AltWeeklies Wire
Songwriting Geniusnew
Although John Darnielle, who records as the Mountain Goats, once disdained the reductive narcissism of confessional singer/songwriters, he has come to embrace the creative possibilities in his own life story.
Illinois Times |
Rene Spencer Saller |
05-09-2005 |
Reviews
A Voice Like Sorghumnew
No matter how dramatically Vic Chestnutt's sound has evolved, his style is unmistakable, stamped with an acerbic wit and an oversized heart. Also reviewed is the Radar Brothers' The Fallen Leaf Pages.
Illinois Times |
Rene Spencer Saller |
05-06-2005 |
Reviews
Folk Music for the 21st Centurynew
Spectacularly foulmouthed and surprisingly tender, Martha Wainwright demands to be confronted on her own terms.
Illinois Times |
René Spencer Saller |
04-22-2005 |
Reviews
Familiarity Doesn't Necessarily Breed Contemptnew
The golden boy of ’90s indie rock is getting older, and his latest gives evidence that he's matured.
Illinois Times |
Rene Spencer Saller |
04-15-2005 |
Reviews
Former Squirrel Nut Zipper Has It Allnew
Andrew Bird is to the violin what Jimi Hendrix was to the guitar, which is to say not merely a virtuoso but also a visionary. Also reviewed is Snowglobe's Doing the Distance.
Illinois Times |
Rene Spencer Saller |
04-15-2005 |
Reviews
From Muse to Non-Lolitanew
Keren Ann Zeidel's lyrics are both commonplace and enigmatic, a series of ordinary observations that accumulate meaning obliquely, transparent layer by transparent layer, like a Rembrandt painting or a Raymond Carver story.
Illinois Times |
Rene Spencer Saller |
04-05-2005 |
Reviews
Not Quite a Sea Changenew
The consensus on Low’s seventh full-length album and first for Sub Pop, is that it represents a Great Departure. Also reviewed is The Fiery Furnaces'EP.
Illinois Times |
Rene Spencer Saller |
03-25-2005 |
Reviews
Songs About Poseursnew
Underneath the surface mockery of Clem Snide's fifth album is a deep and abiding sympathy, a generosity of spirit that refuses to succumb to despair. Also reviewed is Petra Haden's Petra Haden Sings: The Who Sell Out.
Illinois Times |
Rene Spencer Saller |
03-25-2005 |
Reviews
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
