AltWeeklies Wire
A Practical Vision of the Futurenew
Styrofoam marshals hissy beats, sissy singing, glitchy samples, and blissed-out guitar hooks in the service of futurist pop -- a future that assumes that tomorrow's people will want catchy melodies, memorable choruses, and a good beat you can dance to. Also reviewed is Hem's Eveningland.
Illinois Times |
Rene Spencer Saller |
01-25-2005 |
Reviews
Tags: Nothing's Lost, Styrofoam
Overturning the Conventions of Rapnew
Although the pocket-protector set hangs on his every syllable, Beans has yet to seduce the hoi polloi. Maybe it's because he scorns the usual hitmaking tricks. Also reviewed is Handsome Boy Modeling School's White People.
Illinois Times |
Rene Spencer Saller |
01-10-2005 |
Reviews
A True Entertainment Bargainnew
Chicks on Speed kick out dizzy cheers and brittle beats, crafting a propulsive, surprisingly funky blend of '80s-flavored electropunk and experimental glitchcore. Also reviewed is Kimya Dawson's Hidden Vagenda.
Illinois Times |
Rene Spencer Saller |
12-29-2004 |
Reviews
Tags: 99 Cents, Chicks on Speed
The Latest from Hip-Hop's Sad Sisyphusnew
Only Eminem can make the subject of his own creative stagnation remotely interesting, although it's not always interesting enough. It helps that he's got Dr. Dre, whose grim and elegant string snippets invest even the weakest tracks with an apocalyptic gravitas.
Illinois Times |
Rene Spencer Saller |
12-29-2004 |
Reviews
Viva the Male Divanew
Drawing on the same smorgasbord of influences displayed on his magisterial debut -- show tunes, opera, cabaret, folk, jazz, SoCal pop, and art song -- Wainwright now seems more confident in exploring each genre's extreme, no longer compelled to disguise his highbrow proclivities with sticky hooks and sing-along choruses.
Illinois Times |
Rene Spencer Saller |
12-29-2004 |
Reviews
Tags: Rufus Wainwright, Want Two
Polemics with a Chirpy Venomnew
Despite its superficial gloss, This Island's not a radical departure for Le Tigre. Anyone susceptible to the band's trademark sound -- a cheerful cacophony of Casio chirps, guitar buzz, and handclaps -- can't help but dig it. Also reviewed is Lil Jon's Crunk Juice.
Illinois Times |
Rene Spencer Saller |
12-28-2004 |
Reviews
Tags: Le Tigre, This Island
Soul-Scorching Redemption in 48 Minutesnew
One of those rare groups that conjures up a host of impossibly disparate influences (Pavement, the Velvet Underground, the Talking Heads, Neutral Milk Hotel) without relinquishing its originality, the Arcade Fire contains multitudes. Also reviewed is Smoosh's She Like Electric.
Illinois Times |
Rene Spencer Saller |
11-30-2004 |
Reviews
Tags: funeral, Arcade Fire
Everything You'll Never Havenew
Bruni is not just extravagantly gorgeous, filthy rich, and commercially successful, she's also getting excellent reviews from grouchy critics, who generally don't take kindly to singing supermodels. Despite all these facts, you probably shouldn't hate her.
Illinois Times |
Rene Spencer Saller |
11-18-2004 |
Reviews
Tags: Carla Bruni, Quelqu'un m'a dit
Become Your Own Saviornew
Johnston's life and body of work speak to the restorative power of hope. A 43-year-old with chronic manic depression, he lives with his parents in Waller, Texas. For the past 25 years, he's written hundreds of songs that plumb the darkest caverns of the soul and suffuse them with sunlight.
Illinois Times |
Rene Spencer Saller |
11-18-2004 |
Reviews
Rockdudes Don the Bard Mantlenew
Strange Bird is every bit as smart as it is ambitious, and, more important, it rocks pretty good, too. Also reviewed is Elliott Smith's
From a Basement on the Hill.
Illinois Times |
Rene Spencer Saller |
11-05-2004 |
Reviews
An Enigma's Enigmatic New Albumnew
Voices are manipulated to the point of unrecognizability, sometimes sounding like machine guns; sometimes like animals; sometimes like trumpets, theremins, Jew's harps, and asthmatic robot monkeys. Yet Medulla is the most beautiful CD in the singer's catalog.
Illinois Times |
René Spencer Saller |
10-29-2004 |
Reviews
The World's on Firenew
Real Gone is a distorted, disorienting blur of noise that approximates the sound of a rusty runaway lawnmower chewing up a gravel road -- loud and mean and kerosene-caustic. Also reviewed is Nora O'Connor's Til the Dawn.
Illinois Times |
Rene Spencer Saller |
10-22-2004 |
Reviews
Costello Deliversnew
The Delivery Man is Costello's first album for Lost Highway and his first with the Imposters. He's joined by two first-time guests: Emmylou Harris and Lucinda Williams. But as with all his releases, the real power resides not in novelty but in the songwriting.
Illinois Times |
Rene Spencer Saller |
10-18-2004 |
Reviews
Being All Things to All Peoplenew
The St. Louis rapper releases his third and fourth albums at the same time, each revealing a distinct side of him. Sweat is for the kids and Suit for the over-25 set.
Illinois Times |
René Spencer Saller |
10-08-2004 |
Reviews
Cognitive Dissonancenew
Sick unto death of so-called security moms and their effect on the upcoming election? Are women the new white men? The latest solo CD by Mekons singer Sally Timms seems spookily relevant. Also reviewed is Canadian singer/songwriter Julie Doiron's Goodnight Nobody.
Illinois Times |
René Spencer Saller |
10-08-2004 |
Reviews
