2007-05-31 - 10:57 a.m. Thanks to everyone who came out last night to the Parkside, it was a blast-o-rama. I really enjoyed the WoWheels's set, and the song "No Exceptions" is stuck in my haid. In the '90s I was, ever so briefly, captivated by Dinosaur, Jr, although Lou Barlow got custody of my fandom after J Mascis and he parted ways. The new Dino album is pretty good, though--not a huge departure from their old stuff, but more dynamic and sparkling, and not just ten layers of feedback and wah-wah. Meanwhile, BRMC's new one veers from the acoustic/Americana route they had adopted on their excellent 2005 release, and opts for bluesy, stomping Stones-y rawk that doesn't shy away from the occasional atmospheric ballad. Very good album. And I finally heard the latest Bjork! I can tell it's the kind of album that a person needs to live with for awhile before committing to an opinion, but at first blush I am greatly amused by her usual brilliance and openness. She follows her own muse, that girl, and I am happy to trail along. I am impressed with Juliana Hatfield's 6-song EP with the band Frank Smith. I have always held that JH is better as a collaborator within a band than she is solo, even if she's writing all the songs. This tends to give her music more depth and dynamics, and that's totally the case here. The songs, incidentally, are as good as anything she's previously written. thoughts? (2 comments so far) previous - next blog archive contact