Music Picks

Check Our Music Picks

The four of us post our music picks and update them regularly. You find our latest additions below. For the whole thing, go to https://www.audioreviews.org/music-picks-2/

Loomis’ Latest…

Loomis' Music Picks Buzzcocks

Buzzcocks, “Singles Going Steady”— my wife made two salient observations about this record the other night: first, that under all the buzzsaw guitars there’s a lot of 50’s doo-wop and Elvis-style rockabilly in these tunes; and second, there’s almost no bass in the mix—it’s virtually all midrange. True dat, but these are stone classics nonetheless; at least during his late 70s heyday Pete Shelley might have been the great English songwriter.


Loomis' Music Picks Buzzcocks

Ed Kuepper, “Everybody’s Got To”— hard pop masterpiece from ex-Saints guitarist. Largely eschewing his punk past and the dark folk of his earlier solo records, this is closer in spirit to Ike and Tina or Sticky Fingers-era Stones, with blaring horns, big drums and a lovely-voiced backing vocalist. He’s a powerful rhythm player and a distinctive singer, but it’s the songs that really stand out and these are as good as any to emerge from Oceania. (“Lonely Paradise” “Too Many Clues”).


Loomis' Music Picks  Chris Forsyth

Chris Forsyth, “All Time Present”—he studied under Television guitar madman Richard Lloyd and was obviously a star pupil—most of these compositions sound like variations of “Marquee Moon,” though he also channels Krautrock, Neil Young and Sonic Youth. Mainly instrumental, though his sporadic vocals and lyrics are at least serviceable, this is technically dazzling (if derivative) guitar nirvana.


Loomis' Music Picks  Sex Clark Five

Sex Clark Five, “Strum and Drum”—Sort of a DIY, indie-rock counterpart to “Who Sell Out” from Alabama, of all places. They fuse REM jangle, Merseybeat, and T. Rex, but have their own unique take on this form, and  virtually all these one and two-minute gems feature a big hook, inventive harmonies and oddball lyrics. John Peel was a big fan.


All of Loomis’s picks: https://www.audioreviews.org/loomis-music-picks/


JK’s Latest…

JK's Music Picks Ed Palermo

Ed Palermo Big Band — A Lousy Day In Harlem: As the title implies, this big band is a bit on the goofy side. After “The Great Un-American Songbook” (featuring mainly titles of the “British Invasion”…Beatles etc.), these merry men now take on classics like Duke Ellington or contemporaries such as Renee Roseness…or they play their own compositions. Great for testing the 7 kHz area in your earphones…lots of cymbals.


JK's Music Picks Jan Lisiecki

Jan Lisiecki — Mendelssohn: More hometown stuff on Deutsche Grammophon, but this time Calgary. Great piano attack to test your headphones/earphones with. I like Jan’s very dry approach to Mendelssohn.


JK's Music Picks The Rhythm Method

The Rhythm Method — How Would You Know I was Lonely? 2019 debut by South London band combining 808 State, Madness, Squeeze, Pet Shop Boys, Prefab Sprout, New Order, and the Streets…all in one. Uplifting, fluffy, sweet. And Cliff Difford of Squeeze even sings on the last song. Groovy, Baby!


All of Jürgen’s picks: https://www.audioreviews.org/jks-picks/

Author

  • Loomis Johnson, Jürgen Kraus

    Based in Chicago, Loomis T. Johnson is a practicing attorney, failed musician, and lifelong music fanatic and record collector. He has frequently contributed to such review sites as Headfi, Sound Advocate, and Asian Provocative Ear (as well as many other far less interesting non-musical periodicals). A former two-channel and vintage gear obsessive, he has sheepishly succumbed to current trends in home theater and portable audio. He’s a firm believer that the equipment should serve the music and that good sound is attainable at any budget level.------------------He has been known as “Otto Motor” to Head-Fiers, as “Dr. Schweinsgruber” to audiobudget.com users and Youtubers, and as “Brause” to Super Best Audio Friends and the Headphone Community.For the purpose of confusion, he decided to pose under his real name Jürgen Kraus (“JK”) from now on.This is a hobby. In “real” life, Jürgen is a professional geologist operating his own petroleum-exploration consulting company Franconia Geoscience Ltd. (see ad in the footer) based in Calgary, Canada. He holds German and Canadian passports. Jürgen had a classical music education from childhood through high school in Germany and he has been following popular music developments since the late 1970s. His understanding of arts and crafts was influenced by Bauhaus pragmatism: “less is more” and “form follows function”.

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Loomis Johnson, Jürgen Kraus

Based in Chicago, Loomis T. Johnson is a practicing attorney, failed musician, and lifelong music fanatic and record collector. He has frequently contributed to such review sites as Headfi, Sound Advocate, and Asian Provocative Ear (as well as many other far less interesting non-musical periodicals). A former two-channel and vintage gear obsessive, he has sheepishly succumbed to current trends in home theater and portable audio. He’s a firm believer that the equipment should serve the music and that good sound is attainable at any budget level.------------------He has been known as “Otto Motor” to Head-Fiers, as “Dr. Schweinsgruber” to audiobudget.com users and Youtubers, and as “Brause” to Super Best Audio Friends and the Headphone Community.For the purpose of confusion, he decided to pose under his real name Jürgen Kraus (“JK”) from now on.This is a hobby. In “real” life, Jürgen is a professional geologist operating his own petroleum-exploration consulting company Franconia Geoscience Ltd. (see ad in the footer) based in Calgary, Canada. He holds German and Canadian passports. Jürgen had a classical music education from childhood through high school in Germany and he has been following popular music developments since the late 1970s. His understanding of arts and crafts was influenced by Bauhaus pragmatism: “less is more” and “form follows function”.

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