AltWeeklies Wire
I Love Stars For the Same Reason You Hate Themnew
Stars, to me, are perfect—the urgent, unmuffled whisper of acutely self-aware melodrama.
Philadelphia Weekly |
Caralyn Green |
09-22-2008 |
Reviews
Tags: Stars, Sad Robots
M. Ward on Cool Girl and Collaborate Zooey Deschanelnew
So how did a Hollywood actress become a musician, and a venerated one at that?
Philadelphia Weekly |
Caralyn Green |
07-28-2008 |
Profiles & Interviews
Did You Say Willie Nelson and Wynton Marsalis?new
Sometimes weird combos can work. Like pineapple pizza. R.
Philadelphia Weekly |
Caralyn Green |
07-14-2008 |
Reviews
Rick Rubin Makes Over Jakob Dylannew
Seeing Things, Jakob's first solo affair, sounds characteristically Rubinesque in its quiet ruminations on all things sad (war, mostly, on "Valley of the Low Sun" and "War Is Kind"), and its back-to-basics instrumentation.
Philadelphia Weekly |
Caralyn Green |
06-30-2008 |
Reviews
Stop Trying to Make Alanis Morissette's Latest 'Jagged Little Pill, Part 2'new
The thing is, Flavors of Entanglement is a breakup album, but it's not, y'know, raw like Pill. Its anger is contained, matured. Ripe and self-possessed.
Philadelphia Weekly |
Caralyn Green |
06-23-2008 |
Reviews
Sure, Mocking ScarJo is Trendy Right Nownew
By now we all know Maxim hottie Scarlett Johansson has released an album of Tom Waits covers. But, y'know, Anywhere I Lay My Head is actually not so bad.
Philadelphia Weekly |
Caralyn Green |
05-27-2008 |
Reviews
The Country-Country of Lady Antebellumnew
The trio (two coiffed dudes and one done-up blondie in heels), offers just what you’d expect from their self-titled, debut album—soaring, Nashville-style power ballads engineered with a cunning pop/rock patina, all the better for wooing markets of all geographies. And woo they do.
Philadelphia Weekly |
Caralyn Green |
05-12-2008 |
Profiles & Interviews
When Tristan Prettyman Get So Popular?new
a) Who is this chick? b) Why is she suddenly so insanely popular? c) Why do I have no idea who she is? d) Why does this unfamiliarity make me feel so inadequate?
Philadelphia Weekly |
Caralyn Green |
05-05-2008 |
Reviews
Tokyo's Colette Columbirch Hope to Call Philly Homenew
On top of dealing with the usual impression-management of a musical existence (wooing bloggers, bookers, promoters, A&R tools, fans and journalists alike), Japanese hush-tronica duo Colette Columbirch have got to deal with impressing the toughest critic of all -- the U.S. government.
Philadelphia Weekly |
Caralyn Green |
04-28-2008 |
Profiles & Interviews
Danity Kane Strikes Againnew
They all just blend together into some generic cash cow that sings, sighs and, yes, meows, impressively enough through 16 plasticy R&B tracks.
Philadelphia Weekly |
Caralyn Green |
03-31-2008 |
Reviews
Defend Its Existencenew
Somehow James Taylor's cultivated this persona of innocuous docility. The thing is, Sweet Baby James has imbibed his fair share of opiates and dabbled in enough star-fuckage to make Pete Doherty jealous.
Philadelphia Weekly |
Caralyn Green |
12-10-2007 |
Reviews
Tags: James Taylor, One Man Band
M.I.-Yay!new
"I put people on the map that never seen a map," M.I.A. boasts on "20 Dollar," her rebel yell accompanied by a distorted New Order sample, borrowed Pixies lyrics and thunderous South Asian beats that swirl behind her proclamations of dissent.
Philadelphia Weekly |
Caralyn Green |
12-04-2007 |
Profiles & Interviews
Vanessa Carlton Makes Music for the Well-adjustednew
Heroes & Thieves is a totally suburban white chick record, and I mean "suburban" more geopolitically than as a judgment of gracelessness.
Philadelphia Weekly |
Caralyn Green |
11-05-2007 |
Reviews
Tags: Heroes & Theives, Vanessa Carlton
Philly Remembers Trevor Butlernew
Not everyone gets a Pitchfork-hyped memorial concert in their honor. Maybe that's not fair, but it makes total sense that Trevor Butler's getting one.
Philadelphia Weekly |
Caralyn Green |
09-25-2007 |
Music
Tags: Bottom of the Hudson
Aly & AJ Flex Their Disney Crednew
Insomniatic -- which sounds something like the Veronicas, Lillix or even a pre-Speak Lindsay Lohan -- isn't what anyone besides your 9-year-old niece would call "good music." But it's not quite as offensive as the duo's Olsen-lite image implies.
Philadelphia Weekly |
Caralyn Green |
09-25-2007 |
Reviews
Tags: Aly & AJ, Insomniatic