Back by popular demand, the albums of my year. Twenty-twenty-two was a doozy of a year, but at least there were some great tunes by some of my favorite bands to help get me through. Nothing beats the shot of adrenaline when a song connects. If you know me, you know it’s my drug. Here’s…
2020 Albums of the Year
After a year that was the most unpredictable in my lifetime and continues to be up until these final moments, I’ve compiled my list of best albums of 2020. The last time I ever felt the way I did this year must have been sometime in my teens. Probably around 15 when everything seemed out…
3-2-1 Ribs!
I got a small Traeger smoker/gril a couple of years ago. I threw out my gas grill when I got it and haven’t looked back. I regularly make chickens, brats, tri tip, burgers and steaks on it. I love it. I’m by no means a BBQ purist. I just want my food to come out…
Cinque Torri – Italy
Another day in the Dolomites. What an underrated place. We took the kids up to the top of the mountain after taking about a half-mile car ride up on the one lane road. Don’t do that. Plop down the cash for the ski lift a few clicks up the road, enjoy the view and have…
Neuschwanstein
The NH family just tore a mile uphill to the Neuschwanstein Castle near Füssen, Germany. We’ve seen it before but never like this. Few tourists were on the bridge overlooking the castle. Truly magnificent and a once in a lifetime experience. At least from this vantage point. Next up, the Dolomites…
2019 Albums of the Year
I can’t recall a better year for music since around 2004. This year there were some new bands, some old bands and there were no notable new U2 releases to cloud my judgement. Some long-time favorite acts released some stinkers, though. See the top 10, the middle of the pack and the stinkers below. Oh,…
Album Review Haiku – The Beach Boys – Wild Honey (2017 Stereo Remix/Remaster)
Beautiful new mix Laid back after “Smile” album Sounds sweet as its name Yes, the haiku pretty much says it all. I bought the European pressing and it’s flat, quiet and really dynamic. In a year when the Sgt. Pepper reissue grabbed so much attention, it’s good to see the Beach Boys holding their own. …
Albums of the Year – 2017 – Part 2 (The Middle)
These are the albums in the middle of the pack. Some of these have the ability to move to the front depending on the day, the mood or other factors. But they rarely stay there, pulled back by the areas where they miss the mark. None of them are bad – they’re just not as…
Albums of the Year – 2017 – Part 3 (The Top)
This is the top of the heap in the albums of the year list. These records all probably gave me goosebumps when I listened to them for the first time and some still do. These are the ones that have made me go back to the artists’ back catalogs in an attempt to get more…
Albums of the Year – 2017 – Part 1 (The Bottom)
Some would see this as the bottom of the list. Mostly, these albums are here because I don’t see them as albums I’ll go back to time after time. Others have parts that don’t fit or moods that just drag them down. Some are just fine and nothing more. Oh, and there’s at least one…
2017 Albums of the Year Coming Soon!
Get your Spotify playlists ready. My playlist is playing on Plex as I compile my 2017 AOTY. This year, the countdown comes from an unmistakable dad in his mid-forties. I’m trying to shuffle my work and personal life and there’s not nearly the time to discover new music like there used to be. (Also, too…
Albums of the Year – 2016 – Part 3
6,5,4,3,2,1, go! 6. Primal Scream – Chaosmosis “More Light” was the dark, brooding, brass knuckle side of Primal Scream. Chaosmosis is the Technicolor, grooving, silk shirt wearing side. It’s fun, dancy and easy to take for granted from your first listen. From the first track, in fact. “Trippin’ on Your Love” is laced with Haim…
Albums of the Year – 2016 – Part 2
Let’s get right into 12-7, shall we? 12. Car Seat Headrest – Teens of Denial This band had me at “I’m so sick of, fill in the blank”. This sounds like just the type of thing to cleanse the lacquer sheen off of pop music. It’s the Ramones if they had written songs over 3…
Albums of the Year – 2016 – Part 1
This has been an incredible and eventful year for music. We’ve lost several superstars including one of the greatest musical personalities of all time in David Bowie. In positive news, my childhood hero, Sting, has come back to the pop music scene after a decade in the lute filled wilderness. Out of nowhere, Iggy Pop’s…
The XX– Forum Karlin, Prague, November 29, 2016
The XX show last night a Prague’s Forum Karlin blew the pants off the one a few years back at the big room at the Lucerna downtown. The Lucerna show was fine performance and setlist wise but the sound was horrible. At that show, there were none of the gut-rattling low frequency elements of the…
NotHemingway 