Music & Records Archives - Page 2 of 10

Leni Stern (‘4’ album, out June 19th) – ITW #25

8 June 20208 June 2020Interviews, Music & Records Marc Louis-Boyard

Legendary guitarist Leni Stern releases her forthcoming album ‘4’ on June 19th. ‘4’ is an album recorded with three other musicians and featuring an appearance of her husband Mike Stern.

As our readers know, we love jazz! Beyond our love for this genre, this album and this interview demonstrate once again Leni Stern’s intercultural intelligence and musical thoughtfulness.

Find our two favorite songs off ‘4’ in this article, plus a video of Leni and Mike playing together.

Mr. Husband (Songs of Friendship, Songs of Wonderment, out now) – ITW #23

27 May 202031 May 2020Interviews, Music & Records Marc Louis-Boyard

Mr. Husband is the creative project of Kenny Tompkins, a Maryland-based doer who seems to have only his nurtured curiosity as limit. The album Songs of Friendship, Songs of Wonderment is out now on Yellow K Records.

If you happen to be a Slow Culture follower (and we already called the cops if you’re not), you might have listened to the band already. Still, for us that wasn’t enough considering the rich personality and the determination of Kenny.

This is our interview.

Beauty Pill, Please Advise – ALBUM REVIEW #25

25 May 202025 May 2020Album Reviews, Music & Records Marc Louis-Boyard

Chicago has been under the spotlight on this blog for a series of recent reviews, but now is the time to bring Washington D.C. on the forefront with Beauty Pill’s not-so-enigmatic album Please Advise, out now on Northern Spy Records.

Marketing being what it is, personal choices are often induced by the attractiveness of an album cover. Something deeper attracted us this time. If you haven’t missed our guide to Miles Davis, you know how much we love the man and the music. The album title, Please Advise, is actually made of the two words who sealed Bitches Brew’s naming.

Now, this might be quite a futile reason too. Nonetheless, we’re glad that this potential futility led us to discover the music of Beauty Pill, a band which has been active since 2001 but unheard of since 2015.

Lesley Barth (Big Time Baby, out now) – ITW #22

19 May 202019 May 2020Interviews, Music & Records Marc Louis-Boyard

Big Time Baby is Lesley Barth’s second album. Until a few months ago, we didn’t know much about Americana outside of a few segments of Brian Wilson‘s Smile. And then Jason McMahon came up in our universe, only to raise the bar really high.

Our enthusiasm for the genre is not likely to burn out with releases like Big Time Baby. This album comes like a warm summer wind made of honesty and modernity. Those searching for reheated emulated nostalgia will have to pass: Lesley Barth is here to dust off clichés and extinguish false pretenses.

NIIKA, Close But Not Too Close – ALBUM REVIEW #24

17 May 202017 May 2020Album Reviews, Music & Records Marc Louis-Boyard

Albums like NIIKA’s Close But Not Too Close are the reviewer’s most disconcerting challenges. Listening to this album is like opening a treasure made of so many valuables that the whole sensorial experience is paradoxically unspeakable.

That being said, let us not use this unspeakable reality as an excuse. Pleasures of this kind, when kept, are nothing but halved in the end.

The artist’s promise is the following:

A genre-bending, continent-crossing, soft explosion of intimate indie, soul, and dirty pop.

Let’s see how Chicago’s vibrant scene managed to conquer our soul again, before next time, as it is usually a matter of days.

WHERE TO BEGIN WITH… The Fall (music band)

14 May 202014 May 2020Music & Records, Where to begin with... Marc Louis-Boyard

A guide to the music of The Fall is much needed once the novice is confronted to the dizzying immensity of Mark E. Smith’s prolificacy.

Smith’s quote “If it’s me and yer granny on bongos, it’s the Fall” is quite close to reality, and if the result can be sometimes confusing, Mark’s art is never deprived of interest. That’s why we asked the members of the Facebook group Mark E Smith & The Fall: It’s not Repetition, it’s Discipline to write a few lines about their favorite songs, in their own words.

Alexander, Erik, Steve, Andy, thank you very much for your time and generosity of soul. Main picture courtesy of Montecruz Foto.