Music | Profiles & Interviews | AAN.org

Wu-Tang Producer RZA's Balancing Actnew

It's hard to think of a more ubiquitously iconic figure in hip-hop, or a more visionary individual: RZA doesn't just make beats and spit rhymes, he captures moods, drops depth-charge metaphors, and creates epic mythologies.

SF Weekly | Eric K. Arnold | 12-05-2007 | Profiles & Interviews

Tags: 8 Diagrams, The Wu-Tang Clan

Anatomy of Popnew

Ingrid Michaelson and her Girls and Boys.

Chicago Newcity | Tom Lynch | 12-05-2007 | Profiles & Interviews

Tags: Girls and Boys, Ingrid Michaelson

The Fun of the Frenchnew

Xavier Caféïne doesn’t believe in computers or Tommy Lee, he just believes in francophonie.

Montreal Mirror | Lorraine Carpenter | 12-04-2007 | Profiles & Interviews

Tags: Gisèle, Xavier Caféïne

Teki Latex: Slick-Lipped Scumbag or Misunderstoode Artiste?new

Polemic and potty-mouthed rappers singing snot-nosed observations about women's asses are hardly news to any listener. But if you happen to hear the new solo album of one such character -- Julien Pradeyrol, aka Teki Latex of TTC -- you might start to scratch your head.

Montreal Mirror | Jack Oatman | 12-04-2007 | Profiles & Interviews

Tags: Party de Plaisir, Teki Latex

Stars is Losing the Battle, Winning the Warnew

In the skirmishes between bitter and sweet, personal and political, and popcraft and punk ethos, Montreal's soft revolutionaries prevail.

Montreal Mirror | Lorraine Carpenter | 12-04-2007 | Profiles & Interviews

Tags: In Our Bedroom After the War, Stars

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

Tags: M.I.A., Kala

Grey's Anatomy Made Her Famous, but That's Only Half the Storynew

When it comes to the music industry, all it takes is a combination of luck, talent, and exposure to become a star. Getting that concoction just right is easier said than done, but if you're lucky, talented, and have a MySpace page, anything is possible. Take it from Ingrid Michaelson.

New Times Broward-Palm Beach | Jonathan Cunningham | 12-04-2007 | Profiles & Interviews

Tags: Girls and Boys, Ingrid Michaelson

Athletes Step Off the Field and Into the Studionew

Master P's son Lil' Romeo is trading his music career for a shot at college basketball. Normally the crossover goes the other way: athletes try to make Billboard hits.

Houston Press | Chris Gray | 12-04-2007 | Profiles & Interviews

Chino Moreno's Heralded Side Project is Headed for Hibernationnew

"We're not putting out a record until 2010," says Chino Moreno, the Deftones frontman who captains Team Sleep.

Westword | Michael Roberts | 12-04-2007 | Profiles & Interviews

Tags: Team Sleep

Victoria Mines an Unlikely Chemistrynew

The band's upcoming debut EP, Ghost Town, captures Kings of Leon's Southern-rock swing matched by equal doses of Aerosmith and Led Zeppelin's rumbling blues-boogie, Pearl Jam's garage-thrash and even Jon Spencer Blues Explosion's sexed-up distortion.

Riverfront Times | Annie Zaleski | 12-04-2007 | Profiles & Interviews

Tags: Ghost Town, Victoria

Steel of the Centurynew

Although firmly grounded in the grainy Midwest post-rock tradition, Riddle of Steel also incorporates plenty of stoner-rock sleaze and prog-complexity.

Riverfront Times | Annie Zaleski | 12-04-2007 | Profiles & Interviews

Tags: 1985, Riddle of Steel