T0day’s Cool Album of the Day (#1044 in the the Series) is Whiskeytown, Strangers Almanac. There are very few albums that I can look back on and say that it shaped what I listened to for the rest of my life.  Strangers Almanac is one of those albums.  I had a roommate that kept telling me that I needed to listen to this artist named Ryan Adams.  I kind of had a rule at the time that if the album came out in the 80’s or later I wasn’t that interested.  I finally gave it a chance and it redefined my taste in music. If you compose music we recommend the best violin case to protect your instrument all times....

Today’s Cool Album of the Day (#997 in the Series) is Leo Kottke, Time Step Leo Kottke is one of my favorite fingerstyle guitar players. He is one of those players that the music reveals its complexity slowly. It often takes me multiple listens just to realize the intricacies and subtleness of a song. I realized how great his playing was while listening to a live performance and discovering that there was only one guitar being played. His ability to play multiple melody lines at once was just unbelievable to me. Slap on top of that his quirky sense of humor, he keeps me coming back for more. My discovery of Leo Kottke happened when I was thumbing through...

Today’s Cool Album of the Day (#861 in the Series) Is The Zutons, Who Killed ….. The Zutons The Zutons may very well be the summation of rock music at the turn of the century. What I mean by that is if I had to pick one album that incorporates one of the most varied mix of styles and influences from rock history, it would be their debut Who Killed…… The Zutons. The alchemy of the sound includes psychedelia, punk, folk, and garage rock. There is the raw energy of the 60’s, the flamboyant coolness of the 70’s, the tight pop of the 80’s, and the grungy bite of the 90’s. All their influences are often so seamlessly blended...

  Today’s Cool Album of the Day (#847 in the Series) is the self-titled debut from Silver Condors Silver Condor is one of those bands that didn’t develop much of a following. With some of the ingredients of their first album, it is kind of amazing that it went as unnoticed as it did. First of all, the lead guitarist was Earl Slick who played on John & Yoko’s Double Fantasy album and David Bowie’s Young Americans and was on the Diamond Dogs Tour. Slick was introduced to Joe Cerisano, vocalist and principal songwriter for Silver Condor, by Ian Hunter from Mott the Hoople. To finish it off, the album was produced by Mike Flicker, who is credited with...

  Today’s Cool Album of the Day (#838 in the Series) is Jimmy Spheeris, Isle of View For today’s album review I wanted to pick someone out that has been overlooked for the most part. Jimmie Spheeris had all of the makings to go down as one of the quintessential singer-songwriters of the 70s. He had a poetic lyrical sense, a unique voice, and an intriguing history. His poetry conjures up vivid imagery and his voice fits perfectly within the scenery he has laid out. Part of the reason for such an uncanny ability to describe such vibrant settings is probably from his childhood. Jimmie was born into a traveling carnival family. This unique upbringing would be referenced in...

  Today’s Cool Album of the Day (#835 in the Series) is The Black Keys, Rubber Factory The Black Keys have enjoyed quite a bit of success as of late. They received five nominations for the 55th Grammy Awards, tour relentlessly, and just about everybody has heard of them. This wasn’t always the case. Their first three albums began somewhat under the radar. Rubber Factory is their third album and what some people still claim is the best release they’ve had so far. If someone ever asks me what The Black Keys sound like, I always point them to this album. In a nutshell it is blues rock with an unrelenting drive and passion. When I was growing up I...

    Today’s Cool Album of the Day (#827 in the Series) is The Mumlers, Don’t Throw Me Away Don’t Throw Me Away is release number two from The Mumlers.  What impresses me about this album is its uncanny ability to feel old and fresh often at the same time.  It is difficult to label their style as there are elements of jazz, folk, and psychedelia all mixed together.  If I had to pick something I would say folk with some creole jazz backing.  A lot of the vocals have a lo-fi sound which fits perfectly into their retro sound.  Their style isn’t to force the music onto people or to catch you with one or two catchy guitar...