Rock

Music Review: The Beatles are Still Here, There, and Everywhere

May 8, 2024
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Beatles fans are being treated to a three-fer of projects spanning three media genres: a restoration of the film “Let It Be,” a book focusing on the two 1967 songs “Strawberry Fields Forever” and “Penny Lane,” and an appearance on the new season of “Doctor Who”.

Album Review: “Letters From a Black Widow” — Stunning Missives

May 6, 2024
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A powerful performer and artist emerges in this ambitious album about being publicly ostracized and maligned — and coming back stronger.

Rock Album Review: Cloud Nothings’s “Final Summer” — Bopping Your Head as You Sing Along

May 1, 2024
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What is it about Final Summer that makes it a very good Cloud Nothings album but not a great one?

Concert Review: Umphrey’s McGee’s UMBowl X — Taking the Idea of Themes to Extremes

April 30, 2024
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Umphrey’s McGee’s Um Bowl was an exhaustive two-night series for non-diehards but rollercoaster nirvana for the initiated.

Concert Review: The Flaming Lips — Still Keeping the Pink Robots at Bay

April 26, 2024
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“Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots” was the only record of the Flaming Lips that I knew in any real depth; it turns out that the band’s live show was  heartwarming, a buoyant and visually exuberant experience.

Music Interview: Matthew Sweet — After Five Years, Back on the Road

April 9, 2024
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The alternative rock/power pop singer-songwriter and musician was slowed down during the COVID years — but now he is back.

Concert Review: The Sessanta Tour — Three of Alt-Rock’s Top-Tier Bands Triumphant

April 4, 2024
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Sessanta succeeded in making “old” songs and “old” bands sound powerful, vital, and progressive.

Music Commentary: A Deep Dive into The Mothers of Invention’s “Plastic People”

March 29, 2024
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Frank Zappa’s tight editing ensured that “Plastic People” was a compelling aural creation, and his fierce confidence compelled listeners to pay attention to the words.

Music Commentary: A Mystery Solved on the 50th Anniversary of the Release of “Queen II”

March 28, 2024
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It is well established that the lyrics to the song on “Queen II” that’s directly about the painting (called “The Fairy Feller’s Master-Stroke”) originate from a poem Richard Dadd wrote about his picture. What’s never been established though is exactly how Freddie Mercury became aware of this poem.

Concert Review: “Fort Nights” — A Celebration of Life and Community

March 19, 2024
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Saturday night’s advertised performers paid robust homage to the late Gary Smith — the Fort Apache Studios owner, producer, and band manager —  across three and a half hours at the Somerville Theatre.

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