Music Man–Less is More

Music Man–Less is More

I got an advance of Jay-Z’s The Blueprint 3 album recently. It’s actually pretty solid throughout, but that’s not what this is about. The album has fifteen tracks on it, and like I said, it’s pretty solid but it seems to me that fifteen tracks on any album is too long these days. Jay-Z can […]

CD Review: Wighat — The Hum of All Things

CD Review: Wighat — The Hum of All Things

WighatThe Hum of All ThingsSelf-released By Eileen Tilson Wighat’s latest album, The Hum of All Things, is as confusing and complicated as its cover. The EP contains a booklet that looks like it came right out of the pages of singer Rubi Cuautle’s journal, and is encased in a weblike envelope with a skull cut […]

CD Review: Slaraffenland — We’re On Your Side

CD Review: Slaraffenland — We’re On Your Side

Slaraffenland We’re On Your Side Hometapes It’s a rare find, but Denmark’s Slaraffenland truly sounds unlike anyone else. The all-male vocal harmonies on the band’s second U.S.-released LP bring to mind a men’s choir or barbershop quartet, bass-heavy, on-pitch and gorgeous. But see, then they mix that skill with rock n’ roll sensibilities; We’re On […]

CD Review: Bombadil — Tarpits and Canyonlands

CD Review: Bombadil — Tarpits and Canyonlands

BombadilTarpits and CanyonlandsRamseur Records By Leila Regan-Porter Life. Death. Love. Marriage. Pretty big themes to tackle, yet Bombadil take them all on for their latest work, the glorious Tarpits and Canyonlands. In fact, the four themes seem to make up one gigantic theme that runs throughout the whole record like a fierce winding river as […]

CD Review: Imogen Heap — Ellipse

CD Review: Imogen Heap — Ellipse

Imogen HeapEllipseRCA By Eileen Tilson One of my favorite movies from when I was young was Disney’s Fantasia. I always found myself mesmerized by the colliding of sounds and the swirling orchestras. The music was so visual, you could close your eyes and imagine a colorful waltz playing inside your head. It was moving and […]

Live Review: The Fiery Furnaces @ Variety Playhouse, August 21

Live Review: The Fiery Furnaces @ Variety Playhouse, August 21

By Ben Grad Noted experimental rockers The Fiery Furnaces played the Variety Playhouse last week with the most basic of basic set-ups: drums and bass, while Mathew Friedberger lead with guitar and Eleanor Friedberger covered most of the vocal duties. Keyboard and organ were noticeably absent on stage; and considering how much I'm Going Away […]

CD Review: Drive-By Truckers — The Fine Print (A Collection Of Oddities and Rarities 2003-2008)

CD Review: Drive-By Truckers — The Fine Print (A Collection Of Oddities and Rarities 2003-2008)

Drive-By TruckersThe Fine Print (A Collection Of Oddities and Rarities 2003-2008)New West By Micah McLain Although the Drive-By Truckers have made seven critically-acclaimed albums over the last 13 years, they have yet to properly release a collection of tracks that didn't make the final album cuts – until today. When one of the hardest working […]

CD Review: Datarock — Red

CD Review: Datarock — Red

DatarockRedNettwerk By Micah McLain The Norwegian duo in the flashy red tracksuits have returned. Red, the followup to 2005's Datarock Datarock, finds the band paying homage to the '80s and questioning our current society's obsession with technology. While none of the tracks on Red approach the sheer funk and danceability of the massively ad-friendly "FaFaFa" […]

CD Review: Assjack — Assjack

CD Review: Assjack — Assjack

AssjackAssjackSidewalk Records By Al Kaufman Say what you will about any of the three Hank Williams', but the one thing they all have in common is a rebellious streak. But the most rebellious of them all has got to be the grandson, Hank III. Instead of going the country route like his grandpa and his […]