“The Crux of the Biscuit” by Frank Zappa
Crux of the Biscuit, new archival release from Zappa Records and Universal Music takes a dive into Frank Zappa’s most fertile period, showing how one of his best records came together from jam sessions and…
Crux of the Biscuit, new archival release from Zappa Records and Universal Music takes a dive into Frank Zappa’s most fertile period, showing how one of his best records came together from jam sessions and…
Rating: 7.5/10 A four-piece coming out of the Pacific Northwest, Summer Cannibals just released their third LP, Full of It. Don’t feel bad if you’ve never heard of them before, now’s the perfect time to…
I think every music fan has a band or two they loved who didn’t quite make it. Maybe their big single didn’t get enough airplay, maybe they had problems with distribution or maybe the band…
Deep in the bowels of my paperback copy of The Penguin Guide to Jazz, there’s a short section on Mezz Mezzrow. At the time my copy was published, only a few recordings of his were…
Relatively speaking, rock criticism is still new. Pitchfork’s been around for less than two decades; Rolling Stone is nearing 50. And most of the first wave of rock critics have either moved on to other…
Back some 40-odd years ago, The Who were the loudest rock band in the biz and one of the best. They were four highly talented musicians, taking some of the most introspective and well-crafted songs…
You know, it wasn’t really supposed to end like this. With Josh Donaldson at bat, the tying run some 90 feet from home plate, game six of the American League Championship Series. But as a…
There isn’t anyone really quite like Patti Smith out there. As a musician, she’s almost without peer: by the sheer power of her ambition and ability, she was one of the few women to rise…
Why read a book of music criticism? It depends. You could be interested in a particular essay or review. Maybe you’re researching a band or period of music. Maybe you’re just a music nerd. But…