The HissPanic Movement (Sanctuary)This Atlanta garage rock quartet delivers pretty much exactly what you would expect on this debut, plundering the riches of everything from ’70s rock (Led Zep, Neil Young) to the Stone Roses. Solid tracks like the rawkous “Clever Kicks” or the heroin-languid dirge of “Ghost’s Gold” might find favour with college radio, […]
Dave Hayden
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Oh Susanna
Published September 11, 2003. Oh Susanna S/T (Nettwerk) While there are moments that really rock with full band backing (“Carrie Lee,” “Cain is Rising”) on this follow-up to Sleepy Little Sailor, fans will still find plenty of the lonesome, wandering moments (“Zoe,” “Billy”) that have forever characterized Suzie Ungerleider’s uniqueness. The album finds the right […]
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Ben Lee
Published December 08, 2005. Ben Lee Awake is the New Sleep (New West) You would think that after Claire Danes left him, Aussie boy-wonder Ben Lee would return with an angst-ridden tearjerker full of songs like “How to Mend a Broken Heart.” But he found Zen Buddhism instead. And his inner peace and acceptance is […]
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Bruce Cockburn
Published January 05, 2006. Bruce Cockburn Speechless (True north) Bruce Cockburn is one of this country’s finest songwriters. And nearly every album from his two-decade-plus career has featured at least one instrumental track. But most of the time, these pieces have taken a backseat to his political activism and devout lyricism. Speechless is a CD […]
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Elliott Smith
Elliott SmithFrom a Basement on the Hill (Anti)Given the tragic ending to Elliott Smith’s troubled life, this “final” album will surely be picked apart and over-analyzed. Songs like “The Last Hour” and “Memory Lane” are horribly telling in hindsight. When he sings “it is raining in my heart,” only the coldest heart could ignore its […]
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David Sylvian
David SylvianBrilliant Trees (Virgin)Brilliant Trees was David Sylvian’s first solo album after he disbanded Japan. While not far removed from previous work, this was the beginning of a fruitful kinship with ex-CAN bassist Holger Czukay and avant-garde composer Ryuichi Sakamoto. Their influences are felt most in “Red Guitar” and “Backwater” where the subtle jazz and […]
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Amy Millan
Amy MillanHoney from the Tombs(Arts & Crafts)Message boards have been abuzz for months in anticipation of Amy Millan’s first solo release. And rightly so—her dreamy, hush-toned voice has been one of the catalysts for the Stars’ (and certain Broken Social Scene tracks) success. But anyone expecting a Stars-style release, in the vein of the debut […]
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Buck 65
Buck 65SituationWEAIt’s been nearly 10 years since Skratch Bastid (Paul Murphy) went head to head with Buck 65 (Rich Terfry) at the DJ Olympics. It was a much talked about turntable battle with a classic “old guard versus new” fable. That was 1999. And now in 2007, the two have come together for an album […]
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Burn to Shine: Chicago Il 09.13.2004
Burn to Shine: Chicago Il 09.13.2004Directed by: Christoph GreenTrixieDVD.comThe second installment of Burn to Shine, a music-documentary series produced by Fugazi’s Brendan Canty, is a gorgeously shot portrait of one place and one time that will never be recreated. Featuring Chicago bands playing a single song each inside a building set for demolition, the film […]
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Tony Bennett
Tony BennettThe Complete Improv Recordings (Concord)Tony Bennett was (and still is) a jazz singer most aficionados consider to be too much a showman, too Broadway to be considered a “real” jazz interpreter. But there is no questioning his influence and popularity over the years. His associations with some of the biggest jazz musicians—Bill Evans, Rudy […]
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Stiff Little Fingers
Stiff Little FingersGuitar and Drum(Kung Fu)While Stiff Little Fingers have put records out for the last 15 years, this is the first disc to really equal what the band was doing in its heyday (1981-82). SLF’s brand of punk is many shades poppier than the Clash or Husker Du, but it always contained an edginess […]
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The Fall
Published December 11, 2003. The Fall The Real New Fall LP; Formerly Country on the Click (Action) Originally slated for an April release, this new Fall album was pulled, remixed and re-titled after an Internet leak. Whatever changes (may) have been made don’t matter. The Fall, headed by the Thelonious Monk of punk rock (Mark […]