Ed Huyck
On The Record: 521
Matt and Kim New Glow Beloved by Rock the Garden audiences and, naturally, The Current, Matt and Kim (Johnson and Schifino; they hail from Brooklyn, if you’re curious) make music for folks who found Fun. to be too edgy for their tastes. New Glow is…
On The Record: 519
Madonna Rebel Heart Quoting your own music is always a dangerous game for an artist, and Madonna goes down that path on “Holy Water,” a typical button-pusher of a tune that, midway through, features parts of the “Vogue” rap from two decades ago. By the…
On The Record: Road Trip!
The right mix for the road is an essential part to any trip. If you have to spend hours on end in a car crossing the byways of America, it’s important to have the right mix of tunes for the journey. Technology has passed on since the days of the mix tape, but the idea…
On The Record: 515
Doomtree All Hands It’s fitting that the latest collection from the massively influential Twin-Cities hip-hop collective opens with “Final Boss.” As in a video game, the song is a powerhouse, loaded with difficult-to-parse music and rhymes that, once you conquer them, make you feel like you’ve won the lottery….
On the Record: 513
Hozier Hozier I spent the day before Hozier’s debut dropped listening to Elton John. That seemed apt, as the Irish singer-songwriter’s fluid baritone and piano-driven first hit (“Take Me To Church”) remind the listener of the great Reg. As it turns out, Hozier offers a more diverse sound than just Elton John worship. He embraces…
On The Record: Best of 2014
Lots of music came out in 2014. Plenty have passed through one ear and out the other, but some of it did stick. Below are some of those albums that stayed in my head throughout the past year. Ten (Well, 11) Favorites from 2014: Prince Plectrumelectrum and Art Official Age The Purple One looks to…
2014 Holiday Gift Guide: Ed Huyck
Bob Dylan and the Band Bootleg Series Vol. 11: The Basement Tapes Complete These legendary recordings were among the first rock bootlegs to be issued, as this mysterious period from the late 1960s intrigued fans. The rough recordings and stabs at classic Americana offered a roadmap that both Dylan and his backing band would take…
On The Record: 508
Tickle Torture Spectrophilia Local producer and artist Elliott Kozel arrives with a new EP, ready to bring some hot and funky sleaze for anyone willing to listen. Like another Minnesota-based, sex-obsessed, one-man band, Tickle Torture melds and molds different musical styles into a hot, synthesized freak of…
On The Record: 506
Sinead O’Connor I’m Not Bossy, I’m the Boss Here’s a surprise. I really haven’t paid much attention to O’Connor over the years, except for the occasional “she did what?” kind of news report. So this album absolutely knocked me off my feet. Whatever eccentricities O’Connor…
On The Record: 505
Trampled by Turtles Wild Animals Minnesota’s favorite bluegrass act goes deeper into their songwriting on Wild Animals, giving us a terrific collection that showcases how far this band can go. The bluegrass and folk style are still at the heart of the music, but there…
