Eric R. Danton | Sound Check

R.E.M. podcast

After several years of meandering musical exploration, R.E.M. has recently returned to the one true path with a rollicking, rocking new album, "Accelerate."

It's something of a return to form for the band, which grew from anchoring the Athens, Ga., indie-rock scene in the early '80s to become one of the most beloved bands of the '90s. Steve Busemeyer, Eric Gershon and Elizabeth Zuhl join me on our latest podcast to discuss the rise of R.E.M. and the joy of hearing the band reclaim its vitality.

All our podcasts are linked here, and as always, comments are absolutely welcome.

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Podcast — R.E.M.

Podcast: Herbie Hancock, the Grammys and Jazz

When Herbie Hancock’s “River: The Joni Letters” won album of the year last month at the 50th Grammy Awards, it marked the first time a jazz album took top honors since Stan Getz and Joao Gilberto won for “Getz/Gilberto” in 1965.

Does Hancock’s win signal the start of a popular resurgence for jazz, or was beating Kanye West and Amy Winehouse merely a pleasant surprise with no larger implications for the jazz world?

Acclaimed Hartford jazz musicians Steve Davis, Rich Goldstein and Nat Reeves graciously share their perspectives for our latest podcast, recorded in the Jackie McLean Institute of Jazz — that is, the late, great McLean's old office at the Hartt School on the University of Hartford campus.

Davis on trombone (along with his wife, Mary, on piano) performs on guitarist Goldstein's new album, "Comin' From Montgomery," a tribute to the Montgomery brothers. Goldstein debuts the CD Friday, March 7, at 8 p.m. at  Szechuan Tokyo, 1245 New Britain Ave., West Hartford. Information: 860-561-0180

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Podcast — Jazz and Pop Culture

Podcast: Saint Bernadette and the Bridgeport scene

Saint Bernadette is an independent rock band, in the sense that it's not signed to a major-label contract, but don't mistake these musicians for indie-rockers, singer Meredith DiMenna says.

“We’ll never be an indie-rock band, in the sense that I grew up listening to musical theater and Keith [Saunders, the guitarist] grew up listening to Zeppelin and Deep Purple,” DiMenna says. “The stuff we look up to is generally catchy, melodic, commercial — in the good sense.”

Fair enough. Either way, the band made its full-length debut last October with the mesmerizing lounge-noir collection “In the Ballroom,” recorded over three days in the abandoned Bijou theater in downtown Bridgeport, shortly before a developer converted the 1910 movie house into a mixed-use retail site.

DiMenna and Saunders were kind enough to invite me to their Bridgeport studio to talk about recording in the Bijou, their new EP "I Wanna Tell You Something" (due March 4 on their own Exotic Recordings) and why the Bridgeport scene bears watching.

Saint Bernadette plays a CD release show March 6 at Two Boots, 277 Fairfield Ave., Bridgeport, and a showcase March 12 at South by Southwest in Austin.

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Podcast — Saint Bernadette
Love is a Stranger mp3
I Wanna Tell You Something mp3

Magnetic Fields podcast

The Magnetic Fields' latest album, "Distortion," takes the band's chamber-pop sound in a startling new direction, with swirling fuzz-tones wreathing catchy pop melodies.

It's easy enough to coax feedback and distortion from guitars, but singer Stephin Merritt (second from left) and company went a step further and sent piano, cello, organ and accordion to the verge of feedback for the sound of this album, he told me in a recent interview for this story.

Given the noisy leap forward, and the fact that the Magnetic Fields open their first tour since 2004 Monday in Northampton, "Distortion" seemed like a topic worthy of discussion. Our podcasting crew was divided over the new sound: Babe Zero and I love it, Stephen Busemeyer and Elizabeth Zuhl weren't so sure.

Listen to songs from "Distortion" here. Listen to previous podcasts here.

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Podcast — Magnetic Fields (caution: one of the songs we discuss features a colorful, explicit term for "inebriation")

(Photo by Chris Buck)

CD review/podcast: 'Old Growth' by Dead Meadow; 'In the Future' by Black Mountain

Some musical trends never fade completely away, they simply lurk below the surface and evolve without the pressure of prying eyes. Stoner rock is one of those trends, and Dead Meadow and Black Mountain are two of its best bands.

