Dave Hayden

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

Damien JuradoAnd Now that I’m in your Shadow(Secretly Canadian)Listening to a Damien Jurado album is like watching a full season of Six Feet Under in one sitting—gratifying but emotionally draining. The hard part arises from the stories he creates—dark character studies depicting emotionally painful experiences. Yet his ability to craft tender melodies and seduce the […]

At the Drive-InThis Station is Non-Operational (Fearless)Funny how it happens — the album that breaks a band into mainstream consciousness ends up being its last. In the case of At The Drive-In, that album was Relationship of Command. The band then splintered into the catchier, more accessible Sparta and the difficult-to-come-to Mars Volta. This single […]

The Wedding PresentTake Fountain(Manifesto)Eight years after Saturnalia, indie darlings The Wedding Present return with an album that sounds like a blend of classic WP and Cinerama (David Gedge’s softer side project). There are three or four tracks—most notably “Ringway to Seatac” and the extremely harsh break-up song “Larry’s”—that satisfy with sharp, dry guitar lines that […]

John and the SistersS/T (NorthernBlues)Kevin Breit’s credentials are impressive. As a session and live accompanist for the likes of Norah Jones, k.d. lang and Celine Dion, he has seen his fair share of glitz and has likely been told too many times how the music should be played. This disc—a murky and at times extremely […]

The ElectedSun, Sun, Sun(Sub Pop)The trend toward more constructed and tightly arranged songwriting continues on The Elected’s sophomore disc Sun, Sun, Sun, so immersed in sunny Californian textures it’s easy to miss the tales of broken homes and broken hearts that line its interiors. Along the lines of The Thrills or Sufjan Stevens’ Illinois album, […]