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Tim O'NeilFeatures
Sufficiently Forward-Looking: An Interview with Einstürzende NeubautenThe singer and lyricist gives his take on the music-industrial complex, including the challenge of visiting the United States. [10 January 2008] Frank Sinatra: A Voice in Time (1939-1952)Sinatra's reputation was a victim of the changing times, and I don't think it's possible to overstate the effect that this transition has had upon the perception of his music. [30 November 2007] The Implacable Progress of ‘Porn’Porn appears inherently inhospitable to subtext, context, or artistic aspirations, cruel, mechanistic, and antithetical to sustained narrative. Porn filmmaking is practically a contradiction in terms: any "artistic" obfuscation of the action on display risks alienating the genre's core audience. [16 August 2007] Genesis: 1976-1982Genesis is slightly different from typical prog rock. Yes, they had the 20-minute song "cycles" and the classical allusions all up in their lyrics, but they also had a few other things that their proggy peers did not: specifically, Peter Gabriel and Phil Collins. [10 August 2007] Master P: Ghetto DYou'd be hard pressed to make an argument for Ghetto D as one of the great rap albums of the '90s, or even, really, a very good album at all. [19 July 2007] Best Electronic Music of 2006Tim O'Neil sorts through a multitude of techno, microhouse, mix CDs, and mash-ups to offer up the year's best in electronic music. [11 December 2006] When Monkeying Around Becomes Serious BusinessMore of the Monkees lingered at number one on the Billboard chart for 18 weeks in 1967, later confirmed as the third best-selling LP of the '60s (a higher ranking than any Beatles album), and by some measures the 12th best-selling of all time. [3 October 2006] JewishnessTim O'Neil looks at Roth's latest, The Plot Against America: a book not so much about the alternate history as about the nature and character of . [16 December 2005] Too Brief By Far'More than any other writer of the modern era, Capote is obsessed by the notion of cruelty: cruelty as both the active infliction of pain and, perhaps more insidiously, the passive withholding of kindness.' Tim O'Neil looks at Vintage's recent releases celebrating the life and work of Truman Capote. [3 November 2005] From the End of the World to Your Town: The Decline and Fall of Captain FantasticElton John and Bernie Taupin rose out of absolute obscurity to become the most successful songwriting duo since Lennon & McCartney. The obstacles they encountered on the road to fame are recorded here: the frustration, the longing, the hope, the anger, the despair. Taken together these adventures attain the status of myth. [11 October 2005] Fear and Loathing in the Belly of La Chupacabra: Dr. Hunter S. Thompson 1937-2005The problem was the '60s. Even as that hoary decade recedes faster and faster into the past, the red-shift switching to magenta and eventually to a deep painful purple, the echoes of lingering culture war still hang in the air like cordite. [21 February 2005] Man of Steel: Christopher Reeve 1952-2004Reeve's Kent was an essentially tragic figure, a man set apart from the masses by dint of a powerful secret. [15 October 2004] If It’s Good Music, It’s Good Music: An Interview with DJ Z-TripHe's not just that DJ that mashes up rock, and now Z-Trip explains how he shifted gears. [1 January 1995] So I Decided to Take My Work Underground: A Conversation with the Prodigy’s Liam HowlettHowlett's excitement and musical kleptomania bubble back up, aiding the assembly of a greatest hits and visit to the US. It’s Not a Question of Compromise; It’s Just a Question of ClarityThe Nicky Wire Interview, Part Two, in which he discusses the Manic Street Preachers' career as well as other artists who have influenced them. It’s Never Taken a War to Make Manic Street Preachers AwarePart one of a conversation with one of rock's most interesting figures, Nicky Wire. A Thousand Different Keys: A Lunchtime Conversation with Matthew HerbertThe electronic artists speaks about his politics, the state of sampling, and Radiohead. And he's having the duck. A Thousand Different Keys: A Lunchtime Conversation with Matthew HerbertThe electronic artists speaks about his politics, the state of sampling, and Radiohead. And he's having the duck. Reviews
Amanda Blank: I Love YouHer desire to dominate the rhetorical battlefield of her sexual conquests is entirely convincing. [4 September 2009] 
Orbital: Orbital 20Sloppy and superfluous -- a poor reflection on just how intricate and essential the band were and are. [12 August 2009] 
The Matthew Herbert Big Band: There’s Me and There’s YouIt's an interesting album, just not interesting in a way that particularly compels me to listen to it again. [20 February 2009] 
R.E.M. : Murmur (Deluxe Edition)It all began with one weird little album with a weird little cover, with weird little songs sung by a weird guy who couldn’t even enunciate properly. [26 November 2008] 
The Chemical Brothers: BrotherhoodBrotherhood does a passable job of attempting to reconcile the two increasingly disparate sides of the Chemical Brothers’ split personality. [11 September 2008] 
Tricky : Knowle West BoyIf you liked Tricky in 1998, you will like how Tricky sounds in 2008. [9 September 2008] 
Girl Talk: Feed the AnimalsThere's no such thing as songwriters anymore, it's all about sound-as-sound, divorced from context and pureed into something wilder than could ever previously have been imagined. [23 June 2008] 
Clark: Turning DragonFrom mild-mannered cerebral electronic music producer, Clark has transformed into an enormous, stomping, fire-breathing dragon. [26 March 2008] 
Roxy Music: Thrill of It All: A Visual History 1972-1982 [DVD]I am baffled as to how a band that started so strongly could have transformed themselves in the space of a decade into, well, the arch, faux-upper-crust British counterpart to American yacht-rock like Hall & Oates. [21 March 2008] 
Daedelus: Live at the Low End TheoryCaveat emptor: this is not your father's Daedelus. But it's still pretty damn awesome. [19 March 2008] 
ESG: A South Bronx Story 2It's pretty much impossible to imagine about half of the dance music or hip-hop that exists today ever having been created without the influence of the Scroggins sisters. [28 January 2008] 
Comic Art 9Stack this book next to Eisner's Comics and Sequential Art and McCloud's Understanding Comics -- or rather, don't stack it at all, but keep it right next to your desk where you can find it at a moment's notice. [25 January 2008] 
Various Artists: The Kings of ElectroTwo different and very distinctive interpretations of the genre -- but unfortunately, not entirely equal in their charms. [23 January 2008] 
Little Louie Vega: Back In The BoxA trip down memory lane that manages to indulge in nostalgia without ever seeming gratuitous or pandering. [21 January 2008] 
Various Artists: Downtown 81Anyone wanting to understand this crucial era in modern music need look no further for a great sampler of the artists and genres involved. [17 January 2008] 
Henrik Schwarz: LiveOne of the more enjoyable house CDs I've heard in quite a while. [11 January 2008] 
Various Artists: Well Deep: Ten Years of Big Dada RecordingsThere's a lot of good hip-hop here, but more importantly, you have the acknowledgment that there is an awareness of good hip-hop that transcends national identity. 
