Bruce Springsteen is not typically one to sequelize his albums. Except for Nebraska/The Ghost of Tom Joad/Devils & Dust, which can rightfully be viewed as a sort of trio, most of his records attempt to do something markedly different from past efforts: Born to Run was a teenage epic, Darkness a working-class ode, The River a celebration of rock & roll, etc. Yet in Wrecking Ball we can see Bruce provide almost a direct sequel to one of his previous albums, one comprised of material that he didn’t even write — We Shall Overcome: The Seeger Sessions. — more
Presadona: Filling the Void
Presadona has a unique relationship with Nerdy Nothings. Their song “Back & Forth Forever” has provided the intro music to our podcast since the first episode. We even got the band to record an episode of that podcast, though it’s sadly been lost to the ages due to mangled audio. Clearly we know and like these guys, so it might seem suspect for us to present a review of their album. However, what appears below is my unbiased opinion. — more
The Lonely Island: Turtleneck & Chain
I’m torn on how to review the new Lonely Island record. On the one hand, as a comedy album, its value depends entirely on whether or not it’s funny, and comedy is a very subjective thing. On the other hand, that doesn’t make for a very good article, and I think it’s interesting to look at what does or doesn’t make comedy work. — more
The Cars: Move Like This
To decide if Move Like This was an album I even wanted to listen to, I first read the A.V. Club’s review of it this morning. Because of that, my impression of the record has probably been colored by reviewer Steven Hyden’s opinion. — more
8in8: Nighty Night
Like last week’s The Fall, a Gorillaz album recorded purely on an iPad, Nighty Night will be a record forever remembered more for what it is than the songs on it. Created at a conference at Berkelee Music College in Boston by four superstars (Ben Folds, Neil Gaiman, Damian Kulash of OK Go and Amanda Palmer) over the course of 12 hours, Nighty Night stands as a testament to the spectacular imagination of some industry giants, as well as a nice reminder of how fun crazy experiments like this can be. — more
Ray Davies: See My Friends
Almost 50 years after English rock band The Kinks first took to the stage, former frontman Ray Davies (now 66 years old) has released what some might see as his “victory lap” album. Entitled See My Friends, Davies’ latest record finds him re-rendering Kinks classics alongside scads of notable musicians such as Jackson Browne, Billy Corgan and Lucinda Williams. It’s not quite a greatest hits disc and not quite a tribute album, but rather some Frankensteinian conglomeration of the two. It’s also really very good. — more
Radiohead: The King Of Limbs
Can Radiohead ever do wrong?
Each album released by the band is so highly anticipated, amplified by starving fans scouring the internet for a whisper of gossip regarding new material. — more
Tristan Clopet – Purple EP
Tristan Clopet is an alternative rock singer/songwriter currently located in Miami, FL. His second EP, Purple, came out earlier this year. Nerdy Nothings recently learned about the artist and was asked to give the EP a review, and here it is.
Let’s start with this: Tristan Clopet is a talented guy. — more
Bruce Springsteen – The Promise box set
You may not know this, but I’m a huge Bruce Springsteen fan. “Huge” may not even be the right word–I hold Bruce’s music in such esteem that once or twice a month I dig out some harmonicas and a flannel shirt and perform a tribute to the man at various bars around Chicago. His work speaks to me in a way that no other artist’s does, and his philosophy of holding on to hope against all adversity has proven an important positive influence in my life.
It’s no surprise, then, that I could barely contain my anticipation for The Promise: The Darkness on the Edge of Town Story. — more
Yann Tiersen – Dust Lane
It’s difficult to describe just how much I enjoy the new Yann Tiersen album Dust Lane. I was introduced to his music by way of Sage Francis’ beautiful and haunting song Best of Times, which we showcased a couple weeks ago on Nerdy Nothings. The song is a spoken word/rap set to the music of Tiersen. It kicks all sorts of lyrical ass but the music stood out because it wasn’t your typical hip-hop backbone, it was more indie-classical if you allow such compartmentalization. It reminded me a little of the great found-sound band, The Books. I set out to find everything of Yann’s I could get my hands on. — more