alec miller

Being produced by A.G. Cook I honestly expected it to be more electronic and possibly dancy but alas that moment never came showing Cook's ability to NOT produce hyperpop, for better or for worse (I would've loved to hear that version of the mix too). Shoe gaze can often drift into more grunge sounds and songs like My Star do just that. At least one song (Dare Me) features the classic shoe gaze guitar effect which feels like home. Trillions is a playful pop jaunt questioning the existence of the ultra wealthy. I approve of this message.

This is the happiest jazz album ever. To think that Count Basie had been putting out music for over two decades at this point is a testament off the bat. Count Basie himself plays piano, and he is never over bearing or trying to steal the limelight. Every song has some extraordinary element. Usually the horns, or more specifically the saxophone but also the drums. The drummer can really keep the beat alive while adding in all these fantastic flourishing fills. If someone asked me for some real upbeat jazz, this would be it. It’s too danceable and exciting for a cocktail hour. If I went to see

This reminds me of the Count Basie jazz album if it was being directed by Christopher Nolan. It keeps bending in weird ways that you’re not expecting and is an album that requires multiple listens for you to really be able to get into it. This ain’t your grandma’s jazz. These are not standards and you will not be able to dance to them easily. It reminds me of Fantomas or something if they were a jazz group. It sounds hard to play, which makes sense as Thelonious Monk was quoted as saying “I wasn’t trying to create something that was hard to play.” That quote didn’t happen after someone asked “

Miles Davis played with Charlie Parker and Dizzy Gillespie before he put his own group together with other “side” players. This record is great. The horn lines are at times insane in speed and pizazz. On other tracks though they lead us through a calm exploration of jazz. Is this where cool was born? Maybe. From the albums I’ve listened to so far on the 1,001 albums I listen to before you die lost this is one that is much ‘cooler’ than most (looking at you In The Wee Small Hours by Frank Sinatra). This belongs on a playlist with Ellington at Newport and the Atomic Mr. Basie. Bottom Line: The

I was in this band so this is my honest review of my own record: This Baltimore based drum and guitar/vox duo attempted to bring their raucous and noisy live sound to a studio without giving up the integrity of the live music with expansive overdubs resulting in a purposefully slightly out of tune noise punk record with ecstatic rhythm aplenty.