Posted in Album Reviews

Interpol – This Mirror Weighs A Ton (2026)

Posted on by Michael

The last year has seen Interpol go through some changes. Since original bassist Carlos Dengler left the band in 2010, they had continued on as a three piece. This year they added longtime touring members Brad Truax (bass) and Brandon Curtis (keyboards) to the official line-up, though only Truax has recorded with the band thus far. Working with producer Andrew Wyatt, the band released their eighth studio album, This Mirror Weighs A Ton in late August.

The album follows their dark sound, with red and white shades of past releases. The title track and first single of a double A-side starts off the record with a heavy, atmospheric air. “The maniac in your head/Still sleeps in archways” sings Paul Banks. “See Out Loud” is the other side of this double A-side release, a more driving Interpol track. An elastic drumbeat starts “So Rides The Reindeer” with a bit of nice guitar, the vocals recall New Order.  

Continuing to explore the darker corners, here the band moves a lot within their world. Piano and keys play an important role on the album. They add a dreamy feel to “Iron City” and lay a bed for the stark vocals on “Sudden”.  Never far from an interesting moment, a great chorus, a solid drum sound –great tracks on The Mirror Weighs A Ton keep bubbling to the surface through it’s 50+ minutes.

8/10

Posted in Album Reviews

David Bowie – Dance (2018)

Posted on by Michael

Included in the Loving The Alien (1983-1988) boxset is the Dance album, a collection of remixes/extended versions of tracks that David Bowie released in the mid 80s. The period is not well regarded in Bowie’s legacy with a few mediocre albums.  Oddly, it’s not the smash hits from Let’s Dance that get the remix treatment, instead it’s mostly tracks from Tonight and Never Let Me Down.

The first two tracks from the Tonight album fare the best on this collection. “Blue Jean (Extended Dance Mix)” is the best of the bunch with “Loving The Alien (Extended Dub Mix)” being solid listen.  Neither sound much different from the originals, the extended version of “Loving The Alien” comes in a whopping 2 seconds longer than the original.  The horns on “Tumble and Twist (Extended Dance Mix)” are fine and “Never Let Me Down (Dub/Acapella)” takes good advantage of the extended time, “Underground (Extended Dance Mix)” is terrible. Overall, the dated 80s productions of average songs that basically sound the same as the originals makes for an unsatisfying hour+  long listen.

5/10

Posted in Paper Chase

Larry McMurtry – Lonesome Dove

Posted on by Michael

Lonesome Dove is a masterpiece that keeps coming up as a must book to read on social media. The Western novel by Larry McMurtry was originally published in 1985. It focuses on two ex Texas Rangers, Gus McCrae and Woodrow Call. The two become business partners and run the Hat Creek Cattle Company and Livery Emporium in Lonesome Dove Texas, employing several men including Newt, Pea Eye, and Deets.  Old acquaintance Jake Spoon shows up and tells the men there is a fortune to be had by starting a cattle company in Montana. Led by Call, the men pack up the business and move the cattle up North.

The main story takes place across the plains of the Midwest, running into strangers along the way who become part of the story.  Two prominent women play roles – Lorena and old flame Clara. Simultaneously, the story of July Johnson features as he searches for the man who killed his brother. What’s remarkable, is the many stories that collide in the novel are all entertaining and fascinating. The Pulitzer Prize winning book keeps finding a new audience and is rightly regarded as one of the finest American novels of all time.

10/10

Posted in Album Reviews

Brandon Flowers – Thrasher (2026)

Posted on by Michael

The cover of Brandon Flowers third solo albums shows a picture of him throwing hands at the camera. The sound has The Killers frontman throwing everything at the listener including piano, organ, pedal steel guitar and Margo Price on back vocals. The country album is more lush 70s than current hot rural sounds.  Lead track, “Does It Ever Cross Your Mind” is a zippy take on the sound, “One Of Us” has a similar sound on a tribute song to his brother in law that passed way too soon.

On various songs, the vocals remind the listener of Bruce Springsteen or Jason Isbell or John Mellencamp. Small town USA is the focus on “Tiger’s Blood” that turns in a killer chorus.  “Miss America” is written through the eyes of a woman. The album is a bit front loaded and there is a whiff of pastiche (see: single “Paradise”) rather than a true authentic country voice. Still, Flowers has a way with hooks that even the just OK tracks, still sound fine in the background.

7/10

Posted in Album Reviews

Madonna – Ray Of Light (1998)

Posted on by Michael

After releasing two patchy albums in the early 90s, Madonna returned in 1998 with global smash Ray Of Light.  The album has sold more than Erotica and Bedtime Stories combined. Madonna had entered a new phase in her life having given birth to her daughter Lourdes the year before while she was exploring several philosophies including Kabbalah, Hinduism and Buddhism.  Patrick Leonard was a key contributor to the album, co-writing and co-producing several songs.  But it was her work with British electronic producer William Orbit that really directed the album’s sound.

“I traded fame for love/Without a second thought” is the first lyric that opens the album on “Drowned World/Substitute For Love”, the ambient track with deep bass.  This is followed by “Swim”, with a a trip hop sound and a flood of synths as Madonna sings “I’m gonna swim to the ocean floor”.  “Skin” throbs with sparkling sounds surrounding the track, the squiggly beats of “Sky Fits Heaven” has a more traditional pop feel. Madonna then sings in Sanskrit over skittering beats on “Shanti/Ashtangi”, a sound that predates what MIA would later do at the turn of the century.

After several album tracks, two of the album’s singles create an emotional climax to the album. Co-written with Leonard, “Frozen” addresses an emotionally closed off partner over a swell of synths and strings. Following that up, “The Power Of Good-Bye” co-written with Rick Nowels creates the world of then moving on. While they tread similar territory, by no means is this redundant. Both tracks ache with emotion, an emotion that was felt around the world as both songs climbed into the top 10 in several countries, “Frozen” being the bigger of the two.

The enduring spotlight of the album remains the title track, “Ray Of Light”.  Introducing the word “zephyr” into the minds of fans around the world, the effervescent pop song shared a memorable video, was a club hit and has been a radio staple for nearly 30 years. The album itself is one of Madonna’s very best, one where she sings with maturity, power, and spirituality while engulfed in a warm of ocean of synths and strings that create a more cohesive whole than more recent efforts.  Sadly, the world lost William Orbit earlier this year but his sound will live on through this classic album and his other terrific music.

10/10