On the Record
It sounds like something you've heard before. The jangle of guitars and a soft boyish voice is nothing new in indie-music world. But the New Jersey boys of Real Estate turn those played-out elements into …
The two best-selling Christmas albums this year are Christmas from crooner Michael Buble, who channels Sinatra and Dino Martin's jazzy renderings of Christmas albums past, and A Very She and Him Christmas, a future classic …
Jane's Addiction walked away from music at the top of their game. In the late '80s and early '90s, they brought art back to rock 'n' roll with two studio albums that had the poetry …
While peddling fare such as the burdens of loneliness and self-loathing, Andrew Jackson Jihad also explores the plight of the homeless en route to one of this year's most human releases. Through 16 folk-punk constructions, …
Ex-Oasis guitarist/songwriter Noel Gallagher returns shooting from the lip with his solo debut. Already a U.K. number one and outselling Liam's Beady Eye by two to one, the elder brother appears to be on top …
As I've mentioned elsewhere, this music produced a profound spiritual experience wherein I, a proud atheist, felt an overwhelming connection to the One, something beyond space and time, in a perpetual state of being and …
Lou Reed and Metallica's collaboration is a head on collision between two trains and the casualties are the ears of the listeners. The first words uttered on Lulu ("I would cut my legs and tits …
After seven years' absence, the end-times crooning of Tom Waits sounds like a derelict uncle scorning a mediocre music industry. With this collage of growling, blues-drenched songs, Uncle Tom is back. Waits tries to rekindle …
Only a few of the “crank-it” tunes on this album fit the implications of its name, which references Welsh mining apparel. "Mission & Maintenance" is one of those. "Be Your Own Invention" leans on a …
Back in July, the indie-music blogosphere didn't know what to do with itself when Girls released the single "Vomit." The near seven-minute jam, complete with soul-singer backup vocals, was all hipsters needed to become obsessed …
“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 …
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 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 …
"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 …
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 …