Posted in Album Reviews

Leonard Cohen – New Skin For The Old Ceremony (1974)

Posted on by Michael

The sound on New Skin For The Old Ceremony adds a few more musical touches but is still unmistakably Leonard Cohen. On his fourth album, Cohen sings of relationships, two in particular. The sexual encounter reportedly about Janis Joplin on “Chelsea Hotel #2” is ended with the harsh send off, “I don’t even think of you that often”. More romantically he sings about Nico on the poetic “Take This Longing”.  

Talking to God, the repeated refrain on “Lover Lover Lover” is sure to get stuck in one’s head before the strings come in on the second verse of “Field Commander Cohen” that adds a certain majesty to the proceedings. The back-up singers add a bit extra to “There Is A War”, one that takes place between different groups of people, more harshness in the line “I guess you call this love, I call it service”. 

The standout track is performed with singer Janis Ian, “Who By Fire” sounds simple at first but is about the way people often meet their maker.  It’s a powerful tune at under 3 minutes, one that has been covered many times after.  Regularly regarded as the end of his first recording period, the songs recorded on this 1974 collection are not as well known but in Cohen’s voice and style, they still carry a certain amount of power.

7.5/10

Posted in Album Reviews

Heavenly – Highway To Heavenly (2026)

Posted on by Michael

It’s been 30 years since British band Heavenly released their last single, the ultra catchy “Space Manatee”. The band originally dissolved after the suicide of drummer Mathew Fletcher. After playing reunion shows a few years ago, the band recorded their fifth album, Highway To Heavenly. The sound is immediately familiar: jangly guitars, keyboard grooves and Amelia Fletcher’s vocals.

Quick out of the gate is the keyboard ska of “Scene Stealing” and first single, “Portland Town”. The sugar energy rush of “Skep Wax”  and “Excuse Me” are a blast of cotton candy air, the latter could easily have been on their 90s albums. “A Different Beat” sounds like two songs mashed together, “The Neverseen” a more mature take on the sound, and album closer “That Last Day” speaks to the tragedy of Mathew. With the signature sound intact, having Heavenly back making music is a big win for the indie pop crowd in 2026.

7.5/10

Posted in Album Reviews

Yo La Tengo – Summer Sun (2003)

Posted on by Michael

By the time Yo La Tengo released their 10th studio album, Summer Sun, they had already recorded one masterpiece in I Can Hear The Heart Beating As One as well as several other great releases. For this 2003 recording, the band still sounds like one of the great American indie rock bands but add various funk and jazz elements to their sound. The 10 minute penultimate track, “Let’s Be Still” adds horns and a flute to the underwater vocals of Ira Kaplan. The spare sound of “Nothing But You And Me” also takes on this jazz sound through the use of a piano.

The various textured sounds are a welcome addition but it’s still the guitar rock band sound that really makes the listener take notice. Georgia Hubley takes over the vocals on “Little Eyes”, her drumming beat drives the melody. “Today Is The Day” captures the spirit of someone stuck in a rut, waiting for their partner outside of smoky bars. Bassist James McNew takes over the vocals for “Tiny Birds”, his plaintive vocal style mixes in with the musical soundscapes behind him.  The album closes with a country like cover of Alex Chilton’s track, “Take Care”.  Summer Sun is a nuanced record, filled with quietly wonderful moments from this quietly wonderful band.

8/10

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America – The Complete Greatest Hits (2001)

Posted on by Michael

There’s not shortage of compilation albums of British-American trio, America. Formed in England while their fathers were stationed there as part of the US Army, the band would eventually relocate to Los Angeles and further soak up the soft folk rock sounds of the early 70s.  A success right out of the gate, their first three singles went top ten in the US including their most well known song – “A Horse With No Name”.  With vocals of Dewey Bunnell sounding not unlike Neil Young and terrific backing vocals of Gerry Beckley and Dan Peek; the guitar strumming song went to #1 on the back of the song’s memorable “la la la la” as it comes out of the chorus.

Fans of 2000s Saturday Night Live will smile at the Spanish guitar sounds of “Ventura Highway”, a track that was surely the inspiration for the theme to The Californians skit. “Tin Man” and “Lonely People” are nice sounding tracks that glide by, ones that if they appeared on a random playlist would have the listener ask, “who is this?”. The band would then hit #1 again with the great strumming guitar riff of “Sister Golden Hair”.  The crisp drumbeat helps pick up the pace of the chorus. Less successful is the band’s polarizing single, “Muskrat Love”, a song that Captain and Tennille would have great success with a few years later.

The Complete Greatest Hits ends with a slick 80s sound on songs such as “You Can Magic” that was a top ten hit in the US. Replacing the “la la la” with “doo doo doo”, it’s their first single without Dan Peek who left a few years prior.  The album then finishes with two new songs that follows in their familiar pattern of pleasant and catchy sound. And that is what sums up this collection – a handful of great songs and a slew of pleasing ones that can easily soundtrack a summer evening of watching the sunset while enjoying a glass of California white wine.

8/10

Posted in Album Reviews

Lucinda Williams – World’s Gone Wrong (2026)

Posted on by Michael

Lucinda Williams’ sixteenth studio album is a politically charged bluesy, roots rocker released into a chaotic world early in 2026. Williams’ aging and raspy singing voice adds a gravitas to the recordings including the title track about a couple trying to make both ends meat and sense of the world.  Like a lot of us, they are both “looking for comfort in a song”. “Something’s Gotta Give” ponders that “there’s darkness to these days.. as the light fades away”.

Mavis Staples joins for the Bob Marley cover of “So Much Trouble in the World”, a bit more atmospheric in a honky-tonk bar.  A sleek guitar in the chorus adds some punch to the very good sounding “Punchline” while the album closes with a hymn like gospel sounds of “We’ve Come Too Far to Turn Around”. Like lots of people, the characters in the songs are trying to come to grips with how the world is turning these days – talk of ballrooms amongst rising gas prices.  Williams does a very good job of articulating these feelings in a tuneful way.

7/10