Tom Vourtsis
Mothhunting
Music Ruins Lives (2011)
Synergy is a tough sell I know because the concept is completely abstract for some, but when I first heard about Mothhunting, I was immediately intrigued and excited by just how this release was described to me; being told that the music and the artwork and how they work together just fits so well is exciting to me (being jaded … Read more
Tom Waits
Bad As me
Anti (2011)
How many national music treasures come from the United States? You know those ones that are still alive that you can point to and say that our musical culture would be less without their contribution, and I mean, yeah, there is Bob Dylan, possibly the Boss, Iggy Pop; but I would be willing to place one Thomas Alan Waits up … Read more
Tom Waits
Orphans: Brawlers, Bawlers, and Bastards
Anti (2006)
What are your criteria for a good album, a good record, a good song even? For me, the criteria are many; but there is one that really separates the great records from the good records and that is the ability of a piece of music to elicit a significant emotional response. That tiny requirement means a world of difference. It … Read more
Tom Waits
Orphans: Brawlers, Bawlers, and Bastards
Anti (2006)
I'm not going to lie to you. This review isn't going to be unbiased. It isn't going to be impartial. It isn't going to be neutral in any way, shape, or form in the way that all good reviews are supposed to be. I'm a big Tom Waits fan; so much so that in 1999, I spent over a thousand … Read more
Tomahawk
Anonymous
Ipecac (2007)
When Hank III goes on tour, he leaves no stone unturned, playing anywhere that would have him: cities, towns, hamlets, burgs and more than a few Native American reservations. This had quite an impact on Hank's then touring guitarist, ex of the Jesus Lizard and future Tomahawk co-founder Duane Denison. The music he would hear while on the reservations left … Read more
Tomahawk
Oddfellows
Ipecac (2013)
In the summer of 1992, my older brother drove me to Tower Records to buy the new album by a band called Faith No More. Angel Dust was quite a departure from their previous album due to the increased influence of vocalist Mike Patton. As a 14-year-old burgeoning music fanatic, I was fascinated by the idea that such aggressive and … Read more
Tomahawk
Oddfellows
Ipecac (2013)
It's been over 5 years since the world has been graced with anything new from Tomahawk, the pseudo-supergroup featuring the triumvirate of Duane Denison, Mike Patton and John Stainer. 2007's polarizing Anonymous was an earnest exploration down the less-travelled dirt roads of the Native American experience. The album saw the group working as a trio since ankling bassist Kevin Rutmanis, … Read more
Tomahawk
Tonic Immobility
Ipecac (2021)
It would be nice if art could exist in a vacuum. I’m certain that a person finding Tomahawk randomly on YouTube or Spotify or whatever would have far different opinions than somebody who has known of Mike Patton since Faith No More’s The Real Thing blew up, which is probably like fifty albums ago in the Patton discography. Personally, Tomahawk … Read more
Tombs
All Empires Fall
Relapse (2016)
Since their inception back in 2007, Tombs have been in a phase of constant turmoil. Band members have been changed multiple times, with mainman Mike Hill the only original member still in the band. A similar sort of change has been undergoing along the works of the band, with their style. Starting out as a post-black metal act with the … Read more
Tombs
Tombs
Black Box Recordings (2007)
Tombs is the latest project from Mike Hill (former member of the criminally underrated bands Anodyne and Versoma). Tombs seemingly picks up from where Hill's last and short lived project Versoma left off with their EP Life During Wartime; this short, seven song EP is a good starting point for Tombs with its thick guitars and loud sound. Opening with … Read more
Tombs
Winter Hours
Relapse (2009)
Following their promising self-titled debut and their split with the European band Planks, Tombs drops Winter Hours (their debut for new label Relapse Records) onto an increasingly anticipatory public. Mike Hill (guitarist and vocalist) assembles a new lineup for this album, possibly out of necessity due to attrition or maybe just to possibly add different sounds to the band's palette. … Read more
Tommy & The High Pilots
Only Human
Redbird Records (2013)
Santa Barbara four-piece Tommy & The High Pilots first formed five years ago in 2008. In that space of time they have released two albums (with Only Human being their third) and an EP. Most of Tommy & The High Pilots' songs are, at their core, slices of catchy pop with sun kissed Californian guitar licks. But like every pop … Read more
Tommy Keene
In the Late Bright
Second Motion (2009)
New release from this accomplished singer/guitarist finds him continuing to offer us great songs, which are really hard to come by these days. Keene handles the majority of the instruments here, save for longtime mainstay John Richardson on drums. "Save this Harmony" features a laid back groove and a fantastic melody to carry this one home. "Tomorrow's Gone Tonight" has … Read more
Tommy Keene
You Hear Me-A Retrospective-1983-2009
Second Motion (2010)
2 disc greatest hits collection of Keene's work over his entire career. Disc #1 focuses on his eighties period of work. The most significant advantage to owning this release is having everything remastered here. The sound update is fantastic. Early crowd favorites like "Places That Are Gone" and "Nothing Can Change You" are here and should keep your stereo speakers … Read more
Tommy Stinson
One Man Mutiny
Done To Death Music (2011)
In the long-honored tradition of solo records from Guns N’ Roses members, Tommy Stinson delivers One Man Mutiny. Of course, Stinson has an intriguing back story—he joined the legendary Replacements at age 13, playing with them and even getting manager Peter Jesperson to sign off as a legal guardian for touring’s sake. But that was thirty years ago. The purpose … Read more
Tomoko Omura
Branches Vol. 2
Outside In Music (2021)
Today we’re looking at one lovely record - it’s Branches Vol. 2 by Brooklyn based Japanese violinist and composer Tomoko Omura. Tomoko’s works span a fairly vast territory, encompassing areas from jazz, modal jazz, post-bop, Japanese folk, gypsy music, and fusion with varying musicians. Branches Vol. 2 is the physical and spiritual successor of Branches Vol. 1. I actually never … Read more
Tomorrow We Sail
For Those Who Caught The Sun In Flight
Gizeh (2014)
Tomorrow We Sail is the perfect title for a band that seemed to have taken me on a journey. From the moment I turned on song one, “The Well & the Tide” I felt like I had been swept on an adventurous trek through mountain and sea. I closed my eyes and imagined myself in places I’d have seen on … Read more
Tomydeepestego
Odyessa
Subsound (2007)
Tomydeepestego are an Italian instrumental band that began writing music in 2006. The press sheet that accompanied Odyssea boasts that the band combines aspects of Neurosis, Isis, Pelican, and Mogwai, and that they have opened for Cult of Luna and Red Sparowes. Name-dropping these artists - plus seeing that Robotic Empire took care of the U.S. distribution - definitely caught … Read more
