– Road Apples by THE TRAGICALLY HIP –
(second LP)

AllMusic/John Azpiri: “The Tragically Hip have always taken a certain modest pride in their Canadian roots… The straight-ahead roots rock of Road Apples is a perfect example of why the Tragically Hip are legends north of the 49th parallel. American audiences have yet to catch on, but they would be doing themselves a favor by not stepping aside Road Apples.” Score: 4/5.

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– Green Mind by DINOSAUR JR. –
(fourth LP)

Rolling Stone: “Listen to Green Mind a time or two and the term folk rock starts to take on entirely new dimensions. While no one’s going to mistake Dinosaur Jr majordomo J. Mascis for
a Roger McGuinn acolyte, there’s no denying that his pretty melodies and drawling, laid-back voice connote folk as surely as his over-the-top guitar playing spells rock. The resulting musical conflation is the sort of hybrid for which oxymorons like “lethargic urgency” are coined.”
Score: 4/5.

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– Night Ride Home by JONI MITCHELL –
(14th LP)

The Los Angeles Times: “The album’s sound is as stripped-down as Mitchell has gotten in a while: lush, smooth sailing of the sort that Joni fans who’ve been away a while will love to come back to. What they’ll find is an artist who has continued to grow in surprising ways–as opposed to fighting off getting old.” Score: 4/5.

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