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Dave Perkins - Pistol City Holiness

Scott & Becky Aniol  - God Himself Is With Us:The Gospel Proclaimed Through Hymns (last updated 6/16/09)

If you see a void, sometimes it's incumbent upon you to fill it yourself. 

Crossover bluegrass full of good tunes and dark-edged lyrics. The sound of a band who know they are on the way to even higher things. A real joy.

What do you get when you combine bizzare with art? 

The most immediate benefit of teaming up with a single producer like this is that it results in a cohesion and togetherness of the record's sound that was lacking

The person deserves credit as the sound is great. From there this reissue goes down hill fast. 

Decent blend of covers and self-penned prog/classic rock. 

 Anyone appreciative of the lead actress of Hannah Montana or Metro Station's guitarist owe Billy Ray Cyrus gratitude for siring Miley and Trey. 

New live package includes songs from the great Kingdom of Comfort album – but hang on a minute ...

I don't necessarily hold any grudges against well-coifed, attactive young thangs looking like they came straight from central casting who want to exalt the Almighty in song with the occasional celebrity guest chiming in. 

Energetic, fun party rock music 

If I wasn't already looking forward to the new full-length album Grammatrain is promising for later in 2009, Kneeling Between Shields raises my anticipation to a fever pitch. 

When I read on their myspace page, a month or so ago, that this young band was being influenced by the post-rock outfit Isis, my eyes bugged out a bit.

These lyrics would fit into a church service no problem. This is odd for metal. One could call it a metal worship album..

Suggested particularly for fans of Matt Redman, Tim Hughes, or Paul Baloche.

This is an assured collection of conversational singer-songwriter songs that work together well. If you’re between relationships, this could be your soundtrack.

Pop-worship at its . . 

Pieces too intense for casual listening mix with radio-friendly shorts on this wide-ranging and generous set from the premier contemporary string quartet.

Frank Lenz returns with... a movie soundtrack?  If only all movie soundtracks could be this groovy.

Christian folk-rock Jamiroquoai.

Ed Palermo’s Big Band does right by Frank Zappa on Eddie Loves Frank - his third album of lovingly-arranged Big Band recordings of Zappa’s jazzier compositions

Palmer’s definitive series on popular music is now available as individual episodes. There’s truly something for everyone here.

It only happens a two or three times a year for me when I put a new disc in the cd player and out of the speakers comes something so good that I can’t put it away.

John Lennon is alive and well, not only in the music of his sons Julian & Sean, but also in the music of the band Purpose. 

A great album full of hope.

Waiting for this to release was like being a kid on Christmas Eve waiting to get at the presents in the morning. 

Stands up as smart alt-pop rock that should supplant much of what passes for modern pop radio. 

Slow Hands’ Dependence blends electronic and pop with a human voice…

Part  garage, part stoner, part seemingly weird for the sake of weird. 

Tre9 is a dirty south crunk hip hopper, minister, and entrepreneur. 

Soundtrack

: . . . hardcore punk-influenced thrash begats death metal, and death metal begats the even punkier, generally more compact grindcore. Add preoccupation with medical textbook terminology and the most unappetizing of bodily functions, and there be goregrind. 

The Phantom Tollbooth finally reached the point where we can't do a full review every CD we received.  We thought we'd say something about the most of them

7/2009
And Then There Were None - Who Speaks For Planet Earth?
Conspiracy of Thought - Nothing More Than Light
Randall Goodgame - (Bluebird) (EP)
Icon For Hire - 3-Song EP
In Grief - Deserted Soul
Elliot Jack - I Didn’t Know That Led To This (EP)
Language Room - One By One /Not Waving, Drowning
Listener - Return To Struggleville 
Rev21 - In the Twinkle of an Eye
Somewhere Familiar - Like aShadow, Without Hope
Soul Patches and the Second Bananas - Puddin’ (EP)
The Southern Sea - Theoretically, Yes. Honestly, No.
Undying Allegiance - Don’t Panic! (We Aren Control)
 
