AltWeeklies Wire
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
Which Side Are You On?new
Carl Oblinger had a special interest in the coal
mining battles that tore central Illinois apart in the '30s: Dad was a G-man who helped sabotage the Progressive Miners and dash the hopes of democratic
unionism in the mines.
Illinois Times |
Roland Klose |
11-30-2004 |
Nonfiction
A Special Perspective on Adoptionnew
For a limited time only, it's OK to take a break from controversial current events and simply say something nice for a change.
Illinois Times |
Dusty Rhodes |
11-30-2004 |
Commentary
The Axmannew
Illinois' Democratic governor, Rod Blagojevich, gets slammed by labor for deep cuts in state employment. Illinois now ranks second-to-last in the nation in per capita state employment.
Illinois Times |
Todd Spivak |
11-30-2004 |
Politics
The Reawakeningnew
Central Illinois is the site of one of the nation's most ambitious floodplain restoration projects. The Nature Conservancy has assembled a 7,000-acre preserve called Emiquon where two lakes were drained
80 years ago for agriculture.
Illinois Times |
Jeanne Townsend Handy |
11-30-2004 |
Environment
Tags: environment
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
The First George W.new
This book convinces readers that without George Washington, we might all still be British subjects. If ever there was an example of how one man can shape the world, the first George W. is it.
Illinois Times |
Corrine Frisch |
11-08-2004 |
Nonfiction
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
Federal Investigators Search for Answers to Plant Explosionnew
More than seven months after the fatal explosion at Formosa Plastics Corp. in Illiopolis, Ill., federal investigators have finally gained access to the
long-restricted area of the chemical plant where the incident occurred.
Illinois Times |
Todd Spivak |
11-05-2004 |
Environment
Illinois's Rising Sonnew
Barack Obama, who becomes the Senate's only African-American member and one of its most progressive, started on the road to Capitol Hill by opposing the U.S. invasion of Iraq. On Tuesday, he trounced his Republican challenger, Alan Keyes, winning more than 70 percent of the vote in Illinois.
Illinois Times |
Todd Spivak |
11-05-2004 |
Politics
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
Doctors Rule Birth by Shootingnew
When she became a shooting victim in Springfield, a North Dakota tourist had to take antibiotics to ward off infection. The drugs counter-acted her birth
control. Nope, she didn't name the baby Colt or Winchester.
Illinois Times |
Dusty Rhodes |
10-29-2004 |
Children & Families
Tags: children & families
