31082014 - Thea & The Wild "Strangers and Lovers"

Thea Glenton Raknes from Norma Sass debuts as a solo artist with an album of great ambition and variation. It's all pop, but the references range from light to darkness and it's possible to hear hints of both The Cure, Joy Division, (early) The Knife and Florence + The Machine here. All eleven songs are impressively and shamelessly catchy, but still with a depth and finesse that makes them stand out, both from each other and from everything else out there. Thea's voice is an instrument in itself and she displays a rare versatility that gives each song its own identity. Whether fast or slow, sad or full of joy, these songs captivate and thrill so by the end of the record I have fallen in love eleven times - one for each track!

30082014 - Troyka "Troyka"

Brilliant semi-psychedelic and -progressive hard rock from Canada! This album was released in 1970, and has definitely withstood the test of time! They blend the classic power trio (hence the band name) sound of bands like Cream with Slavic elements as a tribute to their Ukrainian heritage. The vocals, courtesy of drummer Michael Richards, really make them stand out from other bands of their ilk, sounding unlike most others from that era and at times almost bordering on the deranged. A really cool album that deserves attention from fans of 70's rock as well as proto-metal archeologists!

29082014 - Kirsty Hawkshaw "Meta Message"

Relatively new album from the former Opus III vocalist. This is in general very nice and mellow, and the songs drift by in a cloud of pleasantness. Hawkshaw's often whispery voice is simply beautiful, and fits the electronic pop music on this record perfectly. The album is relatively varied, but most of the songs are of the downtempo and ethereal kind. At her best she veers over into Julee Cruise territory, and on the other side of the spectrum there's stuff that borders on eurodance. Thankfully those moments are few. Not necessarily an album I would play again, but nice enough while it lasts, in its own airy way.

28082014 - Theatre of Tragedy "Velvet Darkness They Fear"

A gothic metal classic, I guess. Not entirely my cup of deep red wine, I must admit. I did enjoy the early efforts of their peers in The 3rd and the Mortal and The Gathering, but this is far too - dare I say it? - theatrical for me. I do enjoy their use of Vincent Price dialogue in "And When He Falleth", though!

27082014 - Silver Apples "The Garden"

Über-psychedelic pop music, recorded in 1970, but apparently not released until 1998. By that time the band, who had been inactive since Pan Am sued their collective asses of over the band's second album cover in 1969, had gotten back together. Well, sort of anyway, as the band were really a duo and the 90's version only featured one of the original two. Adding to the quirkiness of this release is the fact that about half of the tracks have the word "noodle" in the song title. So that's "Tabouli Noodle", "Cannonball Noodle", "Cockroach Noodle", "Swamp Noodle", "Anasazi Noodle", "Starlight Noodle", "Straight Noodle" and "Fire Ant Noodle". It's mostly just plain nonsense, but their version of "Mustang Sally" is worth a spin.

26082014 - April Wine "Nature of the Beast"

This album was always just there, but I neglected to check it out. Until now. And I bow my head in shame for waiting so long, because this is wonderful hard rock, just the way daddy likes it! Phrases like "basic", "no frills" and "straight forward" spring to mind, and so do "catchy", "jammin'" and "classic". Over half of the songs are instant favorites, and I'm sure the other half will grow with just a couple more spins. More Wine, please!

25082014 - Tommy Shaw "The Great Divide"

Bluegrass from the Styx guitarist who in my book will always remain a hero for writing the song "Girls With Guns". And he's got both Dwight Yoakam and Alison Krauss guesting on the album! Of course, that doesn't necessarily mean that the album is good. The fact that all the songs are really good means that the album is good. Not exceptional, but good.