RJ Wheaton’s book on Portishead’s Dummy is out now.
You should follow @rjwheaton on Twitter.
Features
Friday, June 3 2005
The American Humanist: Why the World Needs William Faulkner
In 2005, when record numbers of soldiers return home without limbs, cable news television replays images of extra-judicial torture carried out in the name of civil society, and the nation finds itself engaged in a conflict mired in bad faith -- in 2005 Faulkner is every bit as relevant as he was in 1932.
Friday, May 6 2005
London Calling -- For Congo, Columbo, Sri Lanka....
M.I.A. speaks about the cultural politics of immigration, her role as an artist, and the global sound of London.
Reviews
Thursday, August 11 2011
Earthling: Insomniacs' Ball
If trip-hop was a fake genre, it was in part because it neglected its outcasts. Earthling return to downtempo with their maverick sensibilities.
Wednesday, April 6 2005
Nostalgia 77: The Garden
A solid elaboration on 2004's Songs for My Funeral, this album has the classic sound of The Horace Silver Quintet -- with some The White Stripes and Mantronix thrown in for good measure.
Friday, January 14 2005
Buck 65: This Right Here Is Buck 65
More than bringing together backpacker beats and Woody Guthrie covers, Buck 65 is reading a whole tradition of American story-telling through the prism of hip-hop.
Friday, January 14 2005
GB: Soundtrack for Sunrise
GB has the talent to surpass the more tired mannerisms of nu-jazz and broken beat. Unfortunately, he has to go through them first.
Wednesday, January 12 2005
Massive Attack: Danny the Dog: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack
Blue Lines was said to be the soundtrack for a generation of British youth. After that, the soundtrack for this Luc Besson movie is a bit of disappointment -- albeit one studded with gems.
Blogs
Wednesday, October 19 2011
10 Standout Hip-Hop Tracks from 1991
As a complement to PopMatters' "Nevermind Nostalgia" retrospective on music in 1991, Sound Affects takes at look at a partial selection of the year's hip-hop highlights that lean more towards beats production than the era’s increasingly popular gangsta genre.
