Dan Clahane

Anti-FlagFor Blood and Empire(RCA)Pittsburgh hardcore stalwart Anti-Flag has been the standard-bearer of the political punk movement since the mid-’90s, and its seventh record finds it near the top of its game. While established punk bands signing to majors in the past few years have met with decidedly mixed results , Anti-Flag has made few concessions […]

RihannaA Girl Like Me(Def Jam)Signed to Jay-Z’s Def Jam roster after winning talent competitions in her native Barbados, teenage R&B siren Rihanna made a modest debut last year with the dancehall-inflected Music of the Sun. Few would have predicted her quick ascent into pop’s upper echelon, but that’s exactly what she and executive producer the […]

Paul WellerCatch-Flame(YepRoc)Worshipped by Britons but hardly more than a cult favourite on this side of the Atlantic, Paul Weller’s career longevity and capacity for reinvention have made him a hero to the likes of Blur and Oasis. This blistering double live album, recorded at London’s Alexandra Palace, finds the Modfather and band in a rootsy, […]