this pandemic-plagued season, with two members of Phish, singer/guitarist Trey Anastacio and bassist Mike Gordon, each issuing new projects in the past 30 days. With really nothing terrible standing out about the former, I’ve chosen to … Read more“DD Review: Mike Gordon & Leo Kottke – Noon.”

“DD Review: Adrian Younge & Ali Shaheed Muhammed – Roy Ayers JID002.”

Score: 10/10 You have to admit, the plotline plays out like classic cinema: 1970s disco/jazz visionary Roy Ayers recording an album with apparently complete surreptitiousness (which given all the convoluted and obtuse criticisms of it by Pitchfork becomes understandable) in 2018, to then by all rights completely bury the completed project for two years, only … Read more“DD Review: Adrian Younge & Ali Shaheed Muhammed – Roy Ayers JID002.”

“DD Review: Hum – Inlet.”

Score: 10/10 Inlet is the first album in 22 years from Champaign, Illinois band Hum, who enjoyed minor radio and considerable cult success in the ’90s and hence. On it, the band’s sonic blueprint is decidedly grappled to grunge rock, historically making minimal updates on the sound and instrumentation blueprint of that movement. Astonishingly, too, … Read more“DD Review: Hum – Inlet.”