Twenty years into the business and five years since releasing an album, the Sinatras’ influence from The Smith’s is noticeable in their lead single “People,” the first song on the album. With synthesizers and Stevie Mulhearn on the keyboard, Reader’s measured pitch and seemingly lazy jaw produce vocals that mirror those of The Smith’s lead singer, Morrissey. Another immediately prominent track is “I Wish You’d Meet Her,” a wistful number described by ALT Sounds as having “gently rolling guitars and honeyed melodies knit together.”

The surprising addition of Carly Simon’s back-up vocals in the song “Should I Pray?” verges on corny, though is saved by the song’s authentic and reflective lyrics contemplating the validity of prayer (“Is it safe? Put my faith in rewards somewhere a lifetime away?”) The seemingly random pairing of the pop singer-songwriter who rose to pop-fame in the 70’s (though is still actively recording music) and the Sinatras on this number was sparked by Simon, the neighbor of Chase. After hearing the initial mix she wanted in, adding her vocals at the Martha’s Vineyard recording sessions.

Another notable track is “Oranges and Apples,” a homage to the late Syd Barrett – though speculated to have schizophrenia and an array of other psychological disorders, he was the creative genius behind the success of Pink Floyd. The title of this number is taken from “Apples and Oranges,” the last single Barrett wrote. The somewhat elegiac number mirrors the Sinatras admiration for the musician, ending the song with “And all the things that you went through/and now everything is enhanced by you/ [...] All made for you.”

The eight bonus tracks almost sounds studio recorded, save cheers from the audience and the slightly more organic sound from Reader on the song “Earlies,” originally off their album Fez. These eight songs are generally more subdued than the first ten, and dragged down by the overly simplistic and annoyingly repetitive song “Hayfever.” Despite this weaker tune, the jaunty guitars and passionate vocals in “Easy Read,” “The Safecracker,” and “Send For Henry,” compliment the more muted nature of these bonus tracks. Frank Readers vocal projection and John Douglas’s and Paul Livingston’s acoustic pop-riffs matched with a tambourine in the background, makes “Weightlifted” the strongest live performance on the album.

About recording In The Music, Livingston (lead guitarist) insists that it was “the most fun and easiest experience [they]’ve had as a band and [he] think[s] that definitely comes across when you hear it.” There is no doubt that the Sinatras are not only having a good time playing their music, but are invested in expressing their optimistic ideals and are engaged in their performance. The jangling guitars and earnest lyrics succeed in making this album something that guitarist John Douglas hopes will “make hips sway, toes tap, heads nod, and hearts open.”

Written By:
Lacey Smalldon

The 2nd, and a bit more surprising addition, came in the form of established jam rock guitarist Chris Michetti, of the band RAQ.  This was an unexpected addition for two reasons.  One being that he’s taking the 2nd lead guitar in a band that generally only had one and the other being that, honestly, there isn’t an incredible amount of fan crossover between the two bands.  Michetti did not fail to disappoint and found his niche quite quickly.

Fast forward to April 16th.  With several shows under the new lineup’s belt and with the return of Gutwillig, albeit in a guitar-less, limited capacity, the newly expanded sextet made their return to Richmond to play a two night run at The National.  Richmond has always proven to be a great scene for the Biscuits and the whole sub genre of live electronic music based jambands, which is bolstered by the work of locally based EQ Productions, who provided the late night festivities for the run.  Stepping into the first night of the run, it seemed like business as usual with the same faces and atmosphere that have followed the band since their mid 90’s inception to the scene.  As John Lee and the J.L.E. played through their opening set the attendees waited in anxious anticipation to see just how up to par the new incarnation was going to be.

Now, no one can deny that the Disco Biscuits fan base is one of the most faithful ever seen, but they are very critical, sometimes to a fault, of their favorite band.  Change is not something this scene adopts to very quickly, as seen by the recent divisive force caused by the release of their new cross over album Planet Anthem.  Fan’s were split amongst those resistant to the band’s new electro pop and hip hop influenced sound and those that accepted the band’s changes as necessary growth in a scene that, by most accounts, needed it.   Regardless of which side fans were on, they made it to the live show, which is were this band undoubtedly shines.  As the band finally took the crowded stage they were met with a gracious pop.  With no introduction (and none necessary ) the band slowly eased it’s way into a Flash Mob opener.  It’s become some what of a common thing these days for the Disco Biscuits to open up shows with one, or more often two, of it’s newer songs.  Although it sometimes leads to a slower start to the shows it’s an excellent maneuver on the bands part to get fans used to these new songs.  This was an uncannily good Flash Mob however and got the band into it’s groove quickly.  Hammilton’s lead chops in the composed sections proved that not too much had changed, with even his tone sounding eerily similar to Barber.

