poptransmission

Category: Music

  • Future Islands Concert Review: Une Soiree Speciale a Paris!

    I always check out upcoming concert schedules in cities I’m about to visit. Usually, a cool concert doesn’t line up with my vacation plans. You can imagine my joy when I saw that Future Islands were going to be in Paris during the time of my trip. So, in addition to the Eiffel Tower, the…

  • New Music Alert: Ten Songs to Sink Your Teeth Into

    Time for some new music. As usual for these posts, the new songs are a mixture of old bands, new bands, bands I’m familiar with, and bands I’ve never heard of. Punk rock, shoegaze, synths, hard electric rock, and melodic acoustic rock are all represented. Let’s get started… – “Scapa Flow” by Drop Nineteens: Have…

  • A Million Miles Away: The Insightful New Documentary of Troubadour Peter Case

    A Million Miles Away paints the rich tapestry of the life of Peter Case. Street musician. Punk rocker. One-hit wonder. Singer-songwriter. Folk troubadour. The film makes clear that the Plimsouls, and their signature song, “A Million Miles Away,” are not representative of Case’s 50-year career. At heart, he’s always been a tireless writer who tells…

  • The Fearless Trailblazer Sinead O’Connor Dead at 56

    Sad news yesterday. Tragic, but not surprising. That just makes it sadder. I’m re-sharing my post from last November about the Sinead O’Connor documentary, Nothing Compares. I had a mix of emotions while watching it: heartbreaking, inspiring, and frustrating. It’s the life story of a courageous, complicated woman. Showtime documentaries are now streaming on Paramount…

  • Neil Young’s Solo Acoustic Tour: An Intimate Evening of Deep Tracks

    “Better late than never.” Most of us have had this situation when it comes to concerts. I finally saw a lot of bands years (decades) after their heyday: Joe Jackson, Elton John, Van Halen, Rush, Aerosmith, and the two biggies, David Bowie (2004) and Rolling Stones (2005). Time to add another to the list, Neil…

  • 1993: The Best Albums Through a 30-Year Lense

    Let’s keep the decade anniversaries going by harking back 30 years. Here are some music headlines from 1993: There were some good albums in 1993, but were there some great ones? I’m not sure. Several of my favorite bands put out excellent songs in ’93, but the albums as a whole fell short of their…

  • Ten Songs That Leave You Wanting More

    Tom Petty once said that two minutes is all the time a good writer needs for a song. Punk rock embodied this spirit. The two-minute surge of stripped-down energy became the punk rock credo and an in-your face rebuttal to classic rock. A lasting musical expression can be made in short order, but don’t you…

  • The Book of Mormon: A Cringe-Worthy Yet Uplifting Musical Comedy

    In order to attend a performance of The Book of Mormon, it pays if you’re a South Park fan, or at least very familiar with the outrageous animated comedy. I shudder to think of the reactions to the play for those not so initiated. My wife and I just enjoyed the 26th season of South…

  • M83: New Album and Concert Review: A Rousing Fantasy

    M83, the electronic band from Antibes, France formed way back in 1999. Originally a duo, Anthony Gonzalez became the sole songwriter and lead vocalist when Nicolas Fromageau left after the release of their second album. Seven albums later, Gonzalez is still recording primarily on his own as M83 accompanied by numerous guest musicians. Their sound…

  • Ten Guitar Solos That Will Live Forever

    The time has come. The guitar solo. The definitive statement in rock and roll that has inspired countless wannabes, video games, and air guitar poses. Guitar solos can be subtle and delicate or loud and raging. How can you compare and rank “Comfortably Numb” and “Green Grass and High Tides?” I don’t have one all-time…

  • Personality Crisis: A Fitting Title for the David Johansen Documentary

    Showtime does it again. Another captivating rockumentary by the network that has recently brought us the stories of Sinead O’Connor, Sheryl Crow, the Go-Go’s, the early aughts NYC scene, and New Order. It’s an imaginative film apropos for its subject, the musical iconoclast David Johansen. The inventiveness of the approach has much to do with…

  • Record Store Day 2023: Vinyl Keeps on Surging

    Happy Record Store Day! One of my favorite days of the year. And it just keeps getting bigger. Thank you Taylor Swift fans! What started in 2007 as a rather low-key affair, Record Store Day (RSD) has become a community highlight around the country centered around the local record store. Record Store Day brings together…