Published November 20, 2003. Paul Westerberg Come Feel Me Tremble (Vagrant) During the last days of The Replacements, Paul Westerberg mellowed and tightened their sound into something more radio-friendly and accessible, a sound that would be the foundation of his solo work. With 2002’s Mono/Stereo, the old, bitter, pissed-off Westerberg came back. On Come Feel […]
Reviews
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Leaves
Published October 30, 2003. Leaves Breathe (Dreamworks) If your rainy day needed a soundtrack, this is it. What else would one expect from a band that relocated from Iceland (a country with seven months of darkness) to London (a country with just about as much rain). Breathe is the debut album from this amazing trio, […]
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The Finger
Published October 16, 2003. The Finger We Are Fuck You (One Little Indian) The Big Secret—this band features Jesse Malin and Ryan Adam—was let out of the bag long ago. The limited 1,000 or so vinyl copies are long gone but thankfully this is seeing the light of day again—it is fuckin’ brilliant. This will […]
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Kraftwerk
Published October 02, 2003. Kraftwerk Tour de France Soundtracks (EMI) To listen to this is to understand music as the breath of technology, not some human ideal to which technology aspires. If not the inventor of techno, the group is its embodiment, and Kraftwerk’s first album in 17 years displays a clarity and range of […]
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My Morning Jacket
Published August 28, 2003. My Morning Jacket It Still Moves (ATO/BMG) No band really wants the label of “stoner rock.” It’s not derogatory so much as it implies that a listener with organically enhanced esthetic receptors will appreciate it more than an up- tight pop-monger. If you like lots of cymbal, echo, organ and a […]
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Jane’s Addiction
Published August 07, 2003. Jane’s Addiction Strays (Capitol) Jane’s Addiction’s return to the American music stage after 13 years will come as a mixed blessing to fans. There is nothing as essential as “Been Caught Stealing” or “Mountain Song,” songs created out of desperation that became iconic. But Strays reeks of the decadence Farrell and […]
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Danko Jones
Danko JonesSleep is the Enemy(Bad Taste)To paraphrase Occam’s Razor, the simplest answer to a problem is most likely to be the right one. Not that Sleep is The Enemy is a problem. It is, however, a straight-ahead no-frills rock record, brimming with testosterone-laden confidence. Even as far back as their indie EPs, Danko Jones’ primary […]
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Ciccone Youth
Ciccone YouthThe Whitey Album (Remastered) (Geffen)Even 20 years after its original release, Sonic Youth’s one-off “side project” is still a confusing enigma. It was recorded in 1988, the same year as the seminal album Daydream Nation, but it shares nothing with that release. The title refers to the band’s desire to put out its own […]
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Wilderness
WildernessVessel States(Jagjaguwar)Wilderness’ self-titled debut came out last year and generated a mini-buzz in a sector of critics who love to point out “albums of the year” that no one else heard. The sophomore Vessel States continues in the same vein. Vocalist James Johnson is distinctive, a tone-deaf Robert Smith with lonesome yowls that sound like […]
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Pearl Jam
Pearl JamPearl Jam(J)After tearing the roof off of the Metro Center last September, Pearl Jam headed back into the studio to complete work on its self-titled eighth album. During the considerable downtime between studio releases, Pearl Jam continued to satisfy fans with a b-sides compilation, a greatest hits package and an acoustic live album (not […]
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Ron Sexsmith
Ron SexsmithTime Being(Warner)It’s a testament to Sexsmith’s artistry that he can lyrically delve into humanity-sized issues without relying on cliches or tripping into self-indulgent muck. Time Being explores mortality and death—Sexsmith admits to being affected by the loss of two childhood friends—in his trademark sincere style. Still, this is not gloom and doom: “Jazz at […]
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The Twilight Singers
The Twilight SingersPowder Burns(One Little Indian)At this point, there is no good reason it shouldn’t be balls-out creepy listening to Greg Dulli sing about sex. The Twilight Singers’ rotund frontman looks more like the kind of guy that an official warning should be posted about a month before he moves into your neighbourhood than a […]
