Cate Brooks’ ‘Prismatics’

I love the fact that no matter how much music you think you know about, or how vast your knowledge is there’s always something new to you just around the corner. I’ll go months not discovering anything new(or new to me), and then all of a sudden like a “Eureka!” moment something new hits my […]

Complex Distractions Presents : Favorite Albums Of 2024(5-1)

Hello. We’re a mere two days away from 2025; new year, new me, new you, and all that jazz. I’m hoping for a year a little less rough and tumble myself. Maybe a quieter -dare I say- more boring year. Going into it knowing my job is protected now for at least a few more […]

Complex Distractions Presents : Favorite Albums Of 2024(15-6)

We’re winding down. Two days away from the big event. Christmas Day, where families can once again get together and eat lots of food, watch sports or whatever, and argue about religion and politics. As if Thanksgiving wasn’t enough, a month later we’re back at it. Now with ugly sweaters, gift receipts, and the anxiety […]

Albums I Forgot To Mention : Great Records Of 2024(Part II)

At the end of the year when we’re looking back on records that dropped I’m amazed at how much I’ve listened to. And I’ve barely scratched the surface. I used to think that I covered a pretty large swath of music, but in the end it was just a small peak into the year’s music […]

Albums I forgot To Mention : Great Records of 2024(Part I)

I never realize just how many albums I’ve listened to in a year until I get to the year-end list season. There’s a LOT of records that have hit my ears this year, and sometimes I don’t get around to a review. I just end up enjoying a record and not sit down to write […]

Complex Distractions Presents : Favorite Albums Of 2024(25-16)

I can’t believe I’m typing this, but we’re a mere couple weeks before 2024 makes like a tree and leaves. A year that began with the hope that it would stay on track, offer up new and exciting things, and see us all making the most of those 365 days. I’m sure that was the […]

McCoy and Henderson, Forces Of Nature : Live At Slugs’, 1966

I was never much of a live album guy. Growing up I had a few that stood out and I would listen to more than once, as opposed to relegating it to the shoebox of shame in my closet. The shoebox was where unloved albums went to die, making room for the bangers and regular […]

Out Of/Into : Motion I

Jazz quintet Out Of/Into – formerly known as The Blue Note Quintet – makes it perfectly clear that there are some exciting things happening in the world of jazz still. Following in the footsteps of the giants of jazz that came before, the band that consists of pianist Gerald Clayton, alto saxophonist Immanuel Wilkins, vibraphonist Joel Ross, drummer Kendrick […]

A Place To Bury Strangers : Synthesizer

Coming into a new album from Oliver Ackermann’s A Place To Bury Strangers you pretty much know that it’s going to be loud, abrasive, and sprinkled with melodic ear worms under all the aural debauchery. Ackermann is a bit of a sound wizard, creating effects boxes with his Death By Audio effects company. His effects […]

Jeff Parker ETA IVtet : The Way Out of Easy

Jeff Parker is one of those unsuspecting musical geniuses. He’s been a figure in the Chicago underground music scene for years, having played in Tortoise, Chicago Underground Quartet, Chicago Underground Trio, and Isotope 217 to name a few. He’s also worked with Makaya McCraven, Rob Mazurek, Joshua Abrams and Hamid Drake. That doesn’t include his […]