Where the changes did start to become evident is during the outro segue into Mirrors.  Now, personally, I am a fan of large band arrangements but I am weary of two lead guitarist stepping on each others toes.  Michetti and Hamilton pulled it off beautifully I thought, playing their space  very well.  One guitarist, usually played a more rock tinged style that would take a simple 4 measure theme that would be constantly built upon. The other guitarist would generally accentuate whatever the other guitarist was doing with a trance inducing, more rhythmic style that played nicely off of Arron Magner’s dance heavy melodic accompaniment.  Somewhere in this mix of sound lies Jon Gutwillig, provided tastefully understated fills in the right position with the help of his MIDI controller.

Next up came Kamaole Sands, a much older songs whose juxtaposition with the newer songs came as a welcome return to that which felt comfortable.  Marc Brownstein bopped along to the happy composed sections as Hammilton was given his first run at a big solo.  Hamilton  did a great job but it became painfully obvious that the band changes were not going to be without their hiccups as the band faltered in several noticeable places to keep it together.  But this is the Disco Biscuits and given the immense amount of time that improvisation takes up in any one of the places some bumps along the road are to be expected.  The composed section soon gave way to a great funk based jam, with Michetti stepping up a bit more and proving his worth with him and Hammilton weaving in an out of each other.  The funk continued till the tempo slowed down a bit as the band segued into Air Song, one of the most accepted of the new tunes and a song that has show excellent potential for improvisation.

Here, Magner starts to shine as he proves he has some of the busiest hands in the scene, providing several overlapping tones to the delight of spunions and any robots that happen to be in attendance.  As Magner took the reigns he slowly morphed into Humuhumunukunukuapua in one of the patient and seemless transitions that this band is known for.  The band took a quick departure from the light, airy jams that dominated the beginning of the show and start working into their darker sound in the 2nd half of Humu, to many fans delight.  Drummer Allen Aucion seems to come alive in this section, providing a dance laden beat that would work it’s way through several phases before Hammilton slowly reintroduces the main Kamaole theme with the rest of the band
following behind.  As Kamaole reached it’s peak I once again felt that this is where the Biscuits are going to hurt the most.  Not to downplay Hammiltons work but the peaks just don’t get to the places they can when Barber is donning his axe.

Next up came a melodic and completely unnecessary Magellan reprise.  I will never understand  the placement of this song as it tends to suck the energy out of a room quicker than an EMP blast in the middle of New York.  At least it fell on the end of a set, giving attendees a quick jump on the bathroom and bar
lines. The next set started off with a song from Planet Anthem entitled Big Wrecking Ball.  This song has received very mixed reviews from the fans and it seemed like the same could be said for the crowd at The National as it did not seem to be that greatly accepted.  Again though, this is the best placement for introducing new songs that fans need to get used to.  Clocking in at under four minutes the confused looks on the fans faces turned to jubilation as the keyboard intro to M.E.M.P.H.I.S.  graced the Bisco faithful’s ears.  Barber showed he doesn’t need a guitar to have stage presence as he sauntered around the stage providing the vocals and enjoying being the Plant as opposed to Page for a change.  The MEMPHIS jam was more of the same, but executed with a bit more precision.  Michetti’s work in this song reminded me very much of a Brendan Bayliss (guitarist and front man for long time Bisco friend’s Umphrey’s McGee) with a heavy arpegiated guitar groundwork given life with use of pedals and quick, frantic fills.

It was obvious that the band on stage felt quite comfortable as they surprised many of the Disco Biscuits fans by moving slowly into Basis for a Day.  Now for those not familiar with the Biscuits repretoire, playing Basis for a Day without Jon Gutwillig is tantamount to the Allman Brother’s playing Blue Sky without Dickey Betts.  It’s something that shouldn’t be done often, but if it is done, you better be on your a game.  I wish I could walk away from this saying my mind was changed but it’s not.  The complicated composed sections of this song just didn’t sound nearly as good without Barber.  I’m all for taking chances but you don’t pull a flea flicker with your second string quarterback at the helm.  As they moved away from the composed sections and into the next song, Catalyst, things started sounding great again with the energy really picking up about halfway through his near 20 minute dance odyssey.  As the energy continued to build it was noticeably working towards something.  That something slowly became the Great Abyss, an intense energy driven piece that tends to always whip the
kids into a dance party frenzy.