The former has been developing for a decade. “Old Growth” (Matador), the fifth studio album from Dead Meadow (shown at right), is a collection of rugged tunes that glower through sludgy guitar riffs and laconic vocals from singer Jason Simon. Much of the melodic movement comes from the bass parts, and the musicians fall into deep, hypnotic grooves, broken by a shuddering guitar effect on “What Needs Must Be” and a spare acoustic arrangement on “Down Here” that’s as heavy as any of the more amplified songs.

Gogol Bordello podcast

Gogol Bordello singer Eugene Hutz often describes his music as "gypsy punk," and it's apt: The New York group's frenetic tunes are packed with chunky guitars, rollicking accordion and lots of percussion.

Hutz, whose family moved to the United States after fleeing the Chernobyl nuclear accident in Ukraine in 1986, sings in a voice likened to a cross between "Borat and Triumph the Insult Comic Dog," but he mixes  in serious subjects among his tongue-in-cheek critiques of, say, American weddings.

In this week's podcast, Stephen Busemeyer and Eric Gershon join me to discuss the band's latest, "Super Taranta!" Previous podcasts are available here or here, or you can subscribe for free via iTunes and various other digital music services. Comments are welcome.

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Podcast — "Super Taranta!" by Gogol Bordello
mp3 — "Not a Crime"

John Vanderslice podcast

Singer and songwriter John Vanderslice is one of the best below-the-radar indie-rockers around. He has a knack for writing compelling tunes with vivid character-driven lyrics that are frequently unsettling, and it's a big part of his latest, "Emerald City."

Written as he was in stuck in a nightmare of red tape after the federal government denied his French girlfriend's visa application, "Emerald City" does a remarkable job capturing the paranoia that's pervasive these days. We talk about that and more in this week's podcast, featuring Stephen Busemeyer and Eric Gershon.

Check out our previous podcasts here or here. Also, they're available on iTunes. Comments are always welcome.

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Podcast — "Emerald City" by John Vanderslice
"White Dove" mp3

Spoon podcast

Austin-Portland band Spoon is a critical favorite with a fervent (if still relatively small) fan base, and the group's latest makes it easy to see why. Despite the off-putting title, "Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga" is a smart, catchy pop record full of great hooks and propulsive grooves.

It's also one of the few (only?) records for which my podcast partners and I reached consensus. Stephen Busemeyer, Babe Zero and I discuss Spoon's new record on our latest podcast. As always, comments are welcome.

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Podcast -- "Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga" by Spoon

White Stripes podcast

We range pretty far afield on our latest podcast, in which we dissect "Icky Thump," the latest album from the White Stripes.

It's the band's sixth full-length album, and it's rawer than the duo's past few albums: All snarling guitars and rhythmic pounding.

And opinions differed: Babe Zero was looking for something new, Eric Gershon was reminded of Van Halen  and Stephen Busemeyer quibbles with the production.

The White Stripes perform July 25 at Chevrolet Theatre in Wallingford. The show, the band's first in Connecticut, is nearly sold out.

As always, comments are welcome.

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"Icky Thump" by the White Stripes podcast

Beastie Boys podcast

The Beastie Boys have for years been celebrated for their lyrics. MCA, Ad-Rock and Mike D are funny, savvy and amazingly skilled on the mic, mixing obscure pop-culture references with incisive bursts of social commentary in a way that has made the trio one of the most important rap bands ever.

So naturally, they abandoned the lyrics on their latest album, "The Mix-Up." It's 12 groove-heavy instrumental tracks, and though it's not the first time the Beasties have released an album of instrumentals, the previous one (1996's "The In Sound From Way Out!") was largely compiled from "Ill Communication" and "Check Your Head."

A lyrics-free Beastie Boys album seemed like a good topic to podcast. I'm joined, as always, by Courant editor and CD reviewer Stephen Busemeyer; Courant reporter Eric Gershon; and WHUS-FM DJ Babe Zero.

Comments are welcome. Also, check out our previous podcasts.

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Podcast — "The Mix-Up" by the Beastie Boys