On Repeat: Steinski

Still reigning atop MetaCritic’s list of the best-reviewed albums of the year, Steinski’s What Does it All Mean? continues to dazzle listeners with its imagination and wit, its careful craft and its vibrant creativity. Here’s one of many standout tracks from the collection, “Jazz,” also called “Jazzy Sensation.”

Rodney Crowell: “Sex and Gasoline”

The promotional material accompanying Rodney Crowell’s latest album, Sex and Gasoline, suggests that the songs here have a loose thematic thrust– specifically, that they’re all sort of about women. Never mind that Sam Beam already did something like that on his Woman King record, and never mind that calling this an album about women is [...]

Glen Campbell: “Meet Glen Campbell”

Even aside from the fact that Glen Campbell had been recording music for over four decades, the title of his latest album, Meet Glen Campbell, is a bit misleading– not that it’s a misnomer, exactly, but it’s at least a little ambiguous. It could be taken as either a statement of reinvention– i.e., meet the [...]

Mott the Hoople: A Celebration

If you have very much awareness of classic rock– and of glam rock in particular– then there’s a good chance you’re already familiar with Mott the Hoople; and if not, you’ve probably at least heard their name mentioned and a snippet of one of their songs played in the movie Juno. It’s probably a bit [...]

Joan as Police Woman: “To Survive”

In a way, the title of Joan Wasser’s second Joan as Police Woman album sets it up quite nicely as a sequel to her debut. Last year’s Real Life bore a title that could be taken as either triumphant or wearily resigned, as either a celebration of daily living or as an expression of disillusionment. [...]

The Year of Dance Music?

Evidently, it isn’t just a great week for electronic/dance music– nor is the enthusiasm limited to The Hurst Review. According to MetaCritic, a site that compiles reviews from around the Web and even in print, the two highest-rated, best-reviewed albums of 2008 are The Bug’s London Zoo and Steinski’s Retrospective.
And who am I to argue?

On Repeat: The Bug

Between Steinski and this guy, I might as well call this Electronic Music Week here at the Hurst Review. Here’s The Bug and Tippa Irie rocking the opening track from London Zoo.

Steinski: “What Does it All Mean? [1983-2006 Retrospective]“

“Pastiche” is among the more common terms employed when discussing postmodern art, and for good reason. Postmodernism, as an intellectual framework, is most simply defined as a lack of belief in metanarrative, a rejection of any overarching story or sense of history that might lend meaning or sense to the reality in which we live. [...]

U2– The Lost Classics: “Pop”

In celebration of their recent trilogy of re-releases and in eager anticipation of their upcoming studio album, The Hurst Review is pleased to present the third and final installment of our look back at some of the most criminally underappreciated albums in U2’s catalog. For part one, October, click here; for part two, Zooropa, click [...]

Overlooked in ‘08

As we head into the second half of the year, with plenty of big-name new releases; as we continue to talk about important or noteworthy new works released during the summer months; and as we get closer to that magical season of list-making, where we celebrate the very finest music of 2008… it’s good to [...]