The band rode this energy right back into the 2nd half of Basis for a Day.  Again, however, the band fell apart and could not be saved by the funky slap bass of one Marc Brownstein.  The absence of Barber’s phsycedellic flurry of notes that seem reminiscent of an evil carousel anthem just can not be pulled off as well when done with a keyboard.  All was not lost though as the band moved into another improvisational section, providing the dark, evil funk jams that this song provides time after time.  Brownstein lays down some serious funk throughout the entire jam and helped the twin guitar assault, backed by some serious Aucion action, roll into the best peak of the entire night.

The band left the stage after the Basis conclusion to thunderous applause.  It wouldn’t be long till the band came back out on stage to play one of the best encores I have seen from this band.  Generally, I am an anti encore kinda guy.  I feel as if the energy gets lost in the time and the band usually spits out one or two uninspired, short, tunes.  I said, this encore was great though.  It started off with On Time, one of the most well received of the Planet Anthem songs.  Magner’s vocoder laced vocals help provide this potential club anthem with a welcome poppy feel.  Clocking in at just under 10 minutes it seemed as if that were all but Brownie provided the signature laugh that provides the intro for The Gorrilaz “Feel Good Inc”.  This was only the 2nd time the band tackled this cover and they pull it off quite well.  Plus, any song that let’s Brownie rap has automatic entertainment potential.

The general consensus after the show seemed to be one of a pleasant surprise.  Expectations seemed to be exceeded for the most part with the only noticeable faults coming in the peaks and the intense composed sections.  The Disco Biscuits proved that they can roll with the punches (no pun intended) but I think Barber’s return will be quite the welcome one.  Kudo’s to Michetti and Hamilton though.  They took on quite the daunting task and came out smelling like roses and with a few more fans in tow.

Written By:
Chasen Murray

Written By:
Michael Reuther

Xavier is known for fusing various musical genres, often from different regions of the world. The music of Xavier Rudd and Izintaba is no deviation from this; it is an amalgam of western pop/rock, Caribbean, African and Aboriginal influences (it should be noted that Xavier hails from Australia). The album commences with Sky To Ground, a wonderful song that is also a proper synopsis of the album’s general feel. It is a song that simultaneously has an African, reggae, as well as a singer/songwriter feel to it. It features the wonderful addition of backup male African vocalists, that truly add wonderful & worldly warmth. Another excellent example of their uncanny ability to genre-mesh is Badimo, which starts off with aboriginal singing (this author believes) before energetic didgeridoos take up a vague beat as drums and acoustic guitar leisurely emerge with a genially shuffling beat before Xavier’s sanguinely calm voice surfaces.

For the most part reggae and pop/rock seem to the foundational influences of Koonyum Sun, with other genres then layered upon subsequently. Xavier Rudd and Izintaba have an uncanny ability to create foundational beats that are essentially funk’ified reggae. Fresh Green Freedom, Yandi, and Bleed are probably the finest three songs that epitomize their style of revamped reggae, and while they certainly contain similarities their still exists a distinct approach to each. Fresh Green Freedom employs a western pop/rock infusion with subtle African undertones, Yandicontains a kind of skipping-blues feel, while Bleed has more of a subdued psychedelic-rock air to it. Every one is composed masterly.

On this album Xavier projects a voice that sounds reassuring and calming, but is not calm in and of itself – as he can be quite emotive. His voice can sound undersized yet wise, drawing you in and conveying an “in-the-room” feel to one’s ears. Or at times his voice can be echoing and grandly discerning. His voice, like the music overall, is very much like that of Paul Simon’s (specifically from his Graceland album) in the vocal pace pleasantly falls somewhere between talking and all out singing, plus at times there are a multitude of deep philosophical observations – that don’t make direct and traditional sense, yet remain wildly entertaining.

This singing style is probably best exemplified on the song Set Me Free, an exceptional song with a quick beat and what seems like African undertones. It sounds almost out of the 80’s, with an almost Talking Heads-like interaction between the swift beat and more drawn out, animated vocals.

