This review by Robert Loerzel originally appeared in Signal to Noise magazine’s winter 2011 issue. Nina Nastasia Outlaster After recording four solo albums, Nina Nastasia gave equal billing to drummer Jim White on her 2007 record You Follow Me — an unusual juxtaposition of strong percussion with acoustic guitar and vocals. Three years later, Nastasia is… Continue reading Record review: Nina Nastasia, ‘Outlaster’
Category: Music
Mekons: 2011 feature
This article by Robert Loerzel originally appeared in Pioneer Press on September 29, 2011. See Underground for longer transcript of my interview with Sally Timms. Which rock band would open a concert with short slideshow lectures, talking about obscure topics like “various breeds of pigs, real and imagined”? Which rock band begins the recording process… Continue reading Mekons: 2011 feature
Richard Thompson Q&A
This article by Robert Loerzel was originally published in Pioneer Press and the Chicago Sun-Times on September 1, 2011. In case you doubted Richard Thompson’s impressive credentials as a singer, songwriter and guitarist, he now has an official stamp of approval — from England’s Queen Elizabeth. The British musician … received the Order of the… Continue reading Richard Thompson Q&A
Classical mania
This article by Robert Loerzel originally appeared in Listen magazine’s summer 2011 issue. The concert hall was packed with thousands of young women. As they heard the music rising from the stage, they seemed to sigh in unison. Some of their faces turned pale. Some blushed, as if overcome with emotion. Their mouths twitched and… Continue reading Classical mania
Record review: Espers, ‘III’
This review by Robert Loerzel originally appeared in Signal to Noise magazine’s winter 2010 issue. Espers III A few years ago, just about any small-label act playing acoustic instruments was suddenly called “freak folk,” whether or not there was anything freaky about the music. Espers really lived up to the description, though, and the band… Continue reading Record review: Espers, ‘III’
Record review: Clogs, ‘The Creatures in the Garden of Lady Walton’
This review by Robert Loerzel originally appeared in Signal to Noise magazine’s summer 2010 issue. Clogs The Creatures in the Garden of Lady Walton The human voice made only cameo appearances on the four previous records by composer Padma Newsome and his Clogs ensemble, but it’s at the center of their latest song cycle. Despite… Continue reading Record review: Clogs, ‘The Creatures in the Garden of Lady Walton’
Record review: Bonnie ‘Prince’ Billy & the Cairo Gang, ‘The Wonder Show of the World’
This review by Robert Loerzel originally appeared in Signal to Noise magazine’s summer 2010 issue. Bonnie ‘Prince’ Billy & the Cairo Gang The Wonder Show of the World Singer-songwriter Will Oldham is credited to Bonnie ‘Prince’ Billy & the Cairo Gang. Of course, Oldham settled on the Bonnie Billy moniker some years back, and while… Continue reading Record review: Bonnie ‘Prince’ Billy & the Cairo Gang, ‘The Wonder Show of the World’
Record review: Oneida, ‘Preteen Weaponry’
This review by Robert Loerzel originally appeared in Signal to Noise magazine’s fall 2009 issue. Last year’s Preteen Weaponry came stickered with this bold announcement: “The first piece of Oneida’s much-anticipated ‘Thank Your Parents’ triptych of releases, which will lay bare the band’s colossal vision of a new age in music.” One assumes that they… Continue reading Record review: Oneida, ‘Preteen Weaponry’
Classical music in Chicago
This article by Robert Loerzel originally appeared in Listen magazine’s September-October 2009 issue. When poet Carl Sandburg called Chicago “Hog Butcher for the World, Tool Maker, Stacker of Wheat,” he easily could have added “Music Maker” to that list. The City of the Big Shoulders forged so many of the sounds that became popular American… Continue reading Classical music in Chicago
Record review: Wildbirds & Peacedrums, ‘The Snake’
This review by Robert Loerzel originally appeared in Signal to Noise magazine’s fall 2009 issue. Wildbirds & Peacedrums The Snake Vocals and percussion are the two sounds at the core of this duo from Gothenburg, Sweden. Wildbirds & Peacedrums’ songs often consist of nothing more than Mariam Wallentin singing while her husband, Andreas Werliin, pounds… Continue reading Record review: Wildbirds & Peacedrums, ‘The Snake’