In his breakthrough autobiographical drama The Squid and the Whale, Noah Baumbach crafted—re-staged, one supposes—a world of divorce-driven pain. Even as the Berkman family fell apart before our eyes, unable to stop its lives from shifting irreparably, one thing was never in question: conviction. Each member was so certain he was right (and there was […]
Tara Thorne
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Matthew Good
Matthew GoodWhite Light Rock and Roll Review(Universal)From the opening riffs of “Put Out Your Lights,” Matthew Good’s short and sour second solo record rocks and bitches and questions and condemns for 40 minutes. Most songs are under four minutes, but Good can do a lot in that time—the record’s best track, “We’re So Heavy,” is […]
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It’s Not Fun, Don’t Do It! starring: Tegan and Sara
It’s Not Fun, Don’t Do It! starring: Tegan and Sara (Universal)Part of the appeal of this indie pop duo is the twins’ bratty sibling banter, so the doc portions of this performance/video collection/behind-the-scenes DVD are the funniest and most illuminating. Each sister is armed with a camera, and like siblings will, each uses it to […]
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Robert Plant and Alison Krauss
Robert Plant and Alison KraussRaising SandRounderThere have been some novelty pop pairings recently, most of them heinous—Kid Rock and Sheryl Crow, Tim McGraw and Nelly. In the pairing of Robert Plant and Alison Krauss, we have something in the vein of the Emmylou Harris and Bright Eyes collaboration–logic wouldn’t have matched them up, but hearing […]
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Maria Taylor
Maria Taylor11:11(Saddle Creek)Maria Taylor’s first solo outing does nothing to dull the shine on Saddle Creek, the Omaha label reaching early-’90s Sub Pop proportions. On a break from her day job as half of Azure Ray, Taylor offers 10 pretty, electronic-brushed pop songs perfect for scoring daydreams. She never does better than lead track “Leap […]
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Howie Day
Published October 23, 2003. Howie Day Stop All the World Now (Epic) Howie Day took a break at the wrong time, riding his 2000 debut just long enough for John Mayer to take over the breathy-voiced, sensitive singer- songwriter spot. Too bad, because Day does not inspire the gag reflex of Mayer’s earnest/creepy lyrics and […]
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Kathleen Edwards
Published December 08, 2005. Kathleen Edwards Back to Me (Rounder) The pride of Wakefield, PQ, (and Matt Mays duet partner) maintains her well-deserved buzz with a mature, slightly less country update on Failer. Where that debut stewed in beer-soaked anger, Back to Me is more wistful and nostalgic, as Edwards practically apologizes for her success. […]
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The Porcelain Gods
The Porcelain GodsEmergency Band Meeting(independent)While Wintersleep and the DP crew take the Halifax scene in a new direction, the Porcelain Gods update the classic New Seattle sound in a way that’s less homage than evolution. This three-song EP takes the uptempo pep (hand claps!) and three singers of old and pairs them with lyrics that […]
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Giant Drag
Giant DragHearts and Unicorns(Kickball)Indie rock outfit Giant Drag is Annie Hardy and Micah Calabrese. Annie sings and plays guitar (and the odd bassline). Micah drums and plays synth (and the odd riff). As girl-boy duos go, they’re more serious than Morningwood, less self-important than the White Stripes and more accessibly clever than Mates of State. […]
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Weeds: Season 2
Weeds: Season 2Directed by: Jenji Kohan(Showtime)The stellar season-one ender—with drug dealer Nancy Botwin (Mary-Louise Parker in an award-winning role) discovering the first man she’s dated since her husband’s death is a DEA agent—gets a bizarre solution as season two of Weeds unwinds: they get married. That way they can still date, and Peter (Martin Donovan) […]
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Death Cab for Cutie
Death Cab for CutiePlans (Atlantic) Death Cab for Cutie hasn’t made its best record. The lush Transatlanticism (2003) — the mainstream score that landed this new deal with Atlantic — came close. Closer still was 2001’s The Photo Album, tinged with more anger than usual and coiled up under tight production. As for individual song […]
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Juliana Hatfield
Juliana HatfieldIn Exile Deo(Rounder)After 2000’s gorgeous Beautiful Creature and last year’s downright peppy side project Some Girls, Juliana Hatfield has returned to her Boston-honed indie rock roots. Like Joni Mitchell’s, Hatfield’s high girly voice has deepened with time, so it’s easier to accept lines like “I know I’m a fairweather fuck.” Featuring some of her […]
