Everyone's a Critic
“I been young, I been old/I been hurt and consoled/Heart of cold, heart of gold/so I'm told” — “Dawned on Me” The opening line of “Dawned on Me” summarizes Wilco's eighth studio album, on which …
Bush lead singer Gavin Rossdale has expressed in the media his desire for the revamped Bush band to not be considered "a nostalgia act." When the grungy hit machine played 4th&B, the vigor and intensity …
What happens when you let Beck produce an album by Malkmus and the Jicks? Wowee Zowee part deux, apparently. Fans of the beloved 1995 Pavement disc will rejoice at the haphazard, attention-deficit feel of Mirror …
After a cluster at the gate that resulted in my photographer being denied entry, I was ushered to my seat just in time to catch the crystalline opening notes of nine-piece behemoth Bon Iver. Blanketed …
After a ten-year hiatus, a rejuvenated Primus returns to deliver a fresh batch of ominous melodies. Squirrels, the Octomom, salmon, heroin addiction, and a Spaghetti Western villain all make guest appearances. New drummer Jay Lane …
When Diana Ross took the stage at Humphrey's by the Bay, the crowd rose to its feet and stayed there, dancing in the aisles or dancing at their seats. Looking resplendent in a series of …
"Alrightfellas, holditrighthere, waitaminute!" That's "Wheel of Fortune," roughly 2:40 in, where the Genius needs to reign in the horns, somewhere in 1972. But that's only an especially fine specimen of the bold yet effortless idiom …
Situated in an undeveloped dirt lot known as the Los Angeles State Historic Park, on the outskirts of Chinatown, the 2011 FYFest was a filthy, sweaty, ear-battering affair. The line-up listed heavily toward the punk …
An inveterate Band whore, I was initially motivated to give Latebirds a spin by Levon Helm's presence (along with Benmont Tench, Nels Cline, Minnie Driver, and Kris Kristofferson) on the bonus disc, Woodstock Sessions. And …
Butthole Surfers took the stage at Brick by Brick for an hour and a half of grown men acting like profane hooligans, devastating all taste and propriety. Gibby Haynes addressed the public with an apathetic …
It was a trip back to ’90s adult-contemporary radio when Michelle Branch and the Goo Goo Dolls took the stage at Humphreys by the Bay on this beautiful summer night. Branch played all of her …
Early copies of They Might Be Giants’ last CD, The Else, came with bonus disc Cast Your Pod to the Wind, a grab bag of 23 songs collected from the band's podcasts. The freebie proved …
Buddy Holly's been dead 52 years. He died at 22 in a plane crash described "as the night the music died" by singer Don McLean in his classic-rock anthem "American Pie." Though his recording career …
While the acoustics of Rimac strived for mediocrity, Death Cab for Cutie found a way to stretch their sound over a Division II basketball court on a brisk August night. A mellow, mid-tempo outfit at …
When the Fresh & Onlys hit the stage, there were only about 30 people in the room. Another Monday night at the Casbah. Early in the set, singer/guitarist Tim Cohen busted a string on his …
On Beirut's third full-length, the seasoned vocal cords of Zach Condon sing of longing and wandering in a pixilated world out of reach. The Baroque instrumentation that has defined the band's sound remains, but here …