Sound Obsession

Another year done and gone, and what a great year for music.  These are my top ten favorite albums of 2023, in alphabetical order by artist name . . . . Baroness:   Stone     (Abraxan Hymns - 9/15/23) Not so long prior to 2015’s   Purple , Baroness’ excellent fourth album in a color-coded series that concluded this year, their tour bus flipped in Bath, England, resulting in both shattered bones and band lineup.     Founder and frontman John Baizley remains as the sole original member of this Savannah, GA, sludge and progressive metal group.     2017’s   Gold & Grey   introduced fans to axe-shredder extraordinaire Gina Gleason, cementing a new and now consistent dynamic that pays dividends on Baroness’ latest LP,   Stone .     As its title implies, this one is rock solid with drums and bass locked in propulsive motorik tempo, Gleason’s soari...

Hey, folks.  Regrettably, it's been a while.  Due to time limitations, this year I've changed the format a bit.  Primarily photos, lists, and links for the foreseeable future instead of reviews and analysis.   These are my top ten albums of 2017.  Subjective favorites, of course.  Albums that made the most impact and were in heaviest rotation during the year.  Suffice it to say, Chris Stapleton's pair of earnest and emotive  From A Room  albums (an eclectic two-volume set of originals and choice covers recorded at the legendary " Studio A " in Nashville, TN - released seven months apart) dominated my earbuds and hi-fi in 2017. Click the hyperlinks below each album image for audio/video and check out my 2017 Runners Up and Honorable Mention  list.  Thanks for reading and listening, and have a Happy New Year!  See you in 2018. 1.  Chris Stapleton:   From A Room Vol. 1 & 2   (Mercury Nashville - 5...

Wolf Alice, 9:30 Club, Washington DC - 12/8/17 Wolf Alice, 9:30 Club, Washington DC - 12/8/17 Wolf Alice, 9:30 Club, Washington DC - 12/8/17 Queens of The Stone Age, The Anthem, Washington DC - 10/20/17 Queens of The Stone Age, The Anthem, Washington DC - 10/20/17 Queens of The Stone Age, The Anthem, Washington DC - 10/20/17 Foo Fighters, The Anthem, Washington DC - 10/12/17 Broken Social Scene, 9:30 Club, Washington DC - 9/19/17 Swervedriver, The Black Cat, Washington DC - 9/12/17 Mark Lanegan Band, Rock & Roll Hotel, Washington DC - 8/16/17

Mini Mansions:   The Great Pretenders Label:  Capitol Records Released:  March 23, 2015 8/10 Despite what some of the press might tell you, Mini Mansions aren't really a Queens of the Stone Age side project.  Mini Mansions are an LA-based psychedelic pop trio comprised of Zachary Dawes (guitar and bass), Tyler Parkford (keys and vocals), and Michael Shuman (percussion and vocals) - a distinct animal all its own.  Yes, Michael Shuman has been playing bass in Josh Homme's marauding rock collective Queens of The Stone Age since 2007, but arguably wasn't a full-fledged Queen until contributing to their chart-topping Grammy-nominated tour de force  ...Like Clockwork from 2013 ( my favorite album that year ).  By that point Shuman and his Mini-cohorts had already been kicking around for years, putting out a stellar and criminally overlooked self-titled debut in 2010.  That first album , Mini Mansions (released on Homme's own indie imprint Rekord...

Pallbearer, Metro Gallery, Baltimore MD - 10/30/14 Tombs, Metro Gallery, Baltimore MD - 10/30/14 Slowdive, 9:30 Club, Washington DC - 10/22/14 Gorgon City, U Street Music Hall, Washington DC - 10/10/14 Earth, Rock & Roll Hotel, DC - 10/21/14 Earth, Rock & Roll Hotel, Washington DC - 10/21/14 Black Keys, Verizon Center, Washington DC - 9/25/14 Jack White, Merriweather Post Pavilion, Columbia MD - 9/14/14 Skeletonwitch, Empire, Springfield VA - 9/12/14 Beck, Merriweather Post Pavilion, Columbia MD - 7/24/14 Queens of The Stone Age, Merriweather Post Pavilion, Columbia MD - 7/17/14 Queens of The Stone Age, Merriweather Post Pavilion, Columbia MD - 7/17/14 Queens of The Stone Age, Merriweather Post Pavilion, Columbia MD - 7/17/14 Deafheaven, Rock & Roll Hotel, Washington DC - 6/10/14 Deafheaven, Rock & Roll Hotel, Washington DC - 6/10/14 Deafheaven, Rock & Roll Hotel, Washington DC - 6/1...