Koonyum Sun is a superb album that deftly combines assorted genres not commonly mixed, in such a skillful manner that it is accessible to those who might not regularly enjoy any of those genres on their own. The accessibility though is a product of the musicianship and effortless vibe inherent within each song, not through simpleminded songwriting. The album is also genuinely positive in its message and overall tone. Similar to the approaching & anticipated summer season; it is warm, relaxed, and communicates great potential – one doesn’t want to miss out on it.

By Sean Brna
sean.brna@ourvinyl.com

I know because I’ve felt its effects and have been forced to follow its command. I bet you have, too. Anytime some music comes on and you find yourself moving, from a head bop to a shoulder sway to a tap of the foot, that’s your shoulderbrain taking control. You can’t fight it. You have to listen and you have to get into the groove.

I’m thinking Jackpot Donnie knows about the shoulderbrain. They must. How else could you explain their new EP, New Mode, tickling it the way it does? This sort of thing doesn’t happen by coincidence. These guys built their music to make us move.

From the opening riff of On the Mend to the final upstrokes in Oblivious Sunday, New Mode kept me in motion. I’d even go so far as to say it turned me into that curious guy who was doing a little dance on the subway. Oops.

I certainly caught more than a couple looks when the reggae-infused rhythms of Room to Improve connected with my shoulderbrain. The side-to-side head bop will do that.

Their smooth reggae-teasing touch is carried through on other songs. Ponzi, Daybreak, and New Mode all give a wink to the upbeat uprising and the band’s blues and funk influences.

Now, I hear you. You thought Jackpot Donnie was a rock band. “Where the hell’s the rock?” you’re asking. Great question. Seriously. Great question. And I want you to know the rock is in there. Listen to Renegade Revolutionary and you’ll be taken back to that high school party where you and your friends crushed beers and threw your bodies around with devil horns in the air.

I’m not going to lie to you. This isn’t the greatest album ever made. It won’t rub your sore muscles or add a couple extra inches to your shaft. But it’s full of good tunes that will get in your head and make your shoulderbrain happy.

Isn’t that why we listen to music in the first place?

Written By:
Evan Rosler

To say that one’s music falls within the genre of ‘reggae’ can be a vague statement, at best. Mishka’s strain of reggae follows that of roots-reggae, the kind often well founded by a sauntering bass line that interacts with minimal – yet skillful – guitar and piano/organ playing to create a jovial groove with consistent inertia. The kind of timeless rhythms established by the esteemed practitioners of the past: Marley, Toots, Tosh, etc.

In all probability, Mishka could make solely “traditional” reggae songs, stop there, and be successful. Yet, as previously mentioned, he has been exposed to more and this can be heard within many of his songs on this album. Where Mishka’s artistry shines is in his ability to delicately fuse the blues, acoustic singer/songwriter, or pop/rock with his base of thick-rooted reggae. To be sure, Mishka is not the first to do this, yet the adroit manner in which he can casually coalesce genres separates him from others.

It is in Fallen to Rise and Music of the Moment when one can best hear the fascinating and unique integration of a blues sound & sensibility seamlessly installed into reggae. The music never gets unduly complicated, and the way in which the emotive wailing of a melancholy electric guitar is fit within the timing of a reggae beat really is quite captivating. It may make one feel as if they are in a Chicago bar, and simultaneously on the beach in Montego Bay.

For Can’t Get Enough and Bittersweet Mishka blends his reggae styles with more of a pop/rock influence to create a very toe-tapping and winsome sound. For Shadow in the Shade - maybe his best slow paced song on the album – he injects more of a singer/songwriter feel. In each instance he has created a sound that is highly accessible without being overly ‘poppy.’

Mishka creates tunes that are wholly reggae as well. Some of the real highlights within “Talk About” are Way out of Babylon, Talk About, and Dead End Street. All three are first-rate, mid-tempo reggae numbers in which Mishka best employs two of his skills; one is his way of using keys (synth, piano or organ) together with guitars to hold a beat – relying less on the traditional drum set – the second, is the manner in which he employs his vocal styling to engage the listener. He has a very convivial voice, with an accent that pleasantly walks the line between island and American, and when he makes his voice a more pronounced and central part of the songs it is to his advantage (as is exemplified within those aforementioned tracks).

