tomy mostalas music reviews

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2020 - Music in review

2020 – Music in review

By Francelino de Azevedo I am back to my tradition of writing about my to-listen lists from the previous year. Last year, I actually listened to a full list of 168 music releases from 2019, but in the midst of the pandemic, I didn’t have the will to write an overview of what I found. This year I managed to muster the strength to write this article. I have listened to 175 records released in…

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Cats: Beyond Any Meaning

Cats: Beyond Any Meaning

By Dina Levina

In nearly every person’s life I’m sure there comes a moment, perhaps not even once nor twice, when they ask themselves – where am I going? Am I good or bad? Is not my life devoid of purpose, meaning? One thing is certain – of where I am going today I’m fully aware. Through snow and slush I carry these bothersome thoughts to a cinema in the middle of the city I never loved. There’s…

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2018 em análise – melhores e piores álbuns do ano

2018 em análise – melhores e piores álbuns do ano

Por Francelino Prazeres de Azevedo Filho

2018 foi um ótimo ano para a música. Desde que comecei a fazer este projeto de análise crítica do ano, eu nunca tinha encontrado tantos álbuns que amei. Mas não vamos colocar o carro antes dos bois. Olá a todos, meu nome é Francelino, e eu escutei 148 lançamentos musicais do ano 2018. Os álbuns, como de costume, foram selecionados de listas de melhores do…

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Marcelo D2 – Amar é para os fortes (2018)

Marcelo D2 – Amar é para os fortes (2018)

Por Francelino Prazeres de Azevedo Filho

O hip hop brasileiro passou por uma fase muito interessante no começo dos anos 2010. Digo “interessante” e não “era de ouro” porque estou falando das minhas opiniões, e pelo que vejo, a crítica especializada não concorda com minha visão, não 100%, ao menos. Naquela época, a moda da vez era um hip hop antropofágico, que sugava as influências dos inúmeros…

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In Defense of Britpop: A Riposte to Taylor Parkes by Fam Li

In Defense of Britpop: A Riposte to Taylor Parkes by Fam Li

By Jonathan Moss

It was 25 years ago today…

I recently read Taylor Parkes’ long and very provocative think piece on Blur’s iconic third album Parklife and, more generally, on Britpop’s cultural status (and cultural worth) as a whole on the online music magazine the Quietus. It was actually written in 2014 (that’s about half a decade ago) but was recently dusted off again by the Quietus in order…

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Bobbie Gentry – Fancy (1970)

Bobbie Gentry – Fancy (1970)

By Michael Strait

Once again, Bobbie sings other people’s songs – with one remarkable exception.

There are ten songs on this album. Eight of them are covers, one of which (“I’ll Never Fall in Love Again”) was also present on the last album. One of them (“He Made A Woman Out of Me”) was written for Bobbie by the minor pop songwriter Fred Burch.

And one of them is “Fancy”.

Gotta be honest: after…

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Bobbie Gentry – Touch 'Em with Love (1969)

Bobbie Gentry – Touch ‘Em with Love (1969)

By Michael Strait

She cedes the spotlight mostly to other songwriters on this one. Good thing she’s got great taste.

So, most of my reviews dealing with cover songs tend to compare and contrast ’em with the originals and/or other versions. That’d take me too long here, though, so I’m not gonna bother. Exactly 50% of this album is covers, and of the rest, only two are self-penned. That disappoints…

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SHORTIE’S VIDEO COLUMN: BEACH BOYS – Wild Honey (1967)

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Bobbie Gentry – The Delta Sweete (1968) By Michael Strait I believe this is what the young'uns refer to as a "glo-up". Alright, so it's at this point that I start to sort of understand why so many people insist on calling Bobbie Gentry a country artist.

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Bobbie Gentry—Ode to Billie Joe (1967)

Bobbie Gentry—Ode to Billie Joe (1967)

Michael Strait

I don’t really want to focus on music history here, so I’ll just hit you with the abridged version: Bobbie Gentry recorded the song “Ode to Billie Joe” as an intended B-side, ended up releasing it as a single in its own right, and was stunned at its prompt, immediate success. She proceeded to grab a guitar, a producer, and a bunch of string musicians, and together they set about…

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Syd Barrett - The Madcap Laughs (1970)

Syd Barrett – The Madcap Laughs (1970)

By John Short

The very first Syd Barrett solo album, The Madcap Laughs is generally considered to be the best Syd solo outing, and while I may not entirely agree with that verdict, i will concede that it is almost certainly the most honest. (more…)

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MOSSING ABOUT: APHEX TWIN - Selected Ambient Works Volume II (1994)

MOSSING ABOUT: APHEX TWIN – Selected Ambient Works Volume II (1994)

Review by: Jonathan Moss

This fucking album is full of bangers, goddamn. Well, they’re not so much bangers as slow moody atmospheric tracks with no beats or really anything like that. Like an early Brian Eno album but a lot more ominous. Trust me, this isn’t Lustmord level shit (fucking terrifying) but it’s still definitely in the area of dark ambient. All the tracks sound vaguely like they…

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SPECIAL REVIEW PROJECT: 2017 IN REVIEW – Best and Worst Albums of 2017 2017 IN REVIEW By Francelino Prazeres de Azevedo Filho So, here I am again with a list of 141 musical releases from the year 2017, to listen to, sieve and discover gems and potential favourites.

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MISERY WITHOUT COMPANY: Tyler Childers—Purgatory (2017)

Michael Strait

I’m a man who grew up on rock music, where lyrics tend not to matter unless they’re written by Morrissey or Bruce Springsteen, so reviewing mostly-lyrical music like hip-hop or country can be a bit of a foreign experience for me. There’s a reason the first hip-hop act I chose to review in full was UGK, one of the more musically-focused rap groups of the nineties. This burgeoning…

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MISERY WITHOUT COMPANY: Sarah Shook and the Disarmers—Sidelong (2015)

Michael Strait

I’m gonna get this right out of the way: if what bothers you about country music is that it’s whiny, this album won’t do much to swing you. But then again, if that’s your problem with country music, fuck you! Misery is one of the great topics of popular music, and the pages of history are littered with miserablist geniuses I’m willing to bet most of y’all just absolutely adore. If…

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"The Hellbound Fun" - A Hellraiser review

“The Hellbound Fun” – A Hellraiser review

“To William, who doesn’t want a taco”

by Dina Levina

For reasons rooted deeply, we are taught from an early age the notion that pleasure is wicked. Candy is not dandy, it rots your teeth and innards. Masturbation makes you blind. Dirty words make Jesus weep. Say your prayers, have more boiled carrots. Suffer. Perpetually intertwined by the simple logic of our nerve endings, pain and pleasure bind…

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Shakira–DONDE ESTAN LOS LADRONES (1998)

Shakira–DONDE ESTAN LOS LADRONES (1998)

Review by Joseph Middleton-Welling

Assigned by Nicolás Martínez Heredia

I’d previously only knew Shakira from ‘Hips don’t lie’ back in the late 00s. That song was never one of my favourites but I didn’t dislike it, it just wasn’t super on my radar. But from that song I thought I knew what Shakira’s deal was- latin dance pop. So when I got round to listening to this record, her forth, from the…

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