Spins
Mogwai live and on film!
After 15 years, six studio albums, and a fistful of compilations, soundtracks, and EPs, Mogwai has finally released an official live album. Sure, there have been plenty of live versions of songs available before, but nothing previously released comes close to conveying the spacious bliss, skyrocketing build-ups, and shock-and-awe crescendos the way Special Moves (Matador) […]
Kicks with The Undertones!
Union Square goes full tilt on the purveyors of John Peel’s favoritest song, and Terrence Flamm reviews it.
JSBX avalanche!
The Jon Spencer Blues Explosion Reissues (Majordomo) Prior to the band’s comeback at Pitchfork fest this weekend, Majordomo/Shout Factory dropped a load of JSBX tracks in our laps and ran.
Matt Pond PA reviewed!
The Dark Leaves (Altitude) Persistent chamber-pop heartthrob Matt Pond pushes his band in the other direction on this spring-released autumn album.
Next Stop . . Soweto reviewed!
VARIOUS ARTISTS Next Stop . . Soweto (Strut) South Africa’s “Mbaqanga” age evolved in the shadows of apartheid, marrying Zulu folk with Western jazz and pop found on the (literally) black market.
High On Fire reviewed
Snakes For The Divine (E1) By all reasonable accounts – ignoring the kinds of people who insist Mastodon’s Remission is better than Leviathan – High On Fire’s 2007 Death Is This Communion is its magnum opus. That’s partly because High On Fire is High On Fucking Fire and doesn’t bother with shit that doesn’t rule […]
Alkaline Trio reviewed
This Addiction (Heart & Skull/Epitaph) For all the grumbling that Alkaline Trio have strayed from the rawer sound present on the act’s initial outings, the three-man punk outfit don’t seem to have any trouble getting bodies out to see them. Appearing: February 27 and 28 at Metro in Chicago.
Spins: Neil Young
When Young Was Restless: Reissues (Reprise) Even though it may not have been evident at first, in hindsight it’s obvious that Neil Young would be Buffalo Springfield’s breakout star. It’s his songs – not Stephen Stills’ or Jim Messina’s or Richie Furay’s – that eventually transcended their era. There’s some hippie-dippy flower waving going on, […]
Andrew Belle reviewed
The Ladder (1L) Of the nickel advice we dole out to young bands, a stalwart is “if you’re going to release music, you better be able to handle people not liking it.” A lot of people might end up enjoying Andrew Belle’s The Ladder, but an equal number will look to light up message boards […]
Mulatu Astatke reviewed
New York – Addis – London (Strut) Fans of Jim Jarmusch’s Broken Flowers might know Mulatu Astatke’s spy jazz for the way it soundtracked Bill Murray’s hunt.
R. Kelly reviewed
Untitled (Jive) Whatever its artistic merits, Untitled is Weird Al-proof, an utterly ridiculous R&B spoof with its creator an amalgam of Luther Vandross, Luther Campbell, and Steve Stiffler.
Michael Londra gets festive
Beyond The Star (Celt Productions) Locally based Irish native Michael Londra has taken the logical step and made a holiday album — and, like he told the Sun-Times, he doesn’t rock the house.
Daptone Gold reviewed
Various Artists Daptone Gold (Daptone) Lee Fields, Naomi Shelton, Charles Bradley: these are names that all fans of classic soul music should know, but likely don’t. Along with Sharon Jones, these are vocalists who have been baring their life on the mic for years yet weren’t given the proper platform until connecting with Brooklyn-based […]
Fuck Buttons review
Tarot Sport (ATP) The title of Fuck Buttons’ debut, Street Horrrsing, really opened my eyes. Suddenly I was envisioning a pirate barebacking a pony down Columbus Drive. And the band’s name? No more was it a salacious euphemism for a woman’s sweet spot, but a repudiation: “I love zippers and can never get enough of […]
Baling The Beatles
The Beatles Stereo Reissues At the Entertainer, we do it for you. We suffered through some 14 albums of some obnoxious old band called The Beatles, who’ve plagued the universe with new versions of their old albums. The following are our results. Beware.
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