Overall, “Talk About” is an adept and gratifying exemplification of roots-reggae songs presented in varying contemporary styles, without ever becoming unorthodox or inaccessible in anyway. The album also carries with it veritably positive messages throughout the album, which only adds to the appeal of the music. This may be heard on such tracks as Just Keep Living, Keep On Lovin’, and Music of the Moment.

Mishka’s reassuring optimism within his vocals comes across as wholly authentic and it also bleeds over into his music – a feat that reggae can accomplish like no other genre – to create for a very palpably sanguine energy. Combine that with the raw and inventive musicianship present throughout the album and it is clear that Mishka has created a record that reggae fans could “Talk About” for some time.

By Sean Brna
SeanBrna@gmail.com

We were happy to welcome on board a handful of new writers and photographers in the past few months.  They were a tremendous help at our fist organized event.   You can check out photos from the show on our Facebook page.  Our second event will be held in April with a Columbus group by the name of This Is My Suitcase.  Check back for news and tickets!  

We are currently booking bands and interviews for the summer.  If you know of any artists interested please let us know.  You may be able to find us at a few festivals scattered throught the country this summer.  Let us know if you have any ideas or any interested in joining us!

Keep Listening!

On stage frontman Scott Lewis beat his chest and spewed hate for the world as a vein in his forehead pulsatted in sync with drummer Shawn Cameron’s light-speed double bass work in such a way that I half-expect it to burst at any moment, covering the crowd in gallons upon gallons of his loathsome blood.  Guitarist Cory Arford and Ryan Gudmunds shreded their way through the band’s debut single, “Lie To My Face,” and asthe song reaches it’s utterly savage climax and the relentless blast beats and drop-C chugging begin, Lewis’ vocals slip into the kind of deep gravelly growl reserved for gargoyles, minotaurs, and the gigantic demon from Fantasia; and then, without any warning, the music stops, Lewis draws in a deep breath of the silent, molasses air through his tattooed throat and curdles out a four word avalanche of vicious emotion, “lie to my face!” To this day, I’ve never heard anyone go that low.  I was hooked.

Nearly two years later, Scott and the boys are back with their third album, Hell Chose Me, and very little has changed.  Scott’s growls are as low as they’ve ever been, his screams still sound like he stole a banshee’s voice box, and the lyrics are still unapologetically vindictive.  Ryan and Cory are still shredding through the kind of ferocious riffs that make Kerry King quiver and chugging through foundation-shaking breakdowns; and Cameron’s hyper-technical percussion work still feels like an explosive test on fast-forward.  But, it’s not what stayed the same that makes Hell one of the best deathcore releases in months; it’s the overall complexity of the album.

There seems to be this terrible movement within the hard core scene where the goal in each and every song is to bullshit your way through to the verses in an attempt to build up to the epic breakdown, each one being heavier and boggier than the former.  I call it “brOOtal syndrome” and it’s an epidemic that claims even the most reputable and virtuosic death metal and metalcore bands; and it’s not that the breakdowns aren’t important, it’s just that too much importance is placed upon it and the rest of the songwritting process suffers.  So, in the midst of this myspace-ready plague, Hell is a breath of fresh air.  The super down-tuned “Beethovencore” riffs on tracks like “Entombed Monarch” and “Dead Archetype” are a testament to a refreshing revivalist movement towards better guitar-work throughout the entire song and the post-breakdown bass groove “Names Mean Nothing” is a clear indication of some very positive cross-genre experimentation.

When you get to bass tracks, Carnifex’s continual production of uber-brutal breakdowns may be a strong suit on Hell, but it’s the band’s refusal to buy into the maelstrom of bullshit currently surrounding the scene.  Bottom like: if Hell chose Carnifex, Hell chose right.

Written By:
Kevin Lindsay

As of late Theodore has really blown up. The have been busy traveling, gaining a larger following and writing and recording more songs. I received an e-mail recently from Moon Jaw Records, who was distributing Theodore’s new record, announcing said release and declaring that with one simple click I would be granted the opportunity to download the entire album in advance. The upcoming “Hold You Like A Lover” is one truly beautiful record. The wide array of instrumentation, blending harmonies and poetic lyrics are astonishing. It has been perfect at work lately for myself and a few coworkers. If you haven’t heard of Theodore, visit their site and sample some songs.

Check them out at Off Broadway. They will be accompanies by Rats and People Motion Picture Orchestra and Andrew Bryant.

