Reviews

Bluegrass interpretations of the Moody Blues? Pickers tackling the pretentious Brit cloud-gazers is conceivable, it just wasn’t begging to be done. Mandolin player/producer David Harvey persuaded an impressive number of colleagues to touch their inner hippies. “Your Wildest Dreams,” as sung by Harley Allen and Jan Harvey, is the one song brilliantly reborn. On the […]

50 CentThe Massacre(G-Unit/Aftermath)Nelly, Luda, Rule, listen up!  The Massacre is a lesson in how to make an album that will tear up the clubs without pimping yourself to the hip-pop crowd. 50 Cent’s major label debut Get Rich or Die Tryin’ may have benefited from Fiddy’s street cred but The Massacre is stronger because it […]

Super Furry AnimalsSongbook Volume 1(Beggars XL)This collection of upbeat, eccentric indie pop from Wales doesn’t capture all of the Furries’ best music—they have too much great output. But Songbook is a perfect starter, with all the singles from the band’s six albums, plus two non-LP tracks. Highlights include the drug-love anthem “Something 4 the Weekend,” […]

MaseWelcome Back (Bad Boy)It’s sad when someone has to throw their own welcome back party but Mase doesn’t seem to mind. Whether talking about it in his songs or just yelling in public earshot, Mase seems absolutely thrilled to be seeing more of Mase again. As for his music (not that that ever really is […]

Josh RouseThe Smooth Sounds of(Ryko)Josh Rouse has been more or less an ignored talent who has put out a solid collection of acoustic roots pop. With 1972, he walked into the league of Elliot Smith, sculpting a folk-pop masterpiece. The Smooth Sounds of is a compilation of rarities and demos that comes with an exquisite […]

StarsSet Yourself on Fire(Arts and Crafts)After their album of sappy art school love songs, Heart, Stars has returned with Set Yourself on Fire. It’s apparent from the first listen that the disc is more mature, developed and pretentious (which, with The Dears’ Murray Lightburn involved, is a bit of a given). These characteristics suit the […]

Jimmy Eat WorldFutures(Interscope)Coming a long three years after 2001’s terrific Bleed American, Futures is more of the same straight-up rock and slightly over-earnest ballads that comprised the last record (re-titled Jimmy Eat World in the US in the touchy days after 9/11). It goes down catchy and easy (save a few political statements), which is […]

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 […]

Extra VirginNude Combinations (Dependent)By Divine Right frontman Jose Contreras takes an advisable step into offbeat music. Though Nude Variations finds common ground between a subdued Sigur Ros and the low moments of Aphex Twin, the disc’s cerebral soundscapes are far from derivative. Instead, Nude Variations travels with a slow and dizzy momentum, showing off a […]

Guided by VoicesHalf Smiles of the Decomposed(Matador)Robert Pollard’s rise from teacher to middle-aged alt-god has kept the rock star fantasy alive in us all. Though he will continue his prolific output in other guises, it is sad to see the final pages turn on GBV. Any of the last four albums could’ve served as a […]

MonoWalking Cloud and Deep Red Sky, Flag Fluttered and the Sun Shined (Virgin)There will be a point when the tiny-to-huge instrumental rock formula that is being exploited both by patrons of Zoloft and most of the inhabitants of Montreal will grow tired, but it hasn’t happened yet. Fitting into the scene somewhere between Explosions in […]

The CureS/T (Geffen)After the missteps of Wild Mood Swings and Bloodflowers, Robert Smith and company return with their best disc in over a decade. As usual, there’s plenty of despair but things aren’t all that bad, with Smith drawing from the best eras of The Cure catalogue. “The End of the World” recalls the romanticism […]