Published August 07, 2003. Kitchens & Bathrooms Vehicles Beyond (Sonic Unyon) For its third release, Hamilton’s math-rock trio Kitchens & Bathrooms steps down a notch or two on the feedback meter without compromising the dynamic strength for which it has become known. Like Slint or June of 44, K&B build complexity that burns with the […]
Dave Hayden
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Elliott Smith
Elliott SmithNew Moon(Kill Rock Stars)Compared to Kurt Cobain, Biggie Smalls and so many other prematurely dead rock stars, Elliott Smith’s talent and body of work has remained in relative obscurity despite its critical acclaim and praise from fellow artists. His suicide in 2003 was the final exclamation mark on a life that shied away from […]
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Lou Barlow
Lou BarlowEMOH (Merge)With the release of his first solo disc, Lou Barlow has made himself relevant again. Through his work with Sebadoh and the Folk Implosion, he practically drafted the blueprint for heart-wrenching bedroom recordings and became the spiritual father of artists like Conor Oberst. But for a few years, he got off track. EMOH […]
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Elvis Costello and the Impostors
Elvis Costello and the ImpostorsThe Delivery Man(Lost Highway)While Elvis Costello is still dabbling in “serious” music- making—writing for Diana Krall and the symphony—it’s good to see he hasn’t forgotten how to kick a lick around. Here Costello is in top form, firing off rollicking blues and country-tinged jams. “Button My Lip” and “Bedlam” are exactly […]
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The Hurtin’ Unit
The Hurtin’ UnitCountry Soul(Independent)Country Soul is what you’d expect from The Hurtin’ Unit—a mix of country and bluegrass with a hint of the blues. The mandolin and fiddle playing is wonderful, and the use of trumpet and sax really compliments the arrangements beautifully. Lead singers Daniel Baugh and RJ have great vocal intuition with a […]
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Various
VariousKill the Moonlight OST(Plexifilm)Music geeks everywhere will be applauding the release of the ultra-low budget slacker film Kill the Moonlight by writer-director Steven Hanft. Not so much for the movie itself, but for the inclusion of a soundtrack that features three exclusive One Foot in the Grave-era Beck tracks. In fact, Moonlight’s main character, Chance—a […]
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Museum Pieces
Published November 29, 2007. Museum Pieces City of Brotherly Love indie Tyler Messick can basically spin gold no matter what he attempts—no truer than when he turns Museum Pieces into an indie-rock outfit as he did this year. Although the band’s focus is more on the guitar-drum rhythmic interplay (especially when the band is stripped […]
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Scout Niblett
Published August 25, 2005. Scout Niblett Kidnapped By Napped by Neptune (Too Pure) Comparisons to Cat Power and PJ Harvey dotted the critical landscape of her first two albums, which only helped Nottingham, England’s Scout Niblett become somewhat of a darling in the eyes of critics and indie fans. With her quiet, pixie-like voice that […]
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Clay Aiken
Clay AikenMerry Christmas with Love(RCA)Quick, someone throw a turtle-neck sweater on this man and get him a pipe and roaring fire to sit by. (While you’re at it, call Bing Crosby to say he can finally rest in peace.) Clay Aiken’s old-fashioned boy-at- home persona finds its niche in this album that sounds like what […]
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Various
Various Poor Boy: Songs of Nick Drake (Songlines)Nick Drake’s music, riding a peak of popularity 25 years after his death, is long overdue for a tribute album. But this recording loses focus by its over- intellectualization of the music, losing sight of the true essence of his songs. Even without being verbatim cover versions, Veda […]
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The Creatures
Published November 06, 2003. The Creatures Hai! (Instinct) In the fall of 2002, Budgie, drummer for Siouxie and the Banshees, met up with Taiko drum phenom Leonard Eto to record some spontaneous drum improvs. The session—appropriately referred to as “a full blown drum frenzy” in the liner notes—later formed the basis of this new Creatures […]
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The Thermals
The ThermalsThe Body The Blood The Machine(Sub Pop)For its third album, Portland, Oregon’s Thermals released a sharply executed, prophetic tale of what America would look like as an ultra-right wing religious state governed by a president that assumes his power comes directly from God as wages war for oil and the masses follow as blindly […]