Live Review: Lloyd Cole and the Small Ensemble at The 5 Spot, June 18

By Scott Roberts; photos by Sue Volkert Growing up gracefully in rock and roll is not always easy, but singer-songwriter Lloyd Cole has figured it out quite nicely. The once asymmetrically-coiffed, raven-haired leader of Glasgow’s The Commotions is now a 50-year-old based in Massachusetts and his accountant’s haircut now sports graying temples; his clothing looks […]

CD Review: Ben Sollee –Inclusions; Playing Eddie’s Attic, June 22

Ben Sollee Inclusions Tin Ear/Thirty Tigers By Al Kaufman Ben Sollee is a classically trained cellist. Wait, keep reading. He is also a man with strong pop sensibilities and a heart throb voice. It’s a voice full of yearning and longing, but sensitive enough to say he only wants to cuddle. Women’s hearts have fluttered […]

CD Review: The Book of Knots — Garden of Fainting Stars

The Book of Knots Garden of Fainting Stars Ipecac Recordings By Ellen Eldridge The Book of Knots begins with the birth of “7-pounds 11 ounces of sin” in “Microgravity” and, after posing the question, “Will they survive this microgravity?,” the band embarks on its third concept album; this one dedicated to the absence of expected […]

CD Review: Black Lips — Arabia Mountain

Black Lips Arabia Mountain Vice Music By Al Kaufman Every artist has that moment when they wish to be taken seriously. They make that attempt to branch out and not get pigeon-holed. The Jim Carreys and Will Ferrells of the world perform dramatic roles. The U2s release messes like Zooropa. In 2009, Atlanta’s Black Lips […]

CD Review: Elbow — Build a Rocket Boys!

Elbow Build a Rocket Boys! Polydor By Eileen Tilson In the fourth land discovered in the famous Gulliver’s Travels, the Houyhnhnms (horses) are the rulers of the land, and are also the keepers of the savage Yahoos (humans). In their language “Houyhnhnms” means “the perfection of nature.” Houyhnhnms value reason beyond all else. They are […]

CD Review: Death Cab for Cutie — Codes and Keys; Playing Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre, August 11

Death Cab for Cutie Codes and Keys Atlantic By Al Kaufman Thanks to iTunes and other sites, the concept of the album is all but gone. Bands still release CDs, but they are just afterthoughts. They put their “reach out and grab you” song first, usually something a bit different as the third or fourth […]