Jimmy Chamberlin ComplexLife Begins Again(Sanctuary)Jimmy Chamberlin was the drummer for the Smashing Pumpkins in their heyday, until he was kicked out for an uncontrollable drug habit. Nearly a decade later, he resurfaces with the somewhat trite Life Begins Again—an odd mix of tunes that combine elements of heavy rock, new age etherialism and jazz fusion […]
Dave Hayden
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The George W. Bush Singers
The George W. Bush SingersSongs in the Key Of W.(True Believer)Right down to the “Grammatical Advisory” sticker on the cover, Songs in the Key Of W. is meant to be totally kitsch, completely farcical and a laugh riot. What it isn’t, however, is politically poignant or even slightly funny. Hey, we all know Bush-isms are […]
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Frank Black and the Catholics
Published September 11, 2003. Frank Black and the Catholics Show Me Your Tears (Sonic Unyon) Ever since making the Catholics his back-up band, Frank Black has released albums that have been recorded onto two tracks, often in a single take. What they’ve lacked in crazy brilliance has been made up by solid writing and a […]
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Yo La Tengo
Yo La TengoI Am Not Afraid of You and I Will Beat Your Ass (Matador)Brilliant. That is the word that keeps coming to mind over and over again while listening to the latest from New Jersey’s beloved noise-pop trio, Yo La Tengo. And it is really exciting to be able to say that again. After […]
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Kinski
KinskiAlpine Static(Sub Pop)Take the slow, purposeful momentum of slowcore, add the mercuric plodding of Sabbath-era metal with just a dash of European psych rock and you kinda get the idea of Seattle’s Kinski. Sound familiar? Perhaps, but Kinski is worlds apart from Mudhoney, or the whole grunge scene. Mudhoney never allowed one note to repeat […]
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The Summerlad
The SummerladThemes: International(FAB)Formed from the ashes of the Primrods, Calgary-based The Summerlad feels familiar for all the safe reasons. Mixing a distinctly pop feel with layered guitars and synths, it makes you think of a happier My Bloody Valentine, a more revved-up Galaxie 500 or a less art-house Broken Social Scene (compare “Vallee of Cobras” […]
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The Thermals
The ThermalsFuckin A (Sub Pop)The second disc from The Thermals is outstanding. No need to find a fancy esoteric way to put it—the music doesn’t deserve it. It’s just great straight-up, high-energy punk rock with a surging momentum and immediacy that cannot be denied. This is not pop-punk Sum 41 crap. This is Pistols, wrapped […]
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Jim Bryson
Published October 09, 2003. Jim Bryson The North Side Benches (Orange) He may look like a high school gym teacher, but Jim Bryson is a gifted songwriter. If he’d spent his youth holed up in his basement learning Replacement songs and drinking chamomile tea instead of batting a ball around it would not be a […]
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Lou Barlow
Published December 08, 2005. Lou Barlow EMOH (Merge) With the success and attention rightly given to artists like Conor Oberst, it was serendipitous timing for Barlow to release the solo album of his career. Although EMOH could be considered somewhat of a comeback (the last few Sebadoh and Folk Implosion albums pale in comparison), this […]
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Various
VariousThe Aristocrats OST(V2)Although there is very little true “action” in comedy doc The Aristocrats, something is nonetheless lost in the translation to CD. The clips are lifted directly from the film without any re-editing, so you get tracks that jump from audio-bite to audio-bite, from comedian to comedian and you can get lost easily. Maybe […]
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Tanya Donelly
Tanya DonellyWhiskey Tango Ghosts (4AD)Rumour has it Tanya Donelly has been listening to a lot of Lucinda Williams, Emmylou Harris and Neko Case lately. You don’t have to venture too far into Whiskey Tango Ghosts to find confirmation. This latest album is sparsely arranged, folkier and more grounded than what we usually expect from Donelly. […]
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Minus Story
Minus StoryThe Captain Is Dead Let the Drum Corpse Begin (Jagjagwuar)With little chance of a new Neutral Milk Hotel album (frontman Jeff Mangum is on a Syd Barrett-inspired hiatus), it is good to see some musicians keen on picking up the NMH mantle. And Minus Story does it more than convincingly well. Slide whistles, recorders, […]