Various Artists: EXPANSION / contractionFor those who love techno, I mean really love techno, this is as close to the Godhead as you're likely to get. [10 January 2008] 
X-Press 2: Makeshift FeelgoodThe best moments here are simply nowhere near as good as the highlights off Muzikizm, and the lowlights are just not very good at all. [7 January 2008] 
White Williams: SmokeThere's a lot of space in the sound here, a lot of room for careful noodling and subtle effects. [3 January 2008] 
Modeselektor: Happy Birthday!Not so much of the ascetic minimalism, more of the booty-shaking and party-popping. Lo and behold, Modeselektor appeared and all was good. [21 December 2007] 
Einstürzende Neubauten: Alles Wieder OffenThe picture we see in 2007 is of a band in complete control of their faculties, to the point where even the seemingly chaotic force of violently exploding sheet metal has been domesticated. [20 December 2007] 
N.W.A.: Straight Outta Compton: 20th Anniversary EditionStraight Outta Compton is one of the single most important albums of the last 25 years and its influence cannot readily be overstated. [7 December 2007] 
Daft Punk: Alive 2007Rare is the band that can craft a live album good enough to stand shoulder-to-shoulder alongside its studio releases. Rarer still is the band whose live albums can cross the divide between being merely good and damn near essential. [4 December 2007] 
Blue States: First Steps Into…I can't tell, and would not wish to hazard a guess, as to whether this qualifies as a retrenchment or merely a return to form. Is there a difference? [19 November 2007] 
The Miles Davis Quintet: SteaminExcessive praise has the unfortunate effect of seeming fatuous, but there's nothing at all fatuous about these records. [13 November 2007] 
Dave Gahan: HourglassHourglass isn't a perfect album by any means, but it's got enough really good stuff on it to make your overlook the not-so-good. [6 November 2007] 
New Young Pony Club: Fantastic PlayroomThere can be little doubt that this is the most impressive and assured debut record to come down the pike in many a year. [24 October 2007] 
Underworld: Oblivion With BellsThere is nothing quite so sad as seeing a once-great band falling into a long senescence. This is the Rolling Stones of Undercover. [16 October 2007] 
Photek: Form & Function 2A reminder to everyone who may have forgotten -- and for those who never knew in the first place -- just how awesome Photek can be. [15 October 2007] 
The Crystal Method: Vegas - 10th Anniversary Deluxe EditionVegas is perhaps the most emblematic artifact from that strange time when electronic music almost conquered the United States. [5 October 2007] 
Klute: The Emperors New ClothesAnother strong effort from one of the most consistently satisfying producers in the game. [27 September 2007] 
Modeselektor: Boogy Bytes Vol. 3Let there be no doubt, this is an extremely fun disc. [18 September 2007] 
Stereo Total: Paris-BerlinIf the album wears out it's welcome, it's not through any lack of enthusiasm. [12 September 2007] 
David Bowie: Glass Spider Tour (Special Edition DVD / 2CD) [DVD]The Glass Spider tour seems to have been a crucial step on Bowie's road to recovery. [27 August 2007] 
Sebadoh: The Freed ManDecayed, decaying, pleasingly hand-made but inestimably fragile. [24 August 2007] 
Junior Senior: Hey Hey My My Yo YoAfter holding out for two stark and barren years, those of us who care have finally been rewarded with an American release of their sophomore album. [13 August 2007] 
UNKLE: War StoriesIt takes more than great production to create compelling music: there's a spark missing from Lavelle's songwriting [1 August 2007] 
Overlord (1975)This may only achieve a footnote in film history, but its ability to summon the full range of emotional ambiguity inspired by the tragedy of wartime will ensure that it remains lodged in your cerebellum for many years to come. [27 July 2007] 
The Chemical Brothers: We Are the NightIt's not merely that the Chems were beginning to seem outdated, they seemed -- in James Murphy's immortal words -- to be losing their edge. [16 July 2007] 
They Might Be Giants: The ElseI wanted to like The Else, even as I braced myself for the worst. You can't go home again. [13 July 2007] 
Ellen Allien: The Other Side: BerlinThe musical breadth of these three Ellen Allien releases shows the true depths of quality German techno. [3 July 2007] 
Avril Lavigne: The Best Damn ThingThose with a sweet tooth for bubblegum in the pop-punk variety will find a lot here to love. Those who have no interest will probably keep on guzzling the haterade. [31 May 2007] 
Armand Van Helden: GhettoblasterNot just an homage to a specific sound or style, it's a love letter to an entire era. [24 May 2007] 
Motor: UnhumanThis is as far into the future as music goes, anything less would almost by definition seem a step backwards. [22 May 2007] 
Dntel: Dumb LuckHaving been given the unexpected opportunity to make a definitive statement as a solo artist, Jimmy Tamborello shrinks away from the spotlight. [18 May 2007] 
Brute Force (1947)The inability of the filmmakers to deliver any kind of lasting victory for the inmates with whom the audience identifies forces the movie down particularly dark cul de sacs. 
Matthew Herbert: ScoreSadly, for the first time in memory a Herbert album adds up to far less than the sum of its parts. [30 April 2007] 
Millions of Women Are Waiting to Meet You by Sean ThomasPeople do stupid things in the pursuit of love and lust, and if you haven't then you're lying. [24 April 2007] 
Nine Inch Nails: Live - Beside You in Time [DVD]Every bit of the typical attention to detail and lavish care which Nine Inch Nails fans have come to expect is here. [23 April 2007] 
Pole: SteingartenPole's minimal electronic music is just about perfect on this latest release. [16 April 2007] 
Einsturzende Neubauten: Palast Der Republik [DVD]The creation of their music is oftentimes as visually stimulating as it is adventurous, and the well-lit and clear-eyed presentation on this DVD gives the audience a perfect vantage with which to see every percussive stroke of genius. 
Kaito: Hundred Million Love YearsSeparated from the beats that give these tracks their backbone, the end result is unsurprisingly flabby, essentially invertebrate. [2 April 2007] 
The Alan Parsons Project: I RobotAbout as antiseptic as rock music ever really got, restrained and rearranged to within an inch of its life, is there anything that can possibly be salvaged here? [28 March 2007] 
Kieran Hebden and Steve Reid: TonguesA snapshot of the duo in their full flower, having mastered each others' languages and moved past any lingering reticence. [19 March 2007] 
Cajmere vs. Green Velvet: Ministry of Sound SessionsI don't believe that Curtis Jones is mentally ill, but I do think he's having a lot of fun. [7 March 2007] 
!!!: Myth TakesMyth Takes seems to take great pleasure in burying the band's best virtues. [6 March 2007] 
Various Artists: HEAVYbreathing Vol 1, The Sounds of Sex: Bite It!11098When the goal is titillation, the notion of consensus can rarely seem more distant. [14 February 2007] 
T. Raumschmiere: Random Noize Sessions Vol.1It may be quieter in execution but is no less dangerous in temperament than previous Raumschmiere releases. [26 January 2007] 
The K Street Gang by Matthew ContinettiJust because government is not as efficient as it could be, is in fact corrupt and slothful and in some cases criminally inefficient, does not mean that the institution of government is wholly destructive. 
