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Whitney StrubFeatures
One Mic, One Take, One Dollar: The World of Fonotone RecordsIn these days of easy file-sharing and unlimited access to information, the Fonotone box set provides a welcome respite, a point of entry to a bygone era when people had to put effort into chasing their passions, when the thrill of the hunt meant more than a Google search, and when the mechanics of record-trading meant more than an IM conversation on Soulseek. [30 May 2006] Lost in the Last Attack: Recovering the Comsat AngelsThe retro-postpunk wave seems to have crested, but the Comsat Angels at their best transcended trends and flew the genre coop, traveling on their heavenly wings straight for greatness. [20 April 2006] Behind the Key Club: An Interview with Mark “Barney” Greenway of Napalm DeathDiscussing impeachment and Margaret Thatcher, examining horror music and feminists, and listening to Journey. It's just the typical stuff for this hardcore band. [1 January 1995] Reviews
Giant Squid: Metridium FieldsBoth the sum of and a twist on their influences, Giant Squid brings the bombast. [22 December 2006] 
Legacy (2000)A humane window into the world of inner-city poverty; one that wisely refrains from blaming the victim by showing the obstacles that face even the most self-motivated inhabitants of the ghetto. [8 December 2006] 
The Wobblies (1979)For recovering this forgotten segment of American history, and for rightly emphasizing that dissent is a crucial component of the American heritage, The Wobblies does a service for us all. [29 November 2006] 
Blowoff: BlowoffBob Mould gets his groove on with musical partner Rich Morel in new project at the intersection of electronica and rock. [19 November 2006] 
Eric Bachmann: To the RacesSolo debut of hipster-turned-troubadour cuts a melancholy figure of aimless wanderlust [25 October 2006] 
New Salem Witch Hunters: New Salem Witch HuntersBack in the garage with their bullshit detectors! 1986 Ohio classic reissued for 20th anniversary. [18 October 2006] 
Robert Pollard: Normal HappinessFar from giving up the grape, Dayton, Ohio's greatest rockstar opts for consistency on sixth effort of the year. Various Artists: Barry Williams Presents: One-Hit Wonders of the ‘70sLights went out in Georgia, Chicago died, and that toke went over the line: the '70s revisited. [3 October 2006] 
Awesome Color: s/tStooge-ology students transcend imitation, achieve Ig-dom on blistering debut. [27 September 2006] 
Mia Doi Todd: La Ninja: Amor and Other Dreams of ManzanitaUnderappreciated Los Angeles singer-songwriter experiments with remixing, to, well, mixed results. [20 September 2006] 
Meg & Dia: Something RealMore sisterly tween-pop from literary-minded Salt Lake City gals. [14 September 2006] 
The Mae Shi / Rapider Than Horsepower: Do Not Ignore the PotentialThe dangers of bi-focal split-LPs are many, but these two acts make it fun, regardless of the innevitable judgment of which is the better band. [8 September 2006] 
Red Animal War: Seven Year WarAs a chronicle of Red Animal War's development, Seven Year Warillustrates how far the band has come, and how sharp its songwriting has grown. [30 August 2006] 
Cursive: Happy HollowOmaha postpunkers get political, bring the horns, on 14 "hymns for the heathen". [22 August 2006] 
Rude Boy (1979)Rude Boy does little more than remind us of the Clash's greatness; as such, it's a cinematic failure but a musical necessity. [28 July 2006] 
Mary-Anne Paterson: MeFolk singer issues album in 1970 to no acclaim, vanishes for over three decades until sudden recovery by dedicated loyalists -- no, it's not Vashti Bunyan, but it's still quite good. [20 July 2006] 
Soul Asylum: The Silver LiningOnce-great Minnesota rockers settle for the middle of the road on plodding comeback attempt. [11 July 2006] 
American Taxation, American Slavery by Robin EinhornBy forcefully and persuasively offering a new interpretation of American history, Robin Einhorn has provided the raw material upon which popularizers in the mass media can build. Let us hope they do. [10 July 2006] 
We Jam Econo (2005)If viewers of this film rush out in pursuit of Minutemen albums, the film will have accomplished its humble goal of paying tribute to one of the all-time great bands of the modern recording era. [7 July 2006] 
Impostor by Bruce BartlettOne need not share Bartlett's flawed perspective to find his condemnation of the Bush administration persuasive. [27 June 2006] 
We Jam Econo: The Story of the Minutemen (2005)If viewers of this film rush out in pursuit of Minutemen albums, the film will have accomplished its humble goal of paying tribute to one of the all-time great bands of the modern recording era. [26 June 2006] 
Witch: WitchBackward-looking heavy metal that stares its own ridiculousness in the face and never cracks a smile, but does churn out a mean groove. [21 June 2006] 
Mr. & Mrs Smith: Unrated Collector’s Edition (2004)Mr. & Mrs. Smith strips away the niceties of the classical narrative form to revel in pure spectacle, and to surprisingly pleasurable effect. [5 June 2006] 
