Posted in Album Reviews

Bill Callahan – Days of 58 (2026)

Posted on by Michael

Bill Callahan has been releasing music since the early 90s, starting as Smog before switching to his own name 20 years ago. Days of 58, looks at life from the perspective of almost five decades of experience. Callahan wonders why artists his age continue sing and tour on the opening track, “Why Do Men Sing”, the song being more of an upper than a downer. Later on “Highway Born”, he checks in on what’s happening on the country and declares that he “loves the highway”, horns supporting his tune.

As with many men in his 50s/60s, taking stock is common and this is expressed when he sings, “I don’t wanna be the man I am anymore”.  Trying to get better in the face of death and aging. The repeated lyrics of “Lonely City” becomes a memorable mantra. The heart of the record is “Empathy”.  A talk with his dad delivers the devastating line, “you said you got by without a father, so you figured why should I have one?”  The same track sees Callahan look at his relationship with his own kids, the good and the bad. Days of 58 is full of heart and feelings, the ups and downs of aging, looking back on life. Most men this age can surely relate.

8/10

Posted in Album Reviews

Paul McCartney – The Boys Of Dungeon Lane (2026)

Posted on by Michael

Paul McCartney’s 20th solo album was released in late May and sees the former Beatle working with celebrated producer, Andrew Watt. The album starts with two of its most rocking numbers. Just McCartney and guitar start on “As You Lie There” that really picks up in the chorus, a crunchy guitar powers “Lost Horizon”.  “Ripples In A Pond” is bright and bouncy, a bit more modern sound.

Many of the tracks look back at life with an air of nostalgia. Songs like the acoustic “Down South” and “Salesman Saint” where Macca sings about the hard times his parents had as young parents raising kids just after WWII.  Ringo Starr plays and sings on the upbeat “Home To Us”, the sound recalls 80s pop rock hits by George Harrison and Roy Orbison.

Throughout The Boys of Dungeon Lane, McCartney’s vocals sound fragile and he only lets loose on a couple of tracks.  Instead, the album is dominated by softer, quieter tunes like later tracks, “First Star Of The Night” and closer “Momma Gets By”.  The frail vocals, adds to the sound of these songs as they float through the air.  With most songs hovering around the three-minute mark, nothing overstays it’s welcome on a quite good album made by the 84-year-old legend.

7.5/10

Posted in Album Reviews

David Bowie – Serious Moonlight (Live ’83) (2018)

Posted on by Michael

A few months after releasing the wildly successful Let’s Dance album in 1983, David Bowie followed it up several months later by recording a live show in Vancouver, BC that was  released on VHS at the time with the two-disc audio CD later included in the Loving The Alien (1983-1988) boxset. Mixing songs from throughout the 70s along with a few tracks from Let’s Dance, Serious Moonlight (Live ’83) does a very good job of mixing with the old and the new, the experimental with the hits.

“”Heroes”” gets tossed out early as the second track on the album, thrillingly a few songs later “Fashion” segues beautifully into “Let’s Dance” eliciting loud cheers from the crowd.  The menacing rock and roll of “Scary Monsters (Super Creeps)” pushes the concert into a new direction before the glam guitar of “Rebel Rebel” gatecrashes the affair.

The last half of disc two really sees things start to cook.  His 1980 UK #1 single “Ashes to Ashes” is followed up by “Space Oddity”, the oldest track here.  An excellent version of “Young Americans” is well received before the one two punch of “Fame” and “Modern Love” (recorded at another concert) wrap up the show.  Oddly, there is nothing from the The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and Spiders From Mars album but minor quibbles aside, this is set that surely would have pleased both his older fans of his 70s material and new fans of Bowie’s MTV area.  Great stuff.

8/10

Posted in Album Reviews

Olivia Rodrigo – you seem pretty sad for a girl so in love (2026)

Posted on by Michael

The list of accomplishments Olivia Rodrigo has attained over the past few years is staggering.  Music awards, streaming records, appearing on business magazine lists of one to watch, etc. Her indie rock credentials are quite impressive – A few months ago she posted on Instagram using an obscure Broken Social Scene track and at this year’s Lollapalooza festival she appeared on stage with The Smashing Pumpkins.   In mid June she released her third album, you seem pretty sad for a girl so in love.

First single “drop dead went to #1 across the world, the uber pop song references The Cure with the line, “you know all the words to “Just Like Heaven””.  She does one better later with Robert Smith appearing on “what’s wrong with me”.  While there are more rock music like tracks on the album, this one sees Smith bending towards Rodrigo’s world vs the other way around. The aforementioned indie rock sound is most notable on the zippy guitar led “maggots for brains”.

“the cure” starts off as quiet and acoustic before a dramatic building in sound, she sings that “I thought I found the antidote with you” over thundering drums. “stupid song” uses a similar trick, quiet first verse that unleashes a sky reaching chorus. “less” is a slower piano track before the bouncy synths of “expectations” sees Rodrigo use different vocal styles to attack the song. It’s just one of the thirteen tracks on the album that Rodrigo co-wrote, mostly with producer Daniel Nigro. you seem pretty sad for a girl so in love is a well crafted soaring pop album.

8.5/10

Posted in Paper Chase

Ryan Holiday – Right Thing, Right Now

Posted on by Michael

The third book in Ryan Holiday’s “Stoic Virtues Series” was published in 2024.  Right Thing, Right Now focuses on the Justice virtue which is illustrated through Holiday’s usual method of telling the stories of historical figures and events. In this book, Mahatma Ghandi and Harry Truman play prominent roles as does Frederick Douglass and Thomas Clarkson. The stories of their lives to show good values, character and deeds.

Like Holiday’s other work, this book can skim a bit on history and breaks things down into simple consumable snippets.  It should not be an end to learning, but rather a starting point in the direction of reading more about some of these people, their lives and events. Others may complain about a vanilla approach but with all the negative noise in the world, Holiday helping show people how to be good people is refreshing.

8/10