BRANDON’S TOP ALBUMS OF 2024
Peter Gabriel – i/o The man in question was the lead singer for likely the greatest prog rock band of all time, Genesis. His string of albums with the group before leaving is maddeningly brilliant: Foxtrot, Selling England by the Pound, and The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway. Gabriel went on to a
BRANDON’S TOP ALBUMS OF 2023
10. Wild Nothing – Hold Here Jack Tatum emulates the sophisti-pop sounds of artists like Paul Weller’s The Style Council (Weller was formerly in the Jam and also has an excellent solo discography). Put out on Captured Tracks, Mac DeMarco’s Salad Days was perhaps the last time the label rel
REVIEW: THE STROKES – THE NEW ABNORMAL (2020)
The Strokes have always been indebted to the New York bands that came before them. The city is ground zero for the founding of numerous musical movements and has been claimed to be the birthplace of punk rock. The raw, melodic, and straightforward sound of their breakthrough debut, Is This
BRANDON’S TOP ALBUMS OF 2019
10. Julian Lynch – Rat’s Spit The Madison via New York ethnomusicologist offers his first solo work since joining Real Estate. The new role brings clarity to his music not found in previous records. 9. Elephant9 – Psychedelic Backfire II Demonstrating the once los
BRANDON’S TOP ALBUMS OF 2017
10. Feist – Pleasure Feist returns after a six-year hiatus with a record about everything life gives and takes from us. Personnel from Broken Social Scene featured on Metals have been replaced with a more robust band. This impressive effort is her best since 2004’s
REVIEW: JUICEBOXXX – HEARTLAND 99 (2015)
The first time I ever saw Juiceboxxx was at the now defunct Darling Hall in Milwaukee in 2006 (it was close to Conejito’s if you know where that is). His live performance was an ecstatic mix of in your face MC brashness and crowd manipulation not far removed from Dan Deacon performances (here is a
REVIEW: SURGEONS IN HEAT – DISASTER (2015)
It is quite serendipitous that Milwaukee/Madison musician John Mayer has the name John Mayer. In his band Surgeons in Heat he has a strong ability to write catchy and smooth pop songs (check out “Better On Your Own” from Surgeons in Heat for a prime example). Mayer also lends
REVIEW: GROUP OF THE ALTOS – R U PERSON OR NOT (2015)
Sometimes it is impossible not to be derivative in music. The Group of Altos, structurally and sonically, seems largely influenced by Canadian post-rock ensembles Godspeed You! Black Emperor and Do Make Say Think (all part of the terrific Constellation Records) with their large personnel, use of roa
BRANDON’S TOP ALBUMS OF 2014
10. St. Vincent – St. Vincent Drawing from her work with David Byrne, Annie Clark combines social analysis with complex and almost alien sounding music. 9. The War on Drugs – Lost In The Dream While the band has kept the model of classic rock injected with con