AltWeeklies Wire
Willie Nelson and Wynton Marsalis Create an Album From a Different Eranew
Some time before music splintered into a thousand different microgenres, the distance between jazz, R&B and even country could be easily traveled by a skillful ensemble like Two Men with the Blues.
Houston Press |
Chris Gray |
07-08-2008 |
Reviews
Usher's Maturity Makes You Long for His Childish Waysnew
He even reprints Corinthians 13:11 ("when I became a man, I put away childish things") in the liner notes, just to beat you over the head with the point.
Baltimore City Paper |
Al Shipley |
07-08-2008 |
Reviews
Wolf Parade Shows a Mature, Polished Side on 'At Mount Zoomer'new
Part of it is the recording: It sounds more professional. The drums are mixed down and don't have that ragged, recorded-in-a-concrete-closet feeling. The record has more interest in melody--guitars are used as paint instead of gasoline.
Baltimore City Paper |
Michael Byrne |
07-08-2008 |
Reviews
Half-Baked Record Nerd Oddities From Dennis Wilson and Droids Resurfacenew
In the late '70s, both these albums were wonders of displacement--either too far behind or ahead of the time to achieve much more than a ripple.
Baltimore City Paper |
Brandon Soderberg |
07-08-2008 |
Reviews
Tags: space, epic, Dennis Wilson, legacy, Pacific Ocean Blue, Repressed, Star Peace, stoner rock, The Droids
Three 6 Mafia Show Missteps on 'Last 2 Walk'new
Even though the group is currently down to a duo, survivors DJ Paul and Juicy J are still basking in the glow of victory of their Academy Award.
Wolf Parade's Followup Lacks Nervy Zipnew
Wolf Parade has spawned countless offshoots, including Sunset Rubdown, Handsome Furs, Swan Lake, Megasoid, Johnny & the Moon, and the still-active Frog Eyes. Perhaps they have stretched themselves too thin locally.
The Memphis Flyer |
Stephen Deusner |
07-07-2008 |
Reviews
Tags: Wolf Parade, At Mount Zoomer
Coldplay Evades Musical Immortalitynew
While Viva La Vida is by no means a Razorblade Suitcase-esque debacle, it still leaves you a little frustrated.
Jackson Free Press |
Rob Hamilton |
07-03-2008 |
Reviews
Merciless Death Invokes the Best of '80s Thrashnew
You'll have to look twice at this CD's liner notes to confirm you hadn't accidentally overlooked the purest of those speed-metal acts of yore.
Tucson Weekly |
Jarret Keene |
07-03-2008 |
Reviews
Tags: Merciless Death, Realm of Terror
Hercules and Love Affair Offer a New Take on '70s House and Garagenew
Hercules and Love Affair's Andrew Butler is entirely serious about disco. His band's self-titled debut is a loving homage to the dance music of the late '70s that doesn't require a pair of platform shoes or an ironic leisure suit -- really, you just need an appreciation of New York garage and Chicago house.
Washington City Paper |
Aaron Leitko |
07-03-2008 |
Reviews
The Hates Retrospective Proof Sometimes It's Good When Things Don't Changenew
Houston's Hates — or at least the trio's sole remaining original member, singer/guitarist Christian Arnheiter — have been waving the circle-A punk-rock flag loud and
Houston Press |
Chris Gray |
07-02-2008 |
Reviews
Shoegaze Outfit Aydin Releases 'Cyclones and Honey' LPnew
On this album, Aydin sinks deeper than ever before into rhythmic cacophony and melodic decomposition -- a fact with a good and bad side.
Pittsburgh City Paper |
Andy Mulkerin |
06-30-2008 |
Reviews
Rick Rubin Makes Over Jakob Dylannew
Seeing Things, Jakob's first solo affair, sounds characteristically Rubinesque in its quiet ruminations on all things sad (war, mostly, on "Valley of the Low Sun" and "War Is Kind"), and its back-to-basics instrumentation.
Philadelphia Weekly |
Caralyn Green |
06-30-2008 |
Reviews
Gilberto Gil Shows a Whimsical Side on 'Banda Larga Cordel'new
This is achieved despite the weighty subject matter, which deals with the cultural and artistic challenges posed by technological advancements in information transmission.
NOW Magazine |
Tim Perlich |
06-30-2008 |
Reviews
Sigur Ros Tackles a Series of Firsts that Result in Its Most Accessible Albumnew
It's the first album to be mainly recorded outside its home base of Iceland, first to feature a track sung in English, and the first co-produced by a big-shot dial-twister. Somehow, though, this series of seemingly suspect compromises actually brings out new and beguiling qualities in the band.
Ry Cooder Caps His Ambitious 'California Trilogy'new
The good-natured I, Flathead is a juicy celebration of hot rods, desert rats, sci-fi and So Cal culture.
Pasadena Weekly |
Bliss |
06-30-2008 |
Reviews
