AltWeeklies Wire
Early Prediction: This Is the Best Rap CD of 2005new
Maya Arulpragasam, a Sri Lanka–raised, London-based MC who goes by the tag M.I.A., is an unlikely rapper with an unlikely backstory.
Illinois Times |
Rene Spencer Saller |
03-07-2005 |
Reviews
Great Rock Writ Welshnew
Every track on Songbook -- the Super Furries' singles compilation -- is rife with tiny surprises. The big surprise is that they're not the biggest rock band in the world. Also reviewed is Shivaree's Who's Got Trouble?
Illinois Times |
Rene Spencer Saller |
02-28-2005 |
Reviews
Brooding Euro-style Electropopnew
The Amsterdam-based group's Attagirl is more obviously experimental than its predecessor, Log 22, but it represents an evolution in the band’s sound rather than an entirely new direction.
Illinois Times |
Rene Spencer Saller |
02-21-2005 |
Reviews
Old-School R&B with a Flourishnew
Sounding like a raspier Stevie Wonder or a less tormented David Ruffin, Legend resists the temptation to indulge in flashy vocal acrobatics and over-the-top emoting, preferring instead to serve the songs. Also reviewed is Destroyer's Notorious Lightning and Other Works.
Illinois Times |
Rene Spencer Saller |
02-11-2005 |
Reviews
Tags: John Legend, Get Lifted
Larger Than Lifenew
Her voice, her beautiful wreck of a voice, transforms her songs into
something greater than the sum of their parts. Marianne Faithfull has found
her final Frankenstein, and it's perfect.
Illinois Times |
René Spencer Saller |
02-05-2005 |
Reviews
Remembering Junior Kimbroughnew
An independent label founded by blues maniac Matthew Johnson takes the timeworn "tribute to a bluesman" concept and turn it into something that seems not only sincere but also necessary.
Illinois Times |
René Spencer Saller |
01-28-2005 |
Reviews
The Chicks Dig Itnew
Buckner's sex appeal makes perfect sense when you listen to his voice, a reedy baritone that keens and moans and subsides in a flourish of bright curlicues. He's seldom content to sing one note where three or four might do.
Illinois Times |
Rene Spencer Saller |
01-25-2005 |
Reviews
Tags: Richard Buckner, Dents and Shells
A Practical Vision of the Futurenew
Styrofoam marshals hissy beats, sissy singing, glitchy samples, and blissed-out guitar hooks in the service of futurist pop -- a future that assumes that tomorrow's people will want catchy melodies, memorable choruses, and a good beat you can dance to. Also reviewed is Hem's Eveningland.
Illinois Times |
Rene Spencer Saller |
01-25-2005 |
Reviews
Tags: Nothing's Lost, Styrofoam
Overturning the Conventions of Rapnew
Although the pocket-protector set hangs on his every syllable, Beans has yet to seduce the hoi polloi. Maybe it's because he scorns the usual hitmaking tricks. Also reviewed is Handsome Boy Modeling School's White People.
Illinois Times |
Rene Spencer Saller |
01-10-2005 |
Reviews
A True Entertainment Bargainnew
Chicks on Speed kick out dizzy cheers and brittle beats, crafting a propulsive, surprisingly funky blend of '80s-flavored electropunk and experimental glitchcore. Also reviewed is Kimya Dawson's Hidden Vagenda.
Illinois Times |
Rene Spencer Saller |
12-29-2004 |
Reviews
Tags: 99 Cents, Chicks on Speed
The Latest from Hip-Hop's Sad Sisyphusnew
Only Eminem can make the subject of his own creative stagnation remotely interesting, although it's not always interesting enough. It helps that he's got Dr. Dre, whose grim and elegant string snippets invest even the weakest tracks with an apocalyptic gravitas.
Illinois Times |
Rene Spencer Saller |
12-29-2004 |
Reviews
Viva the Male Divanew
Drawing on the same smorgasbord of influences displayed on his magisterial debut -- show tunes, opera, cabaret, folk, jazz, SoCal pop, and art song -- Wainwright now seems more confident in exploring each genre's extreme, no longer compelled to disguise his highbrow proclivities with sticky hooks and sing-along choruses.
Illinois Times |
Rene Spencer Saller |
12-29-2004 |
Reviews
Tags: Rufus Wainwright, Want Two
Polemics with a Chirpy Venomnew
Despite its superficial gloss, This Island's not a radical departure for Le Tigre. Anyone susceptible to the band's trademark sound -- a cheerful cacophony of Casio chirps, guitar buzz, and handclaps -- can't help but dig it. Also reviewed is Lil Jon's Crunk Juice.
Illinois Times |
Rene Spencer Saller |
12-28-2004 |
Reviews
Tags: Le Tigre, This Island
Soul-Scorching Redemption in 48 Minutesnew
One of those rare groups that conjures up a host of impossibly disparate influences (Pavement, the Velvet Underground, the Talking Heads, Neutral Milk Hotel) without relinquishing its originality, the Arcade Fire contains multitudes. Also reviewed is Smoosh's She Like Electric.
Illinois Times |
Rene Spencer Saller |
11-30-2004 |
Reviews
Tags: funeral, Arcade Fire
Everything You'll Never Havenew
Bruni is not just extravagantly gorgeous, filthy rich, and commercially successful, she's also getting excellent reviews from grouchy critics, who generally don't take kindly to singing supermodels. Despite all these facts, you probably shouldn't hate her.
Illinois Times |
Rene Spencer Saller |
11-18-2004 |
Reviews
Tags: Carla Bruni, Quelqu'un m'a dit