Shoplifting: Body StoriesIt brims over with precisely the kind of heartfelt, politically-charged fervor that's far more likely to save rock, or at least to instill a true appreciation of its potential power, than any number of self-indulgently retro-oriented celebrants of traditional excess and irony. [17 May 2006] 
Body Piercing Saved My Life: Inside the Phenomenon of Christian Rock by Andrew BeaujonAre the bands or the fans cognizant of the Orwellian perversion of Jesus' teachings of love and acceptance that institutionalized evangelism has perpetrated?" [15 May 2006] 
Carol Bui: This Is How I RecoverGrim, powerful debut from a singer-songwriter who resists being pigeon-holed with the help of a trusty distortion pedal. [8 May 2006] 
Jon Auer: Songs from the Year of Our DemisePosies co-frontman finally drops his much-delayed solo debut, the best thing he's done in a decade or so, with the hoped-for lovely melodies and incisive lyrics. The frosting's back on the beater. [3 May 2006] 
Matthew Sweet and Susanna Hoffs: Under the Covers, Vol. 1With the warmth of the sun beating down on a Sunday Morning, these power-pop veterans swoon lovingly through a collection of 1960s covers. And these birds can sing. [28 April 2006] 
Elf Power: Back to the WebOnce-lo-fi band grows up, trades fantasy for folk on often-lovely album. [21 April 2006] 
Planet of the Apes: The Legacy Collection (1968-1973)Planet of the Apes: The Legacy Collection oscillates wildly between the delightful and the agonizing; but the rewards more than offset the pains. [27 March 2006] 
Roots Too: White Ethnic Revival in Post-Civil Rights America by Matthew Frye JacobsonBeing an academic, Jacobson refrains from phrases such as 'rank hypocrisy', though he makes clear the various rhetorical smokescreens and circumlocutions necessary to justify this white racism that calls itself by any other names available. [24 March 2006] 
Debbie Does Dallas: Uncovered (2005)Debbie Does Dallas: Uncovered and its tag-along, time-padding accompaniment achieve a stunning level of vapidity that make the Jenna Jameson Biography episode appear a model of psychosocial profundity in comparison. 
The Zen of Screaming: Vocal Instruction for a New BreedMetal hopefuls eager to discover the tricks of the trade in the name of emulating their idols may be let down by The Zen of Screaming. [23 March 2006] 
Leth East West Blast Test: Popular Music for Unpopular PeoplePlayfully eclectic duo runs the gamut from jazz to grindcore on a series of brief experiments. [17 March 2006] Mott the Hoople: Mott and All the Young DudesBand deflates rock mythology even as it reaffirms rock’s transcendent power in reissued classics. [10 March 2006] 
Simon Joyner: Beautiful LosersStunning collection of scattered tracks by one of America's finest and most overlooked lo-fi troubadours. 
Mudhoney: Under a Billion SunsApocalypse in the garage: Seattle’s answer to the Stooges returns with a powerful explosion. [8 March 2006] 
Ex-Boyfriends: Dear JohnMore fun than substance from these new-wave power-poppers, but they do look cute in ties... [2 March 2006] Bob Mould + Curt KirkwoodWith all the 'new' '80s bands clogging up the works, it's nice to know that a few originals remain. Of course, Curt Kirkwood and Bob Mould have made a few changes since 1985. [16 February 2006] 
Voices of Civil Rights (2006)These programs would serve the cause of social justice more effectively by reminding viewers that the civil rights movement is not awaiting its finishing touches, as they suggest; instead, its moribund body is awaiting resuscitation at the hands of a compassionate public. [10 February 2006] Mick Stevens: The River / The EnglishmanLong-forgotten 1970s singer-songwriter, excavated from obscurity by reissues label, deserves a second (or first, really) look. 
A Time for Burning (1966) - PopMatters Film Review )What did these decent folk finally do to resolve racial inequalities? Well, they elected Nixon, whose policy of 'benign neglect' meant letting the inner city fester and rot. [8 February 2006] 
Born Again: PaganMediocre 1970s rock band is rescued from the dustbin of history. [31 January 2006] 
T. Rex: Tanx / Bolan’s Zip Gun / Futuristic Dragon / Work in ProgressThe agony, the ecstasy, and the T. Rextasy are all on display in Rhino’s latest batch of glam reissues. [23 January 2006] 
Time: Before There Was1968 debut of long-forgotten/never-known semi-experimental rock band finally sees light of day, works better as historical artifact than album. [13 January 2006] 
Unfinished Business: The Japanese-American Internment Cases (1984)If it isn't a documentary masterpiece, Unfinished Business is still an impressive work, valuable for its documentation of three American heroes and its insistence that the tragic civil-liberties violations of the Japanese-American internment not be forgotten. [25 December 2005] 
Lindsay Lohan: A Little More Personal (Raw)Second coming of the girl who wants to come first threatens to leave listeners frigid. [21 December 2005] 
World Leader Pretend: PunchesThey raised the wall, and they will be the one to knock it down: symphonic pop-rock group has been given the freedom to do as they see fit. [19 December 2005] |
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