AltWeeklies Wire
Hayward Williams' Songs From a Long Winternew
Milwaukee’s harsh winters take a well-documented toll on us physically, numbing our limbs, wearing out our backs and testing our immune systems. They can be just as rough on us psychologically. Singer-songwriter Hayward Williams’ latest album was born of this annual seclusion.
Shepherd Express |
Evan Rytlewski |
02-26-2010 |
Reviews
Tags: Cotton Bell, Hayward Williams
Slank's 'Anthem for the Broken Hearted'new
They've sold 15 million records in their native Indonesia, and now the five members of Slank invade America with their first English-language album. Far from a reference to the lovelorn, the title refers to the inhabitants of a homeland riddled with strife and corruption.
Shepherd Express |
Michael Popke |
02-13-2009 |
Reviews
Bone Shaker's Milwaukee Metalnew
The band's latest release, Bang, ... You're Dead, has no ambitions of transcending genre expectations, but it's a finely tuned, heavily produced album with all the over-the-top guitar solos and ear-piercing vocal lines a heavy-metal fan could ask for.
Shepherd Express |
Brian Barney |
08-29-2008 |
Reviews
Prog’s Prolific Flower Kingsnew
The Sum of No Evil, the band's latest and most focused album in years (even with a running time of 75 minutes), tries to eliminate the pop, jazz, experimental and ambient elements of past efforts and focus on pure prog-complete with The Flower Kings' signature dreamy vocals, backed by grand, layered musical arrangements.
Shepherd Express |
Michael Popke |
08-29-2008 |
Reviews
Heartbreak Brings Out the Best of Fishnew
At age 50 and sounding as wise and weathered as Peter Gabriel, Fish has been on a creative roll of late, releasing five albums of new studio and live material since 2004.
Shepherd Express |
Michael Popke |
06-13-2008 |
Reviews
Santa Gets Experimentalnew
The second EP from the Champaign, Ill. group solidifies and tweaks the band's brand of infectious, psychedelic indie-pop.
Shepherd Express |
Casey Bye |
05-30-2008 |
Reviews
Protestant: True Hardcore Believersnew
It is often taken for granted that hardcore punk is -- and perhaps should be -- the domain of the young. Yet a funny thing happened after I turned 30. Faced with a new round of anxieties and insecurities, I found myself reconnecting with hardcore.
Shepherd Express |
Michael Carriere |
05-16-2008 |
Reviews
Mariachi Los Camperos de Nati Cano Show Soulnew
That the mariachi genre has become associated with a tourist brochure image of Mexico is unfortunate.
Shepherd Express |
David Luhrssen |
05-09-2008 |
Reviews
George Clooney's Football Folliesnew
With its speak-easies and patina of easy Roaring Twenties corruption, its bungling cops and daring hijinks, romantic rivalry and slinky moments of seduction, Leatherheads delivers two solid hours of old-fashioned entertainment.
Shepherd Express |
David Luhrssen |
04-18-2008 |
Reviews
Medeski, Martin & Wood Put Out Child-Friendly Acid Jazznew
Instrumental interludes -- gentle, curious, perfect segues between sleepy time and playtime -- break up humorous tales ("Pirates Don't Take Baths") and straight-ahead grooves ("Let's Go," the great, funky "Where's the Music").
Shepherd Express |
Todd Lazarski |
04-18-2008 |
Reviews
Ladysmith Black Mambazo Gets Historicalnew
Instead of glorifying violence -- Zulu imbued South Africans with an indomitable fighting spirit in the early 1800s -- Ilembe ("The Greatest Warrior") celebrates perseverance and commitment.
Shepherd Express |
Michael Popke |
04-04-2008 |
Reviews
Black 47 Makes War Rocknew
On Iraq, veteran Irish renegade Larry Kirwan and his band of pacifists attempt to conquer the current war with a song cycle of previously released and new material.
Shepherd Express |
Michael Popke |
03-28-2008 |
Reviews
Nada Surf Has Maturednew
Nada Surf continues to fill its second act with songs that are rarely too clever for their own good and that are never afraid to reach for genuine emotion.
Shepherd Express |
Jon Gilbertson |
03-28-2008 |
Reviews
Martin Atkins Wants to Rock Chinanew
Atkins juxtaposes modern and traditional sounds, including DJs, Tibetan chants, mandolin and instruments such as the pipa and hulusi, along with heavily digitized post-production.
Shepherd Express |
Saby Reyes-Kulkarni |
02-29-2008 |
Reviews
Bob Mould Cranks Pain Through Amplifiersnew
On District Line, the unwelcome knowledge is that growing older is no guarantee, where the heart is concerned, of growing wiser.
Shepherd Express |
Jon Gilbertson |
02-22-2008 |
Reviews
