Great Northern Seeks The Lynchian Light
Los Angeles thrives on space rock, but local heroes Great Northern filter it through David Lynch’s Twin Peaks gothic pop for good measure. I reviewed the band’s latest effort for […]
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Grand Duchy, Black Francis’ Family Affair
So I rapped with the pair for Rolling Stone and reviewed the disc for Metromix. All is well.
Mr. Lif Walks the Talk
“Whether you’re a suit with a desk job or a creative artist, you are still programmed to work. You can never ultimately escape from your responsibilities.”
The Thermals Transmit Warm, Poppy Punk
What can I say? I am a sucker for Portland, and its myriad bands. The Thermals are one of its best, sure-shot pushers of power-pop, or pop-punk, or whatever they […]
Pontiak’s Stoner Rock Is Sweet And Loud
Pontiak, Maker [Scott Thill, Metromix] Pontiak fit in just fine with past purveyors of atmospheric riffage like Kyuss, Earth and the like. The 13-minute-plus title track on “Maker” is a […]
Pop Lifer Robyn Hitchcock Dreams of Oslo, Synesthesia, Snow
Robyn Hitchcock is a gentleman, an artist and one hell of a prolific songwriter. From his work in the ’70s with The Soft Boys to his escape-minded recent effort Goodnight […]
Aceyalone Rejuvenates Lonely Hip-Hop
Aceyalone is one of hip-hop’s unsung virtuosos. No longer. On the freestyle vet’s latest effort The Lonely Ones, every soul genre is freaked and every song is stunning. It’s still […]
Indigo Girls Get Bitter, Beautiful
Catching up with my Metromix reviews. This one was a mellow pleasure.
Metromixed! Looking For Horror? Two Words: Chris Cornell.
Happy Friday the 13th! Now are you ready to be scared out of your underwear? Chris Cornell just made a crunk album. I am not kidding. That horror awaits you […]
Metromixed! Black Lips, The Whip, The Prodigy Make Noise
Man, I’ve been on a reviewing tear lately, especially for my pals at Metromix, who publish my love online and in the papers. From the retro garage thrash of Black […]
Tearing Down The Century of the Self With And You Will Know Us By the Trail of Dead
So for the band’s latest effort, named after Adam Curtis’ The Century of Self, I went on the blitz for Wired, Metromix and Filter.
Vetiver’s Dream Folk Grows On You
Call if freak folk, call it nu-folk or just call it whatever the folk you want. But mellowed, measured folk is back with a vengeance. Andy Cabic’s Vetiver is one […]
J.J. Cale Still Has It
This laid-back guitarist gave Eric Clapton “Cocaine,” and he gave it to him “After Midnight.” But can he still roll the rock now that he’s in his ’70s and the […]
A Heart-to-Heart With Heartless Bastards
Back to Socal from snowy NorCal at last. Found some killer road and snowboarding music. This rocker from Dayton named Erika Wennerstrom and her band the Heartless Bastards. She is […]
Crappy Music, Not Iran, Is Our Enemy
Bomb bomb bomb, bomb bomb Iran? What the hell for? Because it makes awesome space rock? Seriously, what has this band ever done to us? Other than turn out one […]
Dalek’s Industrial-Hop Tactics Takes Brains
People these days don’t seem to understand that hip-hop is much more diverse than the stoopid shit you see on MTV, when it’s showing music videos, that is. Its palette […]
Who? The Guggenheim Grotto
Looking for some earnest, digital folk from Ireland? Check out these tender-hearted troubadours I review for Metromix. They make the ladies weep like Joyce would have if he wasn’t a […]
Franz Ferdinand Parties Tonight. And Every Other Night Too, To Be Honest
Back to the grind, folks. And the grind always needs an endgame, usually one occurring on the weekend with its own dance soundtrack. Speaking of, Franz Ferdinand is all about […]
Metromixed! Holiday Headaches With Billy Bob, Sarah Brightman, Verve
The holidays are here, and so are the holiday albums. There’s more of them this year than any other year I can remember, which would be great if they were […]
All Hail Curumin’s Tropicalia-Hop!
On the hunt for exceptional music? Check out Curumin, who has delivered one of the finest efforts of the year in Japan Pop Show. It’s a cultural and sonic bleed […]
Ryan Adams Changes Name, Game
I haven’t been following the career of this fine fan of country, roots, pop and rock, because I figured he was doing just fine, thanks. I’ve been seeing his name […]
Have The Kaiser Chiefs Lost Their Heads?
It’s good to keep the tempo up. Crowds need to be motivated, and minds need to be energized, especially on Election Day. So I figured posting a heads-up on my […]
Bloc Parties With Electronics
You have to wait with buzz bands. You got to see if they can stick around after the hype has worn off. Which is another way of saying I don’t […]
Deerhunter’s Weird Pop Has Excellent Aim
Some very compelling music has come out so far in 2008, from all corners of the sonic universe. But few have sounded as strange yet accessible as Deerhunter’s Microcastle. I […]
Gang Gang Dance’s Defiant Saint Dymphna
Gang Gang Dance is that rare collective that eschews formal structures for free-for-all experimentation and expression.