AltWeeklies Wire
Heartland Homegirlnew
Brandi Carlile's debut CD offers countrified comforts peppered with a few surprises: warm, sturdy, languorous folk-pop guided by strummed acoustic guitars and a gentle rhythm section with an alt-country lilt.
Boston Phoenix |
Michael Alan Goldberg |
12-05-2005 |
Reviews
Tags: Brandi Carlile
For Better and Worsenew
It's time to give Donovan his due. Often dismissed, he was, when he was good, both distinct and representational, a performer who ingested and then reflected the temper of the times.
Boston Phoenix |
Richard C. Walls |
12-02-2005 |
Reviews
Substance Abusenew
The English band Darkness’s second album, One Way Ticket to Hell . . . And Back , continues the English band's unblinking voyage into the preposterous.
Boston Phoenix |
James Parker |
12-02-2005 |
Reviews
Womanly Worknew
Kate Bush has always made music that could have sprung only from a female psyche. Aerial is a mysterious, meditative work reminiscent of Joni Mitchell.
Boston Phoenix |
Joyce Millman |
11-30-2005 |
Reviews
Found Soundsnew
Thirty-two years after Gary Higgins was shipped off to prison on a marijuana bust, Drag City has resurrected his album Red Hash. Unlike many of his long-haired contemporaries, Higgins brought a spiky elegance to his music.
Boston Phoenix |
Eliot Wider |
11-21-2005 |
Reviews
Tags: Gary Higgins, Red Hash
Stardust Memoriesnew
It seems strange that one of the most popular acts of the 60s would only now be out on CD. But Herb Alpert & the Tijuana Brass haven't just been out of print for the past 30 years: they've been wiped from the collective memory banks.
Boston Phoenix |
Brett Milano |
11-10-2005 |
Reviews
Planet Rocknew
Upstate New York’s Coheed and Cambria refuse to come down to earth. Yet despite their lack of obvious hit-single material, they are inhabiting major-label arena-rock.
Boston Phoenix |
Mikael Wood |
11-10-2005 |
Reviews
Space Casesnew
The Welsh supergroup Super Furry Animals have appeared on stage with giant inflatable bears and bright blue "Peace Tanks," but they've always trumped those antics with their music.
Boston Phoenix |
Ken Micallef |
11-08-2005 |
Reviews
Tags: Super Furry Animals, Love Kraft
Deranged Funnew
Quintron and Miss Pussycat's shows suggest a glorious, unholy alliance of Kukla, Fran, and Ollie and the Cramps. They manage to project their theatrical charms even on a CD.
Boston Phoenix |
Kurt B. Reighley |
11-08-2005 |
Reviews
Salvation Armynew
Depeche Mode's Playing the Angel finds singer Dave Gahan dragging out his troubles.
Boston Phoenix |
Ted Drozdowski |
11-07-2005 |
Reviews
Tags: Depeche Mode, Playing the Angel
A New Beginning for Oasis and a Brave New World for Coldplaynew
Perpetual Britpop hopefuls Oasis have found inspiration in bashing Tony Blair while Coldplay have gone off the deep end in pursuit of U2.
Boston Phoenix |
Matt Ashare |
06-14-2005 |
Reviews
Independent Spiritsnew
Getting to the roots of Ani DiFranco's Knuckle Down: the strong-willed singer-songwriter talks about relinquishing a bit of independence.
Boston Phoenix |
Matt Ashare |
02-03-2005 |
Reviews
Tags: Ani DiFranco, Knuckle Down
Taking His Leave: Bright Eyes' Conor Oberst Finds Life Elsewherenew
If you’ve ever been to Omaha, you understand why Bright Eyes' Conor Oberst has spent the last 10 years being so damn depressed.
Boston Phoenix |
Camille Dodero |
01-21-2005 |
Reviews
G-Spotsnew
For those who regularly cruise at two miles per hour through the shimmering mean streets of Top 40 hip-hop, the new releases by Ludacris and Xzibit are as distinctive as the cities that made them stars.
Boston Phoenix |
Franklin Soults |
01-06-2005 |
Reviews
From the Political to the Personalnew
Politics and music mixed this year in a way that reviewer Matt Ashare hasn't seen since he bought Let Them Eat Jellybeans (Alternative Tentacles) during the Reagan presidency and sang along to "Jesus Entering from the Rear." And against his better judgment, it made him care about the world beyond his iPod headphones in a way that he hasn’t in some time.
Boston Phoenix |
Matt Ashare |
12-29-2004 |
Reviews
