Dear Fiona Apple, Please don’t ever go away for so long again. The world suffers from a dearth of female songwriters who don’t sell their perfect abs and style rather than their voice and lyrics. We’ve got far too many teeny-popstars and even Liz Phair gave up and had Avril Lavigne’s songwriters do her last […]
“The Drought is my Illmatic; it’s my Reasonable Doubt,” professes Big Tone, the Detroit MC whose debut solo album on ABB Records aims to fill a big spot in these congested rap waters. Already sporting an extensive discography, appearing on tracks with the likes of Jay Dee, Slum Village, and his own super group Wasted […]
Two of independent hip-hops most respected heroes—Danger Mouse (deejay/ producer lifeforce) and MF Doom (MC extraordinaire and producer by day) pair up for an album experience inspired by and featuring characters from, Cartoon Network’s Adult Swim. Others making an appearance include the chameleonic Cee-Lo, the talented Mr. Talib Kweli and the under-rated Ghostface.
Late in 2004, Gris Gris gave what I am told was their very first public performance at a backyard BBQ in Berkeley, CA. I was holding a spicy chicken wing and was enthralled with the psychedelic mastery of what was then Greg Ashley’s much smaller semblance of musicians (I believe it was two, but I […]
The Like sounds like the name of a band that should be cute. Their bio doesn’t help with that notion–three teenage girls from L.A. that thank Gia and Sofia Coppola in their liner notes? Before getting this CD in, I’d read about them in NYLON and BUST, so my hype-o-meter was already going off. And […]
It’s been over a year since I interviewed Metric upstairs at Larimer Lounge. I never got to use the interview because the recording got garbled, which was a shame, but the memories of that show helped to soften the blow. One thing I remember lead singer Emily Haines saying was how they preferred to play […]
Time is flying. Just when we were getting out our summer gear the leaves are turning golden and falling to our feet in the cold rain. As opposed to our screaming calendars causing us frustration and stress, the whizzing time machine has worked in favor for The Photo Atlas. The band started just one year […]
Nothing about this album makes any sense! The cover says “Purple Wizard” in a manner that conjures Black Sabbath, but the inlay is a collection of Fischerspooner-esque pics of the members in the inferred buff. (Only one of them is actually naked, from what the eye can see; the rest are darkly lit with very […]
The goofy and cartoonish weasel, with his signature leather jacket, and smoking cigarette about to frantically jump from his lip, is back for an encore. Yep kids, Screeching Weasel is releasing an anthology of sorts entitled, WeaselMania. Thanks to the folks at Fat Wreck Chords, all the Weasel hits are chronicled here, from “Supermarket Fantasy,” […]
I once had a nervous breakdown listening to Sigur Ros’ ( ) album. It wasn’t an actual a nervous breakdown, but probably more of a panic attack. I was working at a soulless job that I hated and my personal life and ego had just suffered a devastating blow. I sat in my grey chair, […]