 

Writers' 2008 Top Releases

If you are interested in writing for us, please contact us.
Please use the subject New Writer

The Phantom Tollbooth accepts CDs which we will consider for review. We do not review demos.
The Phantom Tollbooth is moving our mailing address. (We are still based in Chicago, Illinois.)
Effective immediately, please send all review copies to the following address:
The Phantom Tollbooth
Attn: Shari Lloyd
W147N9991 Emerald LN
Germantown WI 53022-6617
Including a brief bio or press sheet is helpful; we generally do not need press photos. We will consider everything that comes our way, but we can't guarantee anything beyond that.

 

June 2009

Israel Houghton - The Power of One

Roger McGuinn - Live at the Basement

mewithoutYou - it's all crazy! it's all false! it's all a dream! it's alright

Procol Harum in Concert with the Danish National Concert

May 2009

• Bruce Cockburn - Slice O Life
• Jars of Clay - The Long Fall Back to Earth
• Jesse Sprinkle - Surrounded By Lights
• Mike Farris - Shout! Live!
• U2 - No Line On the Horizon 

• Buddy & Julie Miller - Written in Chalk
• Pierce Pettis - That Kind of Love
• Superdrag - Industry Giants

March 2009

• Mute Math - Spotlight EP
• Deliverance - Deliverance/ Weapons of Our Warfare
• Switchfoot - The Best Yet: Deluxe Version
• Randy Newman - Harps and Angels

February 2009

• Phil Keaggy: The Master and the Musician 30 Years Later Tour (DVD)
• Sandra McCracken - The Red Balloon
• Over the Rhine - Live From Nowhere Vol. III

• Danielson - Trying Hartz:First Fruits '94-'04
• Bob Dylan - Tell Tale Signs
• Starflyer 59 - Dial M

• Resurrection Band - Music To Raise the Dead:1972-1998
• Genesis - Genesis 1970-1975

November 2008

 
• Charlie Hall - Bright Sadness
• Neal Morse - Lifeline
• Wovenhand - Ten Stones

• Phil Keaggy  -  Acoustic Café
• Brian "Head" Welch - Save Me From Myself

September 2008

• Sam Phillips - Don’t Do Anything
• Jon Foreman - Spring and Summer

• The 77s - Holy Ghost Building
• Jon Foreman - Spring and Summer
• Coldplay - Viva La Vida
• Third Day - Revelation

July 2008

•  Neal Morse – Sola Scriptura and Beyond
• Fish - 13th Star 
• Chicago - Stone of Sisyphus
• JoyElectric - My Grandfather, the Cubist

Various - In the Name of Love: Africa Celebrates U2

Admiral Twin - The Center of the Universe

• Jon Foreman - Fall/Winter
• Kirk Franklin - The Fight of My Life
• Delirious? - Kingdom of Comfor

• Carrie Newcomer - The Geography of Light
• Bodeans - Still
• Laura Story - Great God Who Saves

• Delirious? - Fusebox
• Neal Morse - ? Live
• Plumb - Blink
• Swirling Eddies - The Midget, The Speck & The Molecule

• Aradhna - Amrit Vani
• Blind Boys of Alabama - Go Tell it on the Mountain

December 2007

• Kevin Max - The Blood
• Over the Rhine - The Trumpet Child
• Robert Plant & Alison Krauss - Raising Sand
• Radiohead - In Rainbows

• Caedmon's Call - Overdressed
• Glass Hammer - Culture of Ascent
• Iron and Wine - The Shepherd's Dog
• Bruce Springsteen - Magic

October 2007

• Mark Olson - The Salvation Blues
• Over the Rhine - The Trumpet Child
• Mike Farris - Salvation in Lights
• Jonathan Rundman - The Best of Jonathan Rundman: 20 Songs from the 20th Century

• Johnny Cash: The Man, His World, His Music DVD
• Paul McCartney - Memory Almost Full
• Mike Farris - Salvation in Lights
• Various - Glory Revealed