Spins
The Black Ghosts reviewed
The Black Ghosts The Black Ghosts (Iamsound) Judging from Simian Mobile Disco’s debut, it seemed likely the split occurred on artistic grounds: Jameses Ford and Shaw wanted to go pop, while Simon Lord and Alex MacNougthon preferred the experimental angle. Judging from The Black Ghosts, Lord should be in SMD. Appearing: Thursday, July 24th at […]
John Hiatt reviewed
John Hiatt Same Old Man (New West) Raspy singer-songwriter John Hiatt displays a voice beyond his years on Same Old Man, which makes him sound about 113. Appearing: Friday, July 18th at Ravinia Festival in Highland Park.
Billy Idol compiled
Billy Idol The Very Best Of Billy Idol: Idolize Yourself (Capitol/EMI) Since Billy Idol’s intentions have always been so clear, he’s a classic debate case: Is it better to acknowledge you’re a sellout from the beginning?
Albert Hammond, Jr. reviewed
Albert Hammond, Jr. ¿Cómo Te Llama? (Black Seal/Sony BMG) With the Drew Barrymore aftermath currently the only interesting Strokes news, Albert Hammond, Jr. releases his second solo album.
Motley Crue reviewed
Motley Crue Saints Of Los Angeles (Eleven Seven/Motley) With a guitarist who shows less life than Bernie Lomax, a drummer who’s convinced he’s a DJ, and a summer tour “extravaganza” with Buckcherry, Papa Roach, and fuckin’ Trapt, it’s doubtful anyone had high expectations for a new Motley Crue record. But guess what? Saints Of Los […]
Patriotic Country three-quilled
Various Artists Patriotic Country 3 (Razor & Tie) America is under siege. That’s the message emanating from this 17-track compilation, proceeds from which will benefit the families of the National Guard and other military reservists.
Miles Benjamin Anthony Robinson reviewed
Miles Benjamin Anthony Robinson Miles Benjamin Anthony Robinson (Say Hey) Gravel-voiced and broken, rarely does a singer-songwriter come with a story as compelling as the soul-scarred narratives this one brings to life. Expanding his name the way he does on the album sleeve only serves to underscore one man’s awful fall from innocence to inferno.
Mudcrutch reviewed
Mudcrutch Mudcrutch (Reprise) If anywhere, Tom Petty’s Mudcrutch should be insanely popular in Chicagoland: We’re putting the band back together! Appearing: Wednesday, July 2nd at United Center in Chicago.
Camper Van Beethoven compiled
Camper Van Beethoven Popular Songs Of Great Enduring Strength And Beauty (Cooking Vinyl) Camper Van Beethoven don’t loom. Despite being as important to American alternative rock’s adolescence as Black Flag, Hüsker Dü, The Replacements, Sonic Youth, and others, “legendary” has rarely been credibly applied to them. Music goons were even able to pull Mission Of […]
The Warlocks reviewed
The Warlocks Heavy Deavy Skull Lover (Tee Pee) There is hope for anemic indie pop. Appearing: June 20th at Logan Square Auditorium.
The Funeral Pyre reviewed
The Funeral Pyre Wounds (Prosthetic) Death metal must have fallen out of favor in Southern California since 2001, when The Funeral Pyre formed. Or at least that’s an easily drawn conclusion after listening to Wounds, where the group make a full-fledged switch to black metal.
Midnight Juggernauts reviewed
Midnight Juggernauts Dystopia (Astralwerks) Australia’s Midnight Juggernauts thump thump thump their French disco tastes the way a XXX-swilling, rugby-loving national should.
Emmylou Harris reviewed
Emmylou Harris All I Intended To Be (Nonesuch) Emmylou Harris’ first solo album since 2003 relies mainly on covers, purposefully pointing back to her early solo albums — appropriate, then, that Brian Ahern produced it. Appearing: Saturday, June 14th at Morton Arboretum in Lisle.
Wye Oak reviewed
Wye Oak If Children (Merge) Wye Oak’s namesake, a 460-year-old Maryland tree felled by a 2002 hurricane, will posthumously (postarborously?) base many a review for the young band. This won’t be one. But you’ll have to excuse the requisite Yo La Tengo references. Appearing: Saturday, June 14 at Hideout in Chicago.
Hail Of Bullets reviewed
Hail Of Bullets . . . Of Frost & War (Metal Blade) We’re more than a little embarrassed to admit if it came down to some sort of life-or-death quiz, we’d probably know more about the Ben Affleck/Josh Hartnett/Kate Beckinsale love triangle in Pearl Harbor than the actual events of Pearl Harbor and World War […]
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