J Church
The Horror of Life
No Idea (2007)
With the passing of Lance Hahn, the fragile punk continuum lost one of its all-time greats. Smart, critical, and relentlessly prolific, Hahn's work provided a formidable example of what could be accomplished in DIY music: punk not as a costume contest or stale doctrine, but a design for living. Hahn refused to separate his art and his life, delivering record … Read more
J Church / Flamingo 50
Split
Los Diaper (2007)
Oh J Church how I love you and your noisy simple pop-punk brilliance. And thank-you for doing a good cover of The Car's "Just What I Need." Flamingo 50, you on the other hand and side, are completely new to me and are apparently from the UK. You remind of a Screeching Weasel mixed with early Discount for a decent … Read more
J-Zone
Root for the Villain: Rap, Bullshit, and a Celebration of Failure
Old Maid Entertainment (2011)
In his memoir Root for the Villain: Rap, Bullshit, and a Celebration of Failure, J-Zone, born Jay Mumford, chronicles a lifetime spent playing the lead role in an endless comedy of errors. The brunt of the stories are culled from a decade or so chasing fame and fortune in the rap game. J-Zone, an MC and producer, somehow managed to … Read more
J. Bannon
The Blood of Thine Enemies
Deathwish Inc. (2008)
A few years back Jacob Bannon took some time from his busy schedule of providing vocals for Converge and design work for a whole lot of bands to create the as yet and more than likely only Supermachiner album (with Kurt Ballou also of Converge, Ryan Parker, and Seth Bannon of Daltonic). The effort was a foray into ambient music … Read more
J. Hunter Bennett
The Prodigal Rogerson: The Tragic, Hilarious, and Possibly Apocryphal Story of Circle Jerks Bassist Roger Rogerson in the Golden Age of LA Punk, 1979-1996
Microcosm Publishing (2017)
After pilfering the band’s vehicle in 1983, the man in charge of the 4-strings, a reprobate by the name of Roger Rogerson, disappeared into the ether. Almost fifteen years after his disappearance, he emerged with the demand for a reunion of the Circle Jerks in a bid to become the biggest rock’n roll band on earth. Shortly after, he died. … Read more
Jack of None
The Tattle Tale Heart
Independent (2017)
Playfully naughty lyrics might have been the first thing I noticed about Jack of None's The Tattle Tale Heart EP, but there's more to this record created by three Filipino-born siblings, A.G., Maxine, and Julian Syjuco. Things change from sultry to sinister on a dime, and the album's combination of murky, atmospheric industrial rock with dark and poetic spoken word vocals make … Read more
Jack White
Blunderbuss
Third Man (2012)
Ever notice the similarity between Jack White III and the modern-day Willy Wonka, portrayed by Johnny Depp? Put a top hat on Jack White and suddenly to the eye he appears to be this musical magician. Pulling stunts like launching 1000 helium balloons tied to flexi-discs containing the Blunderbuss highlight, “Freedom At 21”, to his left-field performances with the likes … Read more
Jack White
Boarding House Reach
Third Man (2018)
Jack White has always been his own man. With The White Stripes, he cultivated a strong persona - turning blues guitar on its side and reworking what would normally be tired rehashed riffs and making them into something new and shiny for impressionable young ears.His first two solo albums, Blunderbuss and Lazaretto continued this tradition, giving the millennials a fresh … Read more
Jack's Mannequin
The Glass Passenger
Sire (2008)
A lot of artists resist fame. I've done interviews with bands for nearly five years now and have heard countless times from both nameless and recognizable acts that there were never any aspirations for a hit radio single or a gold album. For these people it seemed when something reached a point of popularity it lost authenticity. By acknowledging the … Read more
Jackie Carol
Check Check
Speak Music Media (2007)
Allow me to get this little factoid out of the way first, I have been listening to Nathan Ellis projects ever since he joined Coalesce; The Casket Lottery (Ellis' next band) introduced me to and gave me a great appreciation for much more mellow, but still challenging, music. When I heard that Ellis now is playing with a new group … Read more
Jacoti Sommes
Travel Time
Orange Milk Records (2020)
Clocking it at just under 27 minutes, Columbus, Ohio electronic music producer Jacoti Sommes’ 2020 release Travel Time is all around better than his excellent 2018 effort Ubermensch. I think the album’s title accurately reflects what it’s all about. Featuring a handful of longer tracks periodically broken up by short ambient interludes (“Phases” I through III) that sound similar to whistling wind or … Read more
Jakob Dylan
Seeing Things
Columbia (2009)
I tried to listen to this one with an open mind. I know The Wallflowers never did anything for me. And Bob Dylan? Listening to his vocals is like having all your hair pulled out with pliers. I do have to admit that the musicianship is solid throughout on this release. But nothing here piqued my interest. "I Told You … Read more
Jalang
Santau
Heavy Machinery Records, Ruin Nation Records (2021)
2020 saw the release of Pontianak, the debut album of Lài. One year later (this review is very late, don’t worry, I am fully aware it’s two years later already) Santau, the debut album by Jalang is released. But is it a debut album if Lài simply changed its name to Jalang? Considering it is the first album under this new moniker … Read more
James Kennedy
Noise Damage: My Life as a Rock'n'Roll Underdog
Eye Books (2020)
Noise Damage is the personal account of James Kennedy on his trials and tribulations navigating his evolution and experiences with the music industry, which saw him rise, become revered and headhunted before the phonographic industry ultimately crashed and imploded.Familiarity with James Kennedy, his oeuvre or his band Kyshera is not a pre-requisite for being instantaneously drawn into the maelstrom that … Read more
James LaBrie
Impermanent Resonance
Inside Out (2013)
Apparently, James LaBrie (vocalist for progressive metal gods Dream Theater) has a pretty satisfying solo career. I wasn't aware of this until doing some research, but he already has two solo releases under his belt--three, counting his newest release, Elements of Persuasion. (We'll leave the issues of whether or not his work with Mullmuzzler counts as "solo" releases until another day.) So, the pertinent … Read more
Janelle Monáe
The ArchAndroid
Wondaland Arts Society / Bad Boy (2010)
When music historians look back on the first decade of the 21st century, they'll no doubt highlight the dazzling array of pop musicians daring to innovate. Those producing music which both reinvents and creates, challenging conventions and spinning concepts and long-term constructions around their work. Except, of course, they won't. Pop has been sadly lacking of late, with depressingly little … Read more
Janelle Monáe
The Electric Lady
Wondaland Arts Society (2013)
It's encouraging that after releasing one of the best records of 2010, Janelle Monáe wasn't rushed into releasing the follow-up album to The ArchAndroid until she was good and ready. Three years have given her and her Wondaland Arts Society time to regroup and evolve and the range and talent of her collaborators this time around reflect the maturity Monáe's sound has … Read more
Janez Detd
Like Cold Rain Kills a Summer Day...
I Scream (2006)
Archetypal scene dude: So yeah these guys are like super huge in Europe; I am sure they are going to hit it big over here. But I saw them like three years ago in like a port-a-potty with no electricity and they had a generator going to plug in their instruments. But you know they are socially conscious, so it … Read more
