I feel like every year that I do this, I ask myself why? Many years ago, I got the bright idea to begin a best-of list that corresponded with the year. It was cute in […]
Category: Music Reviews
Album and song reviews
The Best New Holiday Songs Of 2020
It’s been a weird year to say the least but nothing can stop reindeer from dropping holiday songs like Santa’s sleigh was a 1987 Buick Regal low rider. What has as become a holiday tradition […]
‘Zappa’ Is A Portrait Of An Uncompromising Artist At Work
When I was growing up, Frank Zappa was something of a mythical creature. It seemed like he was part guitar god and part political rebel. I was pretty young when Zappa died but music has […]
New Music Friday – Nov. 27, 2020
Happy Black Friday everybody! Whether you are still hungover from all the turkey and stuffing you ate yesterday or it’s back to the daily grind, The High Note has a holiday respite for you and […]
‘Getting Into Knives’ Displays Sharp Songs By The Mountain Goats
The Mountain Goats have a way of creating songs that linger around so long in my head that I have to write about them. You call it a faithful companion or just a part of […]
Darlingside Wades In Natural Sounds On ‘Fish Pond Fish’
From the opening notes of “Woolgathering,” Darlingside takes listeners by the hand with harmonized vocals and leads them on a journey through flowing fields of folk. The combination of those voices is one the defining […]
Ray LaMontagne Has His Sights On His Legacy With ‘Monovision’
Coronavirus is messing with time and relatively for me. Or at least it seems that way. It’s November but it still feels like summer in South Jersey and July seems like it was last year, […]
Machine Gun Kelly Picks Up Axe For ‘Tickets To My Downfall’
I spent a lot of time in quarantine on YouTube. I saw a video “Smoke and Drive” and then I went into a little wormhole and found more of these videos by Machine Gun Kelly […]
Fleet Foxes Wades In Tranquil Waters On ‘Shore’
Like a warm wave, the soothings sounds of Fleet Foxes‘ lush layered instruments and harmonies wash over me. It’s been a while, three years in fact since I heard a new album from the Seattle, […]
Dawes Puts The Past On Paper For ‘Good Luck With Whatever’
I don’t know about you, but music makes me feel young. But what does it mean to be an adult anyway? That’s what one of my favorite bands, Dawes, tries to answer on its latest […]