February 27th, 2023
METAFIVE’s Last Stand The Japanese supergroup’s second album 'METAATEM' is unfortunately inconsistentBy: Malachi Lui
It’s been over a month since drummer and pop songwriter extraordinaire Yukihiro Takahashi passed away at age 70, though acknowledging it still feels weird. It wasn’t unexpected—he was treated for brain tumors, and related pneumonia caught him in the end—but for 50 years, Takahashi never really slowed down and always seemed focus on what was next. Between his solo material, his work in Yellow Magic Orchestra and Sketch Show, other gigs like the Sadistic Mika Band, or... Read More
December 7th, 2022
Standards And Originals Take Flight on Lori Lieberman's Newest Album truly her finest vocal performances on recordBy: Michael Fremer
Lori Lieberman performs this set of standards without a "net"—no reverb bath, or any kind of cover. Singing directly and closely "on mic" where there's no room for error she delivers her finest vocal performances on record backed by Matt Rollings on keyboards (piano and B3), Lyle Workman on guitars, David Piltch on upright bass and Victor Indrizzo on drums.Lieberman produced the record with Rollings, a player in Lyle Lovett's Large Band... Read More
November 27th, 2022
"Thriller" Ala Mobile Fidelity The 40K One-Step Is a Mixed Sonic BagBy: Michael Fremer
Trackingangle's purchased at retail copy of MoFi's "Thriller" arrived just the other day, but editor Michael Fremer was well-prepared for the review, having served as an expert witness in Quincy Jones's lawsuit against the estate of Michael Jackson. He'd spent a lot of time listening to the trio of Q produced Jackson albums.
Read MoreNovember 23rd, 2022
A Nondescript Album of ‘Christmas Songs’ The various artists LP ‘Christmas Songs’ lives up to the name, but how good is it?By: Malachi Lui
Last year, when I reviewed the Yen Records holiday LP "We Wish You A Merry Christmas", a reader recommended another Japanese Christmas LP, simply titled 'Christmas Songs.' Released in 2010 by Ryuichi Sakamoto’s Commmons label, 'Christmas Songs' is a various artists LP of then-new recordings mostly of Christmas standards by a diverse range of artists, among them all three members of Yellow Magic Orchestra (albeit on separate tracks).... Read More
November 17th, 2022
Aimee Mann's 'I'm With Stupid' Offers Up A Set Of Thoughtful Observations From the archives: Not since Moby Grape has so much talent been victim to dumb circumstanceBy: Michael Fremer
(This review originally appeared in Issue 7, Spring 1996.)Not since Moby Grape has so much talent been victim to dumb circumstance. Mann hit it big out of the gate with ‘Til Tuesday’s 1984 hit “Voices Carry.” You’d think two gold records would vindicate her pop musical instincts, but when Mann begin edging away from the drum machine/synth rut she’d dug for herself, towards folkier, acoustic guitar-based music, her label resisted, ultimately killing the group’s third... Read More
October 24th, 2022
Stereolab’s ‘Pulse Of The Early Brain (Switched On Volume 5)’ Rounds Up Rarities As rare pieces of their back catalog continue to go up in price, this collection provides a varied set of less-obvious entry points into The Groop’s long careerBy: JoE Silva
It’s a bit hard to fathom, but Stereolab has now released almost as many compilations as it has original albums. Sure, there’s some crossover, but taken as a whole, all of the rarer material gathered across their Switched On series gives you the sense that during their initial 20-year run the Anglo-French outfit never left the studio .
Read MoreSeptember 23rd, 2022
Razor & Tie Presents A Joe Meek Compilation CD From the archives: No self-respecting audiophile geek should be without this 20-song discBy: Michael Fremer
(This review originally appeared in Issue 5/6, Winter 1995/96.)Joe Meek was a lonely British eccentric producer/engineer who played with electronic gizmos in the studio to create kitsch filled teenage classics like “Telstar” by the Tornadoes, which those of you from the boomer generation remember as the song which introduced us to “the future” and to the sound of “outer space.”The stuff collected here is wonderful in its campy early 60s awfulness, but it also reveals... Read More