Reviews

Los Lonely BoysSacred(Columbia)Los Lonely Boys broke onto the scene from relative obscurity to score a huge hit single “Heaven”—and people flocked to their local record store to grab a copy of the band’s debut. Now raise your hand if you can name any other Los Lonely Boys songs. While being talented, the music is the […]

Pete YornNightcrawler(Columbia)Pete Yorn’s music is the antithesis of all the pop garbage the Nick Lacheys and Ushers of the world have bestowed upon us. He is a singer-songwriter in the vein of fellow Jersey boy Bruce Springsteen and has been working to establish himself as an artist with a longevity that is not often found […]

Paul WesterbergOpen Season(Lost Highway)Hopefully, Paul Westerberg will make a shitload of money off the Open Season soundtrack: The animated tale of forest animals is making a killing at the box office. The forgotten king of indie rock from Minneapolis, Westerberg deserves all the attention and cash coming to him. Open Season offers eight originals, mostly […]

Dr. DfunktRunning Hot(Independent)Formerly of Dr. Yellow Fever, Kamran Abdi expands his musical palate on Running Hot, a collection of tunes made to get dance floors moving everywhere. Recalling elements of Jamiroquai, Prince and Stevie Wonder, Dr. Dfunkt is like nothing else being produced on the east coast. Members of local stalwarts Jimmy Swift Band and […]

John LegendOnce Again(Good Music/Sony Urban)Even if it didn’t have Kanye West listed as executive producer, Once Again would be a substantial record. The showcase here remains John Legend’s vocals, which often sound like labelmate Jarvis Church or Gerald Eaton of the Philsopher Kings. Throughout Once Again Legend reanimates the R&B tradition laid down in the […]

Eels with StringsLive at Town Hall(Vagrant)The esteemed E and company offer a magical, stirring set of 22 songs that draw from every previous chapter of the band’s brilliant melodic pop and E’s bent but compassionate world view. Strings have always played a part, along with organ, in Eels music so they’re far from an add-on […]

MatisyahuYouth(Sony)If you took Matisyahu at face value, you more than likely wouldn’t be reaching for the play button anytime soon. However those who pressed play and gave the album a chance would be quickly rewarded by its infectiously mellow Judaic-infused reggae vibe.Trevor Savorycategories: Best of the year (2006)

We Are ScientistsWith Love and Squalor(Virgin)Although some critics complained the Brooklyn trio relied too heavily on the songs-about-girls-and-boozing formula, that’s a small criticism when fewer indie rock records sounded as consistently fun in 2006. Backed by a collection of excellent singles (“The Scene Is Dead,” “Nobody Move, Nobody Gets Hurt” and “It’s a Hit”), We […]

Ben FoldsSupersunnyspeedgraphic(SonyBMG)Back in 2003/04, Ben Folds released three internet- and show-only EPs (Super D, Sunny 16 and Speed Graphic) with the promise of an official store release in the future. That time has finally arrived. Folds considers this album his rightful second full-length recording, between Silverman and his great Rockin’ the Suburbs. While this kind […]