Blogcritics Author: Mike Newman

Music Review: Walter Becker - Circus Money (UK Release)

Mike Newman — Mon, 25 Aug 2008 10:53:48 EDT

Circus Money is certainly up to par with the high level of quality that we�ve always known we could expect in any era of Steely Dan.
I’ve never really stopped to think about what our friends across the pond think about our New York-centric Steely duo, but it comes to mind now that I’m checking out the UK release of the new Walter Becker joint, Circus Money, on Sonic 360. Perhaps they didn’t grow up sneaking their parents’ Steely Dan records like I did,...

Music Review: Irmin Schmidt & Kumo - Axolotl Eyes

Mike Newman — Sun, 27 Jul 2008 21:02:27 EDT

Axolotl Eyes is another excellent chapter in Irmin Schmidt�s long and adventurous recording career.
Mute Records has a 30-year history of releasing the finest in electronic, experimental, post-punk, art rock, avant-garde, and alternative music, and this new album by Irmin Schmidt & Kumo is another prime example of the quality and ever-progressive direction of the label’s offerings. Irmin Schmidt was founder member and keyboardist for...

Welsh MAN Gets Royal Esoteric Treatment

Mike Newman — Tue, 22 Jul 2008 06:40:57 EDT

The new MAN reissues are an eclectic lot of three stellar albums and one of them is their studio masterpiece.
You might remember that I wrote a piece about the Welsh band MAN a few months ago when I was still a newbie to their music. Since then I have received some mind-blowing MAN albums, bursting with their eclectic blend of West Coast psychedelia, hard rock, blues, progressive rock, funk, Beatlesy harmonies, and top notch jamming. These albums have...

Music Review - The Detroit Cobras: The Original Recordings, Singles and Unreleased 1995-97

Mike Newman — Wed, 9 Jul 2008 11:20:13 EDT

Detroit garage rock n' soul pros release a treasure trove of lo-fi goodies from their early days.
The Detroit Cobras are f**kin’ cool, plain and simple. What makes them so cool? They are the embodiment of retro garage rock and soul. They hark back to the days when the rift between rock and soul wasn’t necessarily an impossible leap; an era that we seem to be longing for again these days, as we’re seeing a greater presence...

Music Review: Man Raze - Surreal

Mike Newman — Sat, 7 Jun 2008 07:30:45 EDT

This is fun straight-ahead rock and roll music, period.
Well, let me tell you what! I’ve got an unstoppable new rock album sitting in front of me by some unlikely suspects. I first heard the single, “Turn It Up” on Nights With Alice Cooper. This is where I also learned the band, oddly named Man Raze, was made up of Phil Collen of Def Leppard on guitar and lead vocal, Paul Cook of the...

Music Review: The Best of UFO (1974-1983)

Mike Newman — Wed, 28 May 2008 07:53:59 EDT

A brilliant compilation of songs from a band whose music informed 80s metal.
Okay, is it cool to like 80's Metal again? With the hugely triumphant return of David Lee Roth-era Van Halen to the old hair metal guys even having their very own 4-day Bonnaroo-like camping festival, Rocklahoma, in July, it seems like the scene is set for the 80's Metal Gods to rise again. So you'll definitely see a hasty repackaging...

Man: The Best Band You've Never Heard In Your Life

Mike Newman — Sat, 10 May 2008 08:51:45 EDT

Radio hits or not, Man can certainly hold their heads high, as they�ve left behind some of the most interesting rock music of the 70s� and that�s saying a lot!
The Welsh band, Man, is certainly one of the best bands you’ve never heard in your life. Much like their Welsh peer band, Budgie, Man has managed to have a loyal cult following since the ‘70’s, but just never was able to break through to major radio hit success like their fellow Welsh band, Badfinger. But then again, if...

Family: The Best Band You've Never Heard In Your Life

Mike Newman — Fri, 25 Apr 2008 19:45:44 EDT

Family left behind a pretty remarkable, and overlooked, string of albums over their roughly five-year stint.
The band, Family, is certainly one of the Best Bands You’ve Never Heard In Your Life. They formed in England in 1967 and included the late Ric Grech, who would later join the supergroup Blind Faith, on bass. The other members of Family who defined the band's progressive-psychedelic sound were guitarist John “Charlie” Whitney...