Reviews

Published January 15, 2004. The Frank Popp Ensemble Ride On (Unique) With a strange blend of ’60s white soul (a la Nancy Sinatra) and shameless sugar-coated pop, Frank Popp wants to be hip and super-stylish right down to his extra p. Funnily enough, though, Popp (the alter ego of an unnamed German DJ) succeeds without […]

Published September 11, 2003. Alien Ant Farm Truant (Universal) Unless you were living under a rock in 2001, you heard Alien Ant Farm’s cover of Michael Jackson’s “Smooth Criminal.” That unlikely hit managed to overshadow everything the SoCal band had accomplished up to that point. But AAF has returned with the aptly titled follow-up Truant. […]

Published December 04, 2003. Jay-Z The Black Album (Roc-A-Fella/Def Jam) Jay-Z was once considered to be the crown price to the throne of Biggie Smalls, which is a massive void to fill. Turns out Jay-Z wasn’t (in)famous enough to assume the throne, and thanks to the success of his Roc-A-Fella label, he’s stepping down to […]

Published November 20, 2003. Ron Sexsmith Rarities (Ronboy/Linus) There are few singers who can find the beauty that lies between the lines and under the melodies of a song. Ron Sexsmith is one of those singers. But you knew that—worn copies of Blue Boy or Wherea-bouts have already revealed those finer points. Rarities is an […]

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 […]

Published October 16, 2003. Dave Matthews Some Devil ( RCA) His fans warmly refer to him as simply Dave, the wry, self-deprecating frontman of the Dave Matthews Band. Some Devil marks his first foray as a solo artist. DMB hasn’t broken up; as Dave puts it, “this was something that if I didn’t do, I’d […]

Published October 02, 2003. Nickelback The Long Road (Roadrunner) Nickelback have never tried to be more than they are, never veering off into uncharted territory (Radiohead), or moving toward a pop sound (Sugar Ray, Jewel). They make rock music, plain and simple. The Long Road should have been the follow-up to The State, rather than […]

Published August 28, 2003. STUN Evolution of Energy (Geffen) First impressions can be deceiving. STUN appears to straddle the line between cute punk-pop outfits like Sum 41 and Rage Against the Machine wannabes. The band’s calls for revolution and social change sound at first like juvenile ramblings. But there is something deeper working, a purity […]

Published August 07, 2003. Gillian Welch Soul Journey (Stony Plain) After a trilogy of exceptional records, Americana goddess Gillian Welch releases her first mediocre disc. It’s not a bad album, but she and partner David Rawlings lack passion. Some may cite the new use of organ, drums and electric bass as the problem, but the […]