Today’s Cool Album of the Day (#818 in the Series) is Deacon Blue, The Hipsters Deacon Blue, The criminally ignored, critically acclaimed, and artistically brilliant band from Glasgow, Scotland, with The Hipsters, their 25th album and their first in 11 years, has delivered a solid set of pop-centric tunes that are sneakily good, and could stand up to anything that has been released in the current millennium. With six million album sales, 12 top forty hits in the U.K., and two number one albums, the group was popular on the musically astute side of the pond, but if you would have asked any of the un-washed U.S. musical listening masses about Deacon Blue they probably would have said...

Today’s Cool Album of the Day (#817 in the Series) is the Hindu Love Gods. There’s something cool about two of your favorite acts coming together on side projects.  That’s exactly what we have here in the Hindu Love Gods.  Who are they? (REM-Michael Stipe) + Warren Zevon = Hindu Love Gods. For those of you that hated Algebra, this would mean… take REM but leave Michael Stipe home, now add Warren Zevon on vocals and you got the idea. OK, now which tunes should they do you “ax?”  Well, they really did hang together enough to do much writing, so like many quickie, one-off side projects, they resort to covering many songs that they just happened to like....

  Today’s Cool Album of the Day (#816 in the Series) is Graham Parker and the Rumor, Three Chords Good From the minute Graham Parker and The Rumor came out of the gates with the phenomenal 1976, Nick Lowe produced album Howlin’ Wind, they have been a bit of a musical conundrum and have stayed so since Parker disbanded the group in 1980. He remained so throughout his long and confusing solo career, being that he, nor the band, ever had any real chart hits to speak of, could never be tied down to a specific genre and relied mostly on the reputation of boisterous live shows and critical acclaim. With the band, his closest thing to chart hits...

  Today’s Cool Album of The Day (#815 in the Series) is Thin Lizzy, UK Tour ’75 Everyone knows Thin Lizzy. The music world is awash with their albums, and there are enough bootlegs, greatest hits, extended versions, live albums, compilations, radio cuts, cover bands, and even versions of the band itself out there to choke the airwaves for the rest of time. Of course, almost every music lover is familiar their “big” rock albums Jailbreak, Johnny the Fox, Bad Reputation, and their touring masterpiece Live and Dangerous; all albums filled with rock radio staples we know and love. But to me, their finest and most interesting period was just before Jailbreak and all-conquering single “The Boys Are Back...

  Today’s Cool Album of the Day (#814 in the Series) is Boo Hewerdine and Darden Smith, Evidence It was 65 degrees here in Chicago a couple of short days ago. Within 10 hours it was down to 32. Yes, it was freezing.  I tell you that weather tale as I lead into a piece on this great album by Boo Hewerdine and Darden Smith titled Evidence.  Why you might have asked? I mention that because I’ve always had certain albums that I associate with the different seasons or even sometime more specifically a certain time of that season. I could never listen to Frank Zappa’s Apostrophe in the dead of summer because no one “trudges across the tundra” in...

  Today’s Cool Album of The Day is  is Arlo Guthrie, Alice’s Restaurant. An American Classic, simply put. Alice’s Restaurant was recorded and released in 1967. It was Woodie Guthrie’s son, Arlo’s, debut album. The story of ‘Alice’s Restaurant Massacre” is a wonderful tale, full of humor and Americana. It is some marvelous story telling.  It’s a tale that needs to be listened to.  It’s the full side of the album. It could have been longer as far as I’m concerned. Many radio stations break format on Thanksgiving and will play this lengthy track.  We’re thankful for that.  We have the full song below for you to listen to. Sit back, relax and enjoy this Arlo Guthrie classic. We’re...

  Today’s Cool Album of the Day (#813 in the Series) is  Bram Tchaikovsky, Strange Man Changed Man The legend says: ¨A long time ago, a bunch of bored cavemen, hungry of fun and sex, invented Rock´n´Roll…¨ It must be true, and we must be grateful:  they invented something of the same transcendence as the Ferris wheel; one of the most proteiform and free examples of contemporary art. Did I say art? Yes, maybe the 8th form! Along there with Music, but with its own singular status. Joyously alive, always changing, the perfect constant motion machine. This album is one of the finest examples of the genre. Sadly overlooked, it condensed in itself all of the stamina and the joie...

    Today’s Cool Album of the Day (#812 in the Series) is Digital Sex, Essence  Do you know this one? No you say? I somewhat expected that. No, not because the band wasn’t good enough or deserving enough because they indeed were. They were quite good but they were unfortunate to be another one of those talented acts that fell through the cracks. I don’t remember seeing them on MTV and that was the quickest and easiest way to get your name in front of people back in 1986. This was the indie rock of the time period. This was an Indie rock act back when you didn’t have the internet to help promote the little guy. It...

  Today’s Cool Album of the Day (#810 in the Series) is Bobby Charles, Bobby Charles Bobby Charles is one of those artists that you know intimately, has been in your life for a long time, but you just can’t remember, or never really knew how the relationship got started. Born in 1938, a true Cajun by birth, Charles was one of the swamp rock founding fathers, a genre that deliciously combines zydeco, boogie rock, rockabilly, and old juke joint rhythm and blues.  A typical “he’s big overseas” artist, in his early days he was generally known as a songwriter penning “See You Later Alligator,” famously covered by Bill Haley and the Comments, and “Walking to New Orleans” for...

  Today’s Cool Album of the Day (#809 in the Series) is Lori Carson, Everything I Touch Runs Wild  Of all the foggy things that I remember well about the days of the turn of the century, one of them is the music the some friends and I were listening … You know, it was 2000, 2001: bonfires, lasers, champagne, lovers, the Y2K paranoia, and the mist of it all. I was happy as a child then, living in a little country town far from Buenos Aires: a strange, petit city plenty of smart and cosmopolitan people by those years. It was full moon, in a marvelous and calm summer night, and we were anticipating the celebration with full blast...