AltWeeklies Wire
Feist's Latest Needs Time to Work its Magicnew
At first, Feist's music doesn't seem all that feisty -- after a few spins, though, most music lovers will be ready to redefine the term.
Tags: Feist, The Reminder
A Byegone Emo Eranew
Mustangs and Madras continues to play a passionate brand of emo that's woefully (and refreshingly) out of step with the times.
Tags: La Lechuza, Mustangs and Madras
Like an Unexpected Wet Dreamnew
With its handsome, hand-sewn cover, this EP is DIY art school at its best; its musical aesthetic is in line with such dance-punk acts as the Gossip and the Blow, layered with the experimental qualities of Gang Gang Dance.
Tags: Mannequin Makeout
A Return to BRMC's Signature Soundnew
Baby 81 is satisfying, albeit in an extremely familiar way -- if these guys don't start mixing things up, no new members will want to visit their Club.
Daringly Immature and Fully Admirablenew
These Songs is a Weakerthans-meets-the-North-Atlantic art-rock retrogression.
Nick Cave's New Grindnew
The music is sparer and sharper than anything Nick Cave has made of late, and the nastier it gets, the better it sounds.
Tags: Grinderman
Impressively Blandnew
Meat is a mostly mediocre attempt at cutesy-yet-earnestly-indie pop music, and despite sincere comparisons to acts such as the Shins or even Sunny Day Real Estate, it lacks the sheer creative veracity that makes those groups great.
Denver's DIY Queen Returnsnew
The recording's best moments are those in which the players inject some toughness into Woo's familiar sound.
Tags: Luxury Woo, The Wendy Woo Trio
The Simplicity is an Asset and a Limitationnew
By no means is this a bad Dream, but it's only occasionally capable of sparking a fever.
Tags: Fever Dream
Low-Key and Effectivenew
Rather than overemphasize his eagerness to tweak convention, head Hustler Andrew Whiteman (of Broken Social Scene fame) presents his quirks with warmth and subtlety.
An Honorable Miss, Not a Flat-Out Disasternew
There was never much chance that these guys could recapture the glory days, and these twelve serviceable but strangely self-conscious songs prove it.
Tags: The Stooges, The Weirdness
Steer Clear, Curmudgeonsnew
The Apples' Robert Schneider is determined to turn your frown upside down.
Simply Brilliantnew
Spill casts a massive shadow that almost makes the band's past work seem insignificant.
Diminishing Tupac's Legacynew
Without Pac's death, Pac's Life would never have existed -- too bad the gunman was such a good shot.
Tags: 2Pac, Pac's Life
On the Right traCnew
Whereas many jam bands play loose with their grooves, these guys are tighter than the skin stretched across Joan Rivers' cheekbones.
Tags: 8traC, Falling Up