Written By:
Michael Forbis

The title of the album itself, to this author, is an obvious reference to their altered reasoning inherent within the album’s music.  It is a reference to the death of “traditional psychedelic” (or maybe more accurately drug-music), that has followed with the switch to the glittering new style of the likes of MGMT, Animal Collective , a handful of DJs, and to a lesser extent Radiohead.  It is no secret that hippies and rockin’ rollers alike have now accepted, and gladly assimilated with the world of electronica. To the extent that hippies rarely support traditional psychedelic-rock nowadays, the indie crowd has taken up that duty.

Upon reading the questioning title of the album, I thought BJM would then follow up with a form of tuneful psychedelia similar to that on their first 9 albums (or so), that being an awesome display of classic rockin’ roll psych.  However, they did not do that at all (it should be noted that their previous album, My Bloody Underground, was a failed attempt at intense -garage-punk-metal something or other, which was also inconsistent with their traditional style, however, it was still a straight-up rock album).  Here they have brought forward an album that instead says, “Sure, we’ll try this electronic, rave’ish stuff out; how about this?”

The first track, “Temop 116.7 (Reaching For Dangerous Levels of Sobriety),” emerges with a gleefully pounding beat, immediately one can tell this isn’t what one would reason it would be.  The song has eastern undertones, yet has an electronic sound, which comes off as if it should be played at a rave.  It, like many of the songs in this album, is without vocals.  It closes out quietly and with class.

Then emerges the second track, an especially well named song, “The Heavy Knife.” It is both intense and heavy, unusual sounds wail in and out, it is unquestionably violent – yet somehow ready to party.  It pounds with electronic syncopation.  This song goes in tandem with its successor, “Let’s go Fucking Mental.” This song is pleasantly lo-fi, yet still electronic and large.  The title of the song is aggressively repeated for most of the number, save on comical exception, in a way that lies on the line between anger and just a raucously good time.  It’s a song not best understood in a sober mood, to be sure.

In fact there is a prevalence of anger within the album, yet I wouldn’t dare deem it an angry album. For indeed there are more genial sounds within this album then irritated ones, but the latter just seem to stick out more due to their unexpectedness.

Songs like the opening track or the later occurring “Detka! Detka! Detka!”, which is happy right off the bat and combines amiable sounds of Indian origin with raw instruments, in one of the albums only non-electric songs(it is, nonetheless, still an obvious dance number).  Then there is maybe the album’s gem, “Super F*****”, a song with a formidable walking bass beat (almost hip-hop like), again with, yet no paired with wide acoustic guitars.  It also has something else I was waiting for from BJM, a tambourine pleasantly holding the time throughout!

It seems they were at a their happiest when incorporating eastern influences, and at their most vexed when they fully dived into the electronic sound.  However, there were a couple tracks that held to neither dictum, and are just plain experimental, at least for BJM.

They are at their most experimental and out of their box with songs like “This is The First of Your Last Warnings (Icelandic)”, a shockingly poppy song with atypical female vocalists, that indeed does sound highly European.  It’s a great electrified jam-groove, and I couldn’t help but think, “this is what the Disco Biscuits should sound like.” Also, the second to last track, “Feel It,” is a thumping club song with little variation that just builds and builds with these fuzzy, euro-pop, hook-like vocals floating in the background.  It’s weird, but, it’s undeniably good, especially if you feel like moving.

On the Brian Jonestown Massacre’s myspace page, under ‘Influences’, it simply reads “ACID.” Well, after listening to “Who Killed Sgt. Pepper?” it is apparent to me they went to Europe and took some ecstasy along with their LSD to record this one.  It’s an album that incorporates a lot of different new sounds for the group; it is also one of those where if you didn’t tell someone it was an album, one might believe your iTunes was on shuffle.  It’s a comment on the psychedelic and drug-music realm, post the death of the classical rock style.  Is it a dancing celebration of that death or a Mad-Max like view of the way things are headed? I think neither.

“Who Killed Sgt. Pepper?” is BJM confirming they can indeed enjoy, and also create some of their own of, the contemporary alteration of their beloved musical genre.  And in doing so they created one of the best albums within their discography.  However, the last song is a 10 min piece that splices a pleasurable and mellow grand piano soundscape with clips from interviews with John Lennon and others.  It can be seen as saying, “Don’t be afraid people, it’s still us!”

Written By:
Sean Poynton Brna
seanbrna@gmail.com