Dave Clarke: Remixes & Rarities 1992-2005The track listing presents perhaps as succinct an encapsulation of modern dance music history as anyone could hope to find. [24 January 2007] 
31 Days by Barry WerthFor all his faults, Gerald Ford implicitly understood that the office of the presidency was a great burden, one that could only be approached with the greatest humility. [15 January 2007] 
Why the Jews Rejected Jesus by David KlinghofferThe Jewish rejection of Jesus, Klinghoffer argues, points to an essential insecurity at the heart of Christian theology: the failure of Jesus and his immediate followers to make the case to Jesus' own people. [10 January 2007] 
Under the Influence of Giants: Under the Influence of GiantsTheir debut is so derivative that the overall effect is little more substantial than gossamer. [9 January 2007] 
Various Artists: Crunk Hits Vol. 2It's hard to be stupid in a smart way, that much easier to just be stupid. [3 January 2007] 
The Twilight of Atheism by Alister McGrathThere can be little doubt, looking across the horizons of contemporary society and assuming any objective measure, that the notion of godlessness has reached a nadir. [15 December 2006] 
Various Artists: Science Faction: GrimeBBS has done a great service to those of us who care about such things by inaugurating a brand new mix series devoted to the world of underground sound. [14 December 2006] 
Cut Copy: Fabriclive 29Cut Copy seem like the kind of DJs who are happy merely to play good records. [13 December 2006] 
Various Artists: Chrome ChildrenA consistently good sampling of some of the best music to be found across the spectrums of hip-hop and leftfield electronic music. [6 December 2006] 
Various Artists: High Tech Soul: The Creation of Techno Music [DVD]A compelling picture of techno music in the context of Detroit, but I have a feeling the definitive statement on the place of techno music in American and world pop culture has yet to be made. [3 December 2006] 
Heaven 17: Penthouse and PavementRather than comparing them to the Human League or similar synthpop conglomerates, it seems far more appropriate to consider Heaven 17 as an unlikely companion to Gang of Four. [1 December 2006] 
Laurent Garnier: RetrospectiveThe variety of styles presented on Retrospective is wide enough to easily make the case for Garnier as one of the most visionary dance producers of the last 20 years. [22 November 2006] 
Cerrone: Cerrone by Bob SinclarFrench producer Cerrone deserves credit as one of the architects of modern music. [14 November 2006] 
Whitey: The Light at the End of the Tunnel Is a TrainThe problem with constructing a sound almost exclusively out of obvious influences is that it's easy to become defined by a tame sense of craftsmanship. [12 November 2006] 
Various Artists: Do You Copy?This set commemorates five years of Mitek's existence, and based on the evidence herein I must conclude that they do a pretty good job of things. [7 November 2006] 
Moby: Go: The Very Best of MobyAlthough there is no disputing the quality of the music on display, Go adds up to nothing so much as a big, fat missed opportunity. [3 November 2006] 
Dr. Mabuse, The Gambler (Dr. Mabuse, der Spieler)Dr. Mabuse sits at the center of a vast web of criminal enterprise, manipulating international fortunes, overseeing a counterfeiting operation and an unknown number of murderers and thieves. [26 October 2006] 
White Rat by Gayl JonesBecause Jones has already created such a definitive image of black identity through dialect, she forces the reader to question the underlying assumptions behind the way language identifies us. [18 October 2006] 
Urban Tribe: Authorized Clinical TrialsThis is roots music for the computer class, unsullied by the march of time or the vagaries of the wider marketplace. [16 October 2006] 
Various Artists: Pop Ambient 2006It is not without a degree of hesitation that I regarded the advent of Kompakt's Pop Ambient series. [12 October 2006] 
The War Game (1968)The skill and imagination with which The War Game believably crafts a disaster narrative from the days and weeks immediately preceding and following a nuclear attack on Britain are such that it feels convincingly real -- a shrewd and somewhat uncharacteristic precedent for the "mockumentary" genre. [6 October 2006] 
Elton John: The Captain & The KidIn seeking to replicate the effect of their classic 1975 album Captain Fantastic & the Brown Dirt Cowboy, John and Taupin have only succeeded in shining a spotlight on their own inadequacies. 
Motor: KlunkI must be the bearer of bad news and inform you that Motor's Klunk is perhaps the best techno CD you will hear all year. [5 October 2006] 
Persian Fire by Tom HollandHolland manages to synthesize the scope and emotion of his classical sources without sacrificing an iota of historical stringency. [28 September 2006] 
DJ Shadow: The OutsiderEveryone who ever loved Shadow's music owes it to themselves to judge The Outsider on its own merits. [27 September 2006] 
Emmanuel Santarromana: Fab4EverSometimes radical departures can produce startling results -- who would have thought that recasting a Nine Inch Nails staple as a country ballad would have been so effective? -- but sometimes they are just startling. [26 September 2006] 
TV on the Radio: Return to Cookie MountainAt the risk of courting tautology, it is evident now that TV on the Radio are and have always been TV on the Radio, with all the difficult, thorny, occasionally indulgent and frustrating impulses that such a statement implies. [15 September 2006] 
Blowfly: Punk Rock PartyTo say merely that Blowfly sings dirty songs is an understatement akin to saying that Cypress Hill merely smokes a little bit of weed, or that DMX has a few traffic violations. 
Sascha Funke: Boogybytes Vol. 2As you might expect from the pedigree, this is a pretty rad CD, positively brimming with techno goodness. [14 September 2006] 
Various Artists: Defected in the House: Eivissa 06Both a time capsule of the current club scene on the island of Ibiza, and a historically-minded examination of past sounds. [12 September 2006] 
A Guy Called Gerald: Proto Acid: The Berlin SessionsA Guy Called Gerald has been around long enough that it really doesn't matter whether or not his style is in fashion, because the sensibility he brings to the music is timeless. [8 September 2006] 
DJ Krush: Stepping Stones: The Self-Remixed BestAt his best, Krush is one of the foremost producers of instrumental hip-hop in the world. [5 September 2006] 
Outkast: IdlewildIt would appear as if the Dynamic Duo have bitten off more than they can chew, because the results are, while brilliant in places, overall astonishingly mediocre. [30 August 2006] 
Charlemagne by Derek WilsonThe notion of objective "history" as we understand it today was still another thousand years in the offing, so our understanding will forever be obscured by propaganda, myth, and obfuscation. 
Steve Lawler: VivaIf you didn't like prog house back in 2002, you probably won't like it any better in 2006. 
Ziggy Kinder: AkrobatikZiggy Kinder produces minimal techno animated by a spirit of puckish enthusiasm that places the work at odds with the overriding perception of most modern electronic music. [29 August 2006] 
Various Artists: Total 7Seeing the label break out from a more rigorously orthodox understanding of techno feels a lot more natural than skeptics might expect. [25 August 2006] 
Alec Empire: FuturistIf ever the United States needed a prophet of unrestrained and articulate politicized anger, it's now. [23 August 2006] 
Caribou: Up In FlamesIn the same spirit of opportunism that springs from the best crisis management, Snaith has managed to turn unpleasant circumstances on their ear in the best way possible. [18 August 2006] 
Various Artists: Hello Radio: The Songs of They Might Be GiantsThe rare tribute album that actually fulfills a legitimate need in terms of paying tribute to the artist in question. [17 August 2006] 
I Hate Myself And Want To Die: The 52 Most Depressing Songs Youve Ever Heard by Tom ReynoldsReynolds serves as an admirable tour guide through his murderers' row of craptastically depressing tunes. [2 August 2006] 
Tomcraft: Hyper Sexy ConsciousThere isn't a single track on the entire album that manages to rise above the level of tepid familiarity. [24 July 2006] 
Thomas Brinkmann: Lucky HandsLike a lot of techno these days, it rises to a level of competent charm but fails to create a more lasting impression. [20 July 2006] 
Tamerlane by Justin MarozziHow is it possible to botch a biography of Temur? This is a man who rode his Tatar hordes across Asia, leaving ravaged cities and towering piles of skulls in his wake. [18 July 2006] 
Aoki Takamasa & Tujiko Noriko: Twenty-EightThe album appears like a beam of sunshine on a warm spring day: pleasant and warm, but of extremely brief duration. 
Steve Reid Ensemble: Spirits WalkSpirit Walk is ostensibly credited to the Steve Reid Ensemble, but the disc serves a far more important role as a companion piece to Reid and Hebden's recent collaborations. [13 July 2006] 
Wiggle: Fabric28There's very little pretense on display here, not a lot of flashy segues or signature tracks, just a fine dance mix that satisfies on many levels. [29 June 2006] 
Four Tet: DJ KicksInsomuch as Kieran Hebden's sound is unassailably unique, his DJ Kicks is also a rather indescribable experience. [27 June 2006] 
Abe Duque: American Gigolo IIAmerican Gigolo II offers a pleasantly comprehensive summation of one of the decade's more unique labels. [26 June 2006] 
Daedelus: Daedelus Denies the Day’s DemiseA strong enough contender that it could conceivably be a breakout record for both artist and label. [23 June 2006] 
Various Artists: GommaGang 3There's an alternate universe somewhere wherein disco is actively celebrated as a vital forebearer for modern dance music -- and it is this alternate universe that Gomma calls home. [22 June 2006] 
Various Artists: Global Underground 10Although it's still mostly an underground concern, you can walk into any Best Buy or Circuit City around the country and find the latest Global Underground mix. This is certainly progress, of a sort. [20 June 2006] 
Fatboy Slim: The Greatest Hits: Why Try HarderFatboy Slim proved that dance music could compete with pop on its own terms -- and more importantly, he also proved that dance music and pop weren't as far apart as most people probably believed. [19 June 2006] 
Wu-Tang Clan: Legend of the Wu-Tang: The Videos [DVD]The Wu's particular virtues are such that the music video format has never made for a comfortable fit. [16 June 2006] 
Wu-Tang Clan: Legend of the Wu-Tang: The Videos [DVD]The Wu's particular virtues are such that the music video format has never made for a comfortable fit. 
Muallem: Frankie SplitsIf this album gets into the right hands, Muallem could have a bright future as a beatmaker for the indie hip-hop world. [12 June 2006] 
Lesbians on Ecstasy: Giggles in the Dark - The RemixesA good remix manages the neat trick of succeeding on its own terms while also shining a complimentary light on its source. [6 June 2006] 
The Greenlanders by Jane SmileyThe historian's customary irony is replaced with the assumed fatalism of the Norse themselves, for whom death was a harsh fact of daily existence. The effect is monumental, and carries the burnished authenticity of a long-lost epic. [1 June 2006] 
DMX Krew: Wave: CDUnless I had the proof in my hands, I would find it hard to believe that this wasn't an authentic vintage mid-'80s artifact recently rediscovered and dusted off for public sale. [19 May 2006] 
Black Hole by Charles BurnsIt's Dazed and Confused meets X-Men by way of whatever schlock horror film is at the multiplex this week -- only, you know, without any of the subtext you would usually find in a Richard Linklater film, an X-Men comic book, or your average horror movie. [10 May 2006] 
Dinosaurs: The Complete First and Second SeasonsWhereas Dinosaurs' message-based storytelling would have seemed preachy in the mouths of live-action performers, a seven-foot tall Megalosaurus can get downright nasty when inveighing on the ills of modern, er, prehistoric society. [1 May 2006] 
David Byrne and Brian Eno: My Life in the Bush of GhostsWhereas oftentimes the album has been described as "influential", I think a better term would be prescient. Influence is an extremely tricky field to measure -- it is easier to say merely that the album was amazingly accurate in its predictions. 
Massive Attack: CollectedSimply on the basis of the fourteen songs included on Collected, Massive Attack stake a mighty persuasive claim towards being one of the best pop groups of all time. [27 April 2006] 
Various Artists: Hefty 10 DigestRunning the gamut from IDM to alt-hip-hop with strong roots in both the progressive soul and free jazz sounds, Hefty arrives at an approachable middle ground between wonky noise and shiny pop -- a rather pleasant juxtaposition. [12 April 2006] 
South Park: The Complete Seventh SeasonParker and Stone frequently use South Park as a platform for their libertarian views, and usually, it doesn't detract from the show's centrist, common-sense attitudes. [3 April 2006] 
After the Victorians: The Decline of Britain in the World by A. N. WilsonAfter the Victorians executes an especially tricky high-wire act in that Wilson manages to keep the tone engaging and almost intimately cordial without compromising anything in the way of authority. [30 March 2006] 
Yeah Yeah Yeahs: Show Your BonesThose who saw the potential in their earliest releases can take comfort in the fact that the band has not only made good on every shred of that potential, with Show Your Bones they've exceeded the most optimistic expectations with confident aplomb. [27 March 2006] 
Secret Mommy: Very RecSecret Mommy operates on a pronounced policy of "nothing loops more than twice", which has the effect of making the record extremely difficult to parse. [24 March 2006] 
Liam Howlett: Back to MineLittle more than what you might expect from a burnt party CD given to you by a friend with good record collection. [23 March 2006] 
Stereo Total: Juke Box AlarmBerlin's Stereo Total, despite the bloops and blips, are most importantly students of classic rock and roll. [21 March 2006] 
The Herbaliser: Fabriclive 26Ultimately, the point of this mix is this: a celebration of hip-hop throughout the ages, in all its many forms and incarnations. [15 March 2006] 
daKAH Hip Hop Orchestra: VariousWhile the daKAH orchestra lacks nothing in terms of musical acumen, it lacks the vital spark necessary to be considered more than a tepid example of the hip-hop genre. [8 March 2006] 
Nightmares on Wax: In a Space Outta SoundNeither a full reappraisal of the soul homage of Mind Elevation or a return to the lush sound of Carboot Soul -- rather, the middle ground between the two. [7 March 2006] 
Alif Tree: French CuisineIt is essentially that rarest of artifacts -- a splendid album that aspires to nothing more than creating a sustained mood through the application of superlative musicianship. [22 February 2006] 
Ryoji Ikeda: DataplexInstead of a modern studio, one imagines the tracks on Dataplex having been constructed inside an industrial cleanroom of the same type that manufactures microprocessors and semiconductors. [13 February 2006] 
Sasha & Digweed: Delta Heavy [DVD]If there's one thing this DVD -- and the success of the Delta Heavy tour in general -- proves, it is that the audience for electronic music in America is there. [10 February 2006] 
Stalin: The Court of the Red Tsar by Simon Sebag MontefioreDespite the many humanizing elements, the actual figure of Stalin only continues to recede from easy comprehension, tangled in layer upon layer of personal contradiction and paradox. [8 February 2006] 
Mozez: So StillIf you've heard Zero 7, you should have something of an idea what to expect here: soft, languid and impeccably produced trip-hip laid underneath smooth-as-butter soul vocals. [6 February 2006] 
Various: Compost 200Those who might never before have encountered Compost -- or who may have unfairly dismissed their output as yet more cosmopolitan chill-out crap from the continent -- could probably get a great deal of enjoyment from this disc. [2 February 2006] 
Darondo: Let My People GoDarondo is more than just a footnote. Even if his recorded output prior to this release was only six tracks, wow, what a six tracks they were! [1 February 2006] 
The Notorious B.I.G.: Duets: The Final ChapterInflating his reputation to godlike proportions risks obscuring what made him so important to begin with. [20 January 2006] 
Solu Music featuring Kai Martin: AffirmationThere's some passion and verve here, and more than a little masterful musicianship, and that is enough to lift the proceedings out from the torpid shadow of similar enterprises. [19 January 2006] 
Go Betty Go: Nothing Is MoreThese ladies possess The Rock in equal or greater proportion to their rockingest male counterparts, and the fact that they're not already superstars is baffling. [17 January 2006] 
Sutekh: Born AgainBorn Again presents an exceptional example of how future remix collections should be approached. [16 January 2006] 
The Tent by Margaret AtwoodWould it be out of line to call Margaret Atwood a cranky old broad?" [12 January 2006] 
iD and Sleeper: DisplacementHailing from the hip-hop hotspot of Lawrence, Kansas, iD and Sleeper have produced a memorable debut that effortlessly outpaces most everything else currently on the racks. 
Various Artists: Brazilectro: Session 7Ultimately, the sound of Brazilectro is as much or more about the ubiquitous influence of international modes -- house and hip-hop -- as indigenous expression. [11 January 2006] 
Static: Re: Talking About MemoriesHanno Leichtmann -- the man behind Static -- is an expert at unpacking deceptively complex sounds to laudible effect. [9 January 2006] 
Various Artists: I Like It Vol. 2I Like It is a fairly eclectic and quite schizophrenic entity -- but, as you might expect, the music on display is also pretty damn good. [6 January 2006] 
Matthew Herbert: Plat du JourThere are deep waters here, and anyone who comes expecting the same brand of approachable, quirky house music with which Herbert made his name will be disappointed and quite possibly repulsed. 
Hot Chip: Coming on StrongHot Chip have a number of influences on their minds, but unfortunately they don't gel very well at all. [4 January 2006] Harald Sack Ziegler: PunktAnyone who's ever shelled out serious money for one of those Guided By Voices boxed-sets -- yeah, I'm looking at you, Mr. More-Money-Than-Common-Sense -- should feel right at home here. [3 January 2006] 
Skalpel: KonfusionMany electronic artists work in the gray areas separating jazz from hip-hop and electronic music, but few do so as effectively, or should I say invisibly, as Skalpel. [7 December 2005] 
Audion: SuckfishThis is hard, pounding music designed to accompany activities that are traditionally associated with hard pounding. [5 December 2005] 
Ulrich Schnauss: Far Away Trains Passing ByIt's a nice package, but the material itself is nowhere near as strong as that presented on A Strangely Isolated Place. [29 November 2005] 
Save the Tiger (1973)The question at the heart of Save the Tiger is no less nagging for its familiarity: didn't it all used to be so simple?" [28 November 2005] 
Queens of the Stone Age: Over the Years and Through the WoodsJust in terms of what is collected and how it is presented, this deserves to become the live presentation gold standard for anyone producing a concert record in the age of DVD. 
Peter Grummich: Club Maria Berlin: Dirty FloorThis is nothing but a mix of the baddest, most deliciously warped techno to spill from your speakers from quite some time. [23 November 2005] 
The Beta Band: The Best of the Beta Band - Film [DVD]Somewhere in here, it seems, lie the answers to certain questions which have eluded the Betas and their fans from the very beginning. 
She Wants Revenge: She Wants RevengeIt's the kind of achievement you have no choice but to respect, simply because it is rather intimidating to imagine what these guys could do if they decided to use their powers for evil instead of good. [22 November 2005] 
The Complete Short Novels by Anton ChekhovIn the space of these five short works the conscientious reader can chart the gradual awakening of a major talent. [21 November 2005] 
Various Artists: Pingipung Plays the PianoThe piano is quite possibly the most diverse and multifaceted musical instruments in the history of the world, so it should come as no surprise that even an ostensibly experimental label would be drawn to its sonic possibilities. 
Various Artists: Freude-Am-Tanzen: Compilation 1Freude-Am-Tanzen represents a slightly more pop-oriented application of the same minimal techno aesthetic that made Kompakt so succesful. [18 November 2005] 
Various Artists: Fusion For Miles: A Guitar TributeI would not have thought that later Miles could ever be turned into Muzak -- that isn't exactly what happened here, but it comes frighteningly close in places. [17 November 2005] 
Perfect Example by John PorcellinoThe cumulative effect is quite powerful, the equivalent of an epic poem told in a series Zen koans. [14 November 2005] 
Richie Hawtin: DE9: TransitionsHawtin has not only produced one of the most singularly fascinating albums of the year, but taken the very concept of a mixed CD into unprecedented territory. 
Isaac Hayes: Ultimate Isaac Hayes: Can You Dig It?As a compendium for those who can't be bothered to actually buy the real albums, I suppose you could do worse. [8 November 2005] 
Various Artists: Total 6Considering the startling degree to which electronic music has been dominated by the idea of fashion, the success of a business model built on quality music, on critical acclaim and word-of-mouth, is simply a dream come true. [3 November 2005] 
Venetian Snares: MeatholeFar from being a wall of impenetrable noise, Meathole is an intricate, aggressive and sometimes harrowing journey into the heart of distortion and distorted soul. [2 November 2005] 
We’re No Angels (1955)Considering that the plot, such as it is, involves a pair of murders committed by Albert's poisonous viper, the jaunty tone doesn't seem appropriate. [31 October 2005] 
Soulive: Break OutWhereas in the past Soulive have been very careful to keep their jazz M.O. very visible, here the structure seems more similar to traditional blues. 
South Park: The Complete Sixth SeasonRegardless of their childishness, the protagonists of South Park are, like their creators, fundamentally decent (except for Cartman, who represents the zenith of selfish indecency). [27 October 2005] 
The Beta Band: The Best of the Beta Band: MusicThe Beta Band spent the better part of their career trying to catch up to initial expectations, and they never gained enough traction to escape the incredible gravity of this 'lost' potential. [26 October 2005] 
Bookmark Now: Writing in Unreaderly Times by Kevin Smokler (editor)To proclaim that blogging and 50 Cent constitute a new vanguard of literature strikes me as an American intellectual's version of Stockholm Syndrome. [24 October 2005] 
DJ Koze: Kosi Comes AroundAnyone who feels safe with a solidly circumscribed conception of what a Kompakt artist sounds like should hear Koze, because while there is definitely much of the label's trademark microhouse, there is also so much more than that. [21 October 2005] 
Senor Coconut: Coconut FMThis is not just an indigenous reaction to previously established flavors of house and techno -- this is what happens when native musicians use electronic means of production to influence their own native idioms. [20 October 2005] 
The Push Man and Other Stories by Yoshihiro TatsumiWhile there are no fantastical elements present in Tatsumi's stories, the overall sense of dread and undisguised revulsion at the human condition which pervade his worldview are strong enough to evoke the most horrific of reactions. [19 October 2005] 
Chikinki: Lick Your TicketBut Chikinki represent the cutting edge of synthesizer rock circa 2005. Unfortunately, attitude or no, the songwriting isn't as strong as the sound is powerful. 
Face (2004)The same lyrical invention that propels Face's narrative also serves as a stark lesson in the importance of solid plotting. [18 October 2005] 
Heiko Voss: Two SidesTwo Sides undoubtedly represents a committed personal statement for Herr Voss. It's just not a very focused statement. 
Clever: Breakbeat Science Exercise 5A fun, funky and diverse mix, it's also easily one of the best mix CDs of the year. [17 October 2005] 
Count Duckula - The Complete First SeasonDespite the sheen of ostensible family-friendly cartoon antics, the series consistently hinges on the trio's passive-aggressive loathing for one another. [14 October 2005] 
Master P: Greatest Hits - Remix ClassicsI like to think of P in the same vein as Ed Wood -- if Ed Wood had been able to trick a major studio into bankrolling and distributing Plan 9 From Outer Space. 
Metallica: The History of Metallica: Out of the Loop [DVD]Everything about this DVD reeks of crass exploitation at its worst. [13 October 2005] 
Dub Gabriel: Bass JihadFor those of us without the desire to sit around getting legitimately high while charting the imaginary architecture of Black Sabbath records and eating entire bags of Cheetos, listening to dub is the next best thing to being there. 
TG Mauss: Mechanical EyeThere are a lot of good elements, but the overall effect is somewhat less than compelling. [12 October 2005] 
Modeselektor: Hello Mom!The next time you're wandering around the record store and thinking to yourself 'Man, I really wish I could find a CD that, like, really rokked', look no further than our German homies Modeselektor. [11 October 2005] 
Mouse on Mars: live04This will come as something of a disappointment to diehard Mouse on Mars fans who may have been expecting something more exhaustive. [10 October 2005] VHS or Beta: Le FunkAnyone who runs out to buy a copy of Le Funk on the strengths of Night on Fire will be sorely disappointed. [7 October 2005] Salomé de Bahia: BrasilAt its heart the disc belongs to the dancefloor, where the flavors of samba, salsa and mambo freely cross-pollinate with austere house textures to create a satisfying, if subtle, hybrid. [4 October 2005] 
Shakespeare: The Biography by Peter AckroydSeemingly no kernel of isolated trivia or controversial factoid is small enough to escape the author's notice. [3 October 2005] 
Various Artists: Layered Sounds 2Thankfully for this reviewer as well as the music buying public, the wares sampled on the second Layered Sounds compilation are far from dull. [30 September 2005] 
Miguel Migs: House of Om Presents: Get Salted Vol. 1Deep house is an amiable and pleasing genre, but it lacks the capacity for surprise that fuels musical epiphany. This is the type of music that works best through cumulative effect. [29 September 2005] 
Turn That Down!: A Hysterical History of Rock, Roll, Pop, Soul, Punk, Funk, Rap, Grunge, Motown, MetLewis Grossberger is many things, but a historian he ain't. [28 September 2005] 
Hellraiser: Hellworld (2005)While Hellworld is a pretty good generic horror movie, it is an abysmal Hellraiser film. 
Paul Van Dyk: The Politics of Dancing 2Most trance is, not to put to fine a point on it, boring as all hell. Paul van Dyk spins trance, but much of what he spins seems to be a cut above the normal grade of Dutch cheese. 
How Mumbo Jumbo Conquered the World: A Short History of Modern Delusions by Francis WheenHow Mumbo Jumbo Conquered the World is no mere catalog of silliness and superstition for the amusement of the learned bourgeoisie -- rather it is a powerful jeremiad against the very foundations of modern society. [22 September 2005] 
Alex Gold: BackfromabreakThe record swerves in and out of electronic music history, reflecting a wide variety of the most popular sounds of the last decade while retaining a distinctly appealing and atmospheric production style. 
Melodium: La Tête Qui FlotteThis is a veritable feast of fragile, intricate melodic composition -- the effect is startling, sparse and ethereal. [21 September 2005] 
Gabin: Mr. FreedomThis is merely the finest in modern retro-lounge funk, and when you consider the slightly shopworn state of the genre, enthusiasm can make up for a myriad of sins. [20 September 2005] 
A.R.E. Weapons: Free in the StreetsAt some point the high concept gave way to the concept of simply getting high. 
DJ Craze: Miami HeatListening to Miami Heat it is impossible to deny the facility that Craze brings to the tables, and it's easy to see how an American DJ was able to ensconce himself so easily in the traditionally exclusive scene. [19 September 2005] 
The Roads to Modernity: The British, French and American Enlightenments by Gertrude HimmelfarbAny concept of Enlightenment that can attempt with a straight face to trace a direct genealogy to George W. Bush is predicated on a reading of history so attenuated and abused as to be rendered comically unrecognizable. [16 September 2005] 
The Ying Yang Twins: United States of Atlanta: Chopped & ScrewedWhy is it that I can listen to Blowfly without flinching, groove along with Luke Skyywalker and the gang when the mood hits, but Kaine and D-Roc's antics turn my stomach?" 
Various Artists: Bargrooves: CosmopolitanBelieve me, there is such a thing as cheesy house, and for the most part -- despite the packaging -- this is not cheesy house. [15 September 2005] 
Kevyn Lettau: Bye-Bye BlackbirdWith a voice like hers, it's impossible to begrudge any eccentricities -- Lettau is an effortless exemplar of an enviously timeless aesthetic. [13 September 2005] 
DJ Language: Real Music For Real PeopleThe one common denominator running through the entire endeavor is -- you guessed it -- the singular and all-encompassing notion of soul as a unifying force. [12 September 2005] 
Satoshi Tomiie: ES / ES-BHe's known primarily for his progressive leanings but he remains something of a wild card. Now he's gone all System of a Down on us by choosing to release what is essentially a double album in two discrete parts, separated only by a few short summer months. [7 September 2005] 
Ferry Corsten: Passport: Kingdom of the NetherlandsMy ears were open when I popped the disc into my CD player -- it just so happened that what came out of the speakers was frightfully dull. [1 September 2005] 
Armand van Helden: NymphoBoth rock and house are very loud. An effective hybrid doesn't call for compromise; it requires nothing less than full on war. Subtlety need not apply. [30 August 2005] 
Damian Lazarus: Bugged Out Presents Suck My DeckSo often, even the best efforts of top-name DJs can seem rote -- but Suck My Deck is at the very least interesting from the beginning to the very end. [29 August 2005] 
Andy Caldwell: Late Night With Andy CaldwellThis is one of the most pure examples of unpretentious, irrepressible deep house I've come across in some time. [26 August 2005] 
Superchumbo: Wowie ZowieWowie Zowie serves as something of a riposte to the aggressively desexualized facade of so much modern house. [25 August 2005] 
Hiltmeyer, Inc.: Sendling 70If I press the Mega Bass button on my CD player the tracks become almost totally obscured under the cacophonous low-end rumble. [24 August 2005] 
The Real Tuesday Weld: The Return of the Clerkenwell KidModesty is a virtue, but a surfeit of modesty can grate. Listening to this album sometimes seems an impossibly precious pastime, like Belle & Sebastian with samplers. [23 August 2005] 
T. Raumschmiere: Blitzkreig PopThe combination of precise, pummeling techno beats and buzzsaw electronic fuzz is still as eminently satisfying as on 2003's Radio Blackout. [22 August 2005] 
Shantel: Bucovina Club Vol. 2I find it remarkably difficult to judge whether or not this album is an exercise in crackpot genre-bending or legitimately visionary postmodernism. [16 August 2005] 
Various Artists: AtlantiquityA good remix is as much about a conceptual revision as rhythmical reinvention, and most of these remixers just don't seem to have any interest in making more than cosmetic alterations to the blueprints. [11 August 2005] 
Chaucer: Ackroyd’s Brief Lives by Peter AckroydBut we don't remember Chaucer for his contributions to English governance, we remember him as perhaps the single most significant architect of the modern English language. [10 August 2005] 
Various Artists: Motown RemixedIf all remix discs were this good, well... the world would be a better place, I'll say that much. [8 August 2005] 
The Magic Mountain by Thomas MannRandom House has released a fresh translation of Thomas Mann's The Magic Mountain. According to Tim O'Neil, it's the version for the ages. [5 August 2005] 
Duke Ellington: The EssentialWhile even a dilettante such as myself could easily catalog a number of omissions, it wouldn't really serve any purpose -- this set covers the necessary bases in as fleet-footed a fashion as possible. 
Some Water and Sun: All My Friends Have to GoThe album could be described as a number of things, including downtempo microhouse, futuristic J-pop R&B, or glitchy primary color trip-hop, but none of these imaginative labels could come close to fully explaining it. [4 August 2005] 
Various Artists: Klein Records All Stars Vol. 1This compilation of mostly rare and as-yet-unreleased cuts does a wonderful job of spotlighting the label's strengths. [2 August 2005] 
Meat Katie: Fabriclive 21One of the best and most comprehensive breakbeat compilations in years. [1 August 2005] 
The Inheritance (2003)In Ulrich Thomsen's brilliantly minimalist performance we see the dissolution of a weak man, a man unable to muster the self-possession necessary to control his own destiny. [29 July 2005] 
Various Artists: -40: Canadian Propaganda Films of the 1940’s ReworkedThe raw materials assembled herein are not merely songs, vocal snippets and video clips, but the very national heritage of Canada itself, spliced and reworked to create new meaning in a new era. 
S.E.V.A.: S.E.V.A.The project is an attempt to approach themes of a self-conscious spiritual nature through the medium of instrumental hip-hop. [28 July 2005] 
Tetsuo: The Iron Man - Collector’s Edition (1988)Before you've had time to acclimate yourself to any themes and motifs, before you have any context, you've already been assaulted. [27 July 2005] 
Tosca: J.A.C.The Viennese G-Stone sound is alive and well, and J.A.C. is a fine example of some of the best downtempo music being made today. 
Einsturzende Neubauten: 1/2 Mensch [DVD]Of course, there is always something perpetually upsetting about seeing an animated fetus moving through an inky-black universe of German screams and scraping metal. [26 July 2005] 
Adam Beyer: Fabric 22This is a mostly old-school, pounding techno mix that draws a direct lineage to the electrified thump of Detroit producers such as Juan Atkins and Derrick May. 
The Aquabats!: Charge!!Much has changed in the ensuing six years for our Champions of Justice! The great eldritch Nuclear Ska Force that previously empowered their greatest weapons has been supplanted by an obeisance to the Great Lord of Pop-Punk!!!" [22 July 2005] 
Various Artists: Elektronische Musik - Interkontinental 4Somewhere along the way, techno got skinny. Things were lush, then they got small. This is pan-European unity, microhouse-style. [21 July 2005] 
Fauna Flash: Worx: The RemixesThe mixes on this disc represent some of the most ingenious examples of the remixer's art currently available. [20 July 2005] 
Radio Massacre International: EmissariesDespite the unlikely name, RMI play improvisational ambient electronic music, otherwise known as 'space music'. If you're having trouble envisioning what I'm describing, just think of Brian Eno. [19 July 2005] 
Jorane: The You and the NowThe combination of earthy, supple cello and ethereal female soprano is inspired and effective. 
10:01 by Lance OlsenImagine if Ulysses had began with a paragraph like this: 'Leopold Bloom wondered what it would be life if the sum total of the verisimilitude of life and living could be summed up metaphorically in one day, quite coincidentally shaped to provide allegorical parallels to Homer's Odyssey.'" [18 July 2005] 
Damon Aaron: BallastIf Ballast consisted of nothing more than Aaron's guitar playing, the album would be a good deal better than it actually is. 
Monolake: Polygon CitiesIf you aren't already an initiate in the mysteries of minimalist techno, it's hard to get excited about such opaque differentiations. [15 July 2005] 
Sasha: Fundacion / James Zabiella: Renaissance Presents James Zabiella: UtilitiesFundacion and Utilities highlight the changing face of dance music while also serving to remind us -- as if we needed to be reminded -- that all the toys in the world are useless without the kind of discriminating ear that the best DJs bring to the tables. [14 July 2005] 
Boy Robot: Rotten CocktailsBoy Robot seems stranded between the heavy computerized punch of Daft Punk and the melancholy of Boards of Canada, with a good bit of Autechre's mechanistic precision thrown in for good measure. [12 July 2005] 
Various Artists: Kalk Seeds: A Karaoke Kalk CompilationQuite possibly the single most eclectic label compilation ever in the history of the human race. [11 July 2005] 
Various Artists: The Best Mashups in the World Ever Are From San FranciscoIn the here-and-now, there are few things quite as enjoyable as a good mash-up. [8 July 2005] 
Miss Kittin: Mixing MeMiss Kittin is one of the very best and most imaginative DJs working today, but as enjoyable as Mixing Me is, it is still something of a gimmick. 
Flunk: Morning StarIf we had a modern equivalent of AM radio, this is what the stations would play. [7 July 2005] 
Richard Davis: DetailsThis is a minimal house record recorded with a deep house sensibility, and fastened to a sincerely gorgeous pop framework. [6 July 2005] 
Richard’s Poor Almanac by Richard ThompsonIn the realm of modern newspaper publishing, a strip like Richard's Poor Almanac is an anomaly. The well-documented homogenization of the funny pages has resulted in increasingly generalized and toothless strips aimed straight at the largest possible demographics. [5 July 2005] 
Hanin Elias: Future NoirAs a part of Atari Teenage Riot, her voice was just one element in a very large and violent organism, but here she doesn't have waves of overwhelming static to hide behind anymore. 
Mahogany: Memory Column: Early Works and Rarities 1996-2004Mahogany present a compelling view of an alternate universe where Stereolab and My Bloody Valentine had an autistic love child who could only communicate through exquisitely designed sound sculptures. [1 July 2005] 
e:gum: Keyboard Liese:gum's beats are harsh but their hooks are sharp -- an interesting juxtaposition that makes for distinctive, if occasionally underwhelming results. [30 June 2005] 
Soul Coughing: New York, NY 16.08.99This a wonderful addition to the collection of any Soul Coughing fan, a canny and timely reminder of just how good these guys were. [29 June 2005] 
Jeff Parker: The RelativesThis is straight-up jazz taken out of the museum and calibrated for maximum accessibility. [28 June 2005] 
Hellraiser: Deader (2005)It's hard to dislike Hellraiser: Deader, despite the fact that in many ways it's a disappointing film. [27 June 2005] 
Eluvium: Talk Amongst the TreesWhat we have here is an assembly of sound whose origin seems to be wholly not of this earth. 
DJ Shadow: Endtroducing… [Deluxe Edition]In terms of its influence, its stature and its quality, Endtroducing... could lay a serious claim to being the most important album of 1990s. [10 June 2005] 
Pole Folder: Zero GoldIt is a surprisingly strong album in that it evokes a field of reference well removed from the dancefloor, but in translating the sonic palette of a minimalist genre to more traditionally kinetic forms he exposes a key conceptual weakness. [9 June 2005] Nine Inch Nails + The Dresden DollsA downward spiral?. Reznor, is finally putting the demons of perfectionism and substance-abuse to bed, and that's not an entirely good thing. [6 June 2005] 
John Digweed: Choice: A Collection of ClassicsChoice offers an interesting look at what fans like Digweed were listening to in the years immediately leading up to the advent of mega-clubs and superstar DJs. 
Autechre: UntiltedThere is a degree of work involved in acclimating one's self to the extremely heady altitudes at which Autechre dwell, but it is trivial compared to the serious delights that await the conscientious listener. [2 June 2005] 
Us3: Questions1993 was a long time ago, and what was sly and cosmopolitan then is elementary now. [1 June 2005] 
Manic Street Preachers: The Holy Bible—10th Anniversary EditionIt remains a galling, cankerous reminder of the painful and profound issues that the majority of pop music has always been designed to mask. If the album seems strained in places, overwrought in others and unimaginably grim throughout, it is still -- despite these flaws -- a vital and demanding work. [20 May 2005] 
Various Artists: Alt+F4Many of these tracks seem to take glee in merely annoying the listener. [5 May 2005] 
Goldie Lookin’ Chain: Straight Outta NewportThe Goldie Lookin' Chain sound as if they haven't had anything to do but sit around, get drunk and act stupid for quite a while. [2 May 2005] 
Exergonic: Sonic Adventure ProjectThere's a dogged unwillingness to engage the listener as anything more than background music. [30 April 2005] 
John Tejada: Logic Memory CenterThe album's all-digital nature dictates the mood, and the mood is intricate. [29 April 2005] 
Herbie Hancock: Speak Like a ChildThis is every bit a product of the sea-changes in jazz at the time, a melancholy and affecting snapshot of a fading era. [27 April 2005] 
Z-Trip: Shifting GearsEven when Z-Trip overreaches, the result is never less than consistently fun. When it does hit, however, Shifting Gears achieves something quite sublime. [26 April 2005] 
Christopher O’Riley: Hold Me to This: Christopher Riley Plays RadioheadThis is nothing less than a wholesale reinvention of one of the greatest and most versitile catalogs in modern pop music. [25 April 2005] 
My Sister Eileen (1955)It is cinematic cotton candy, dissolving the moment it hits the tongue. [14 April 2005] 
Klute: No One’s Listening AnymoreThe album is a revealing statement in a scene that often prides itself on conformity. 
Soulive: Steady Groovin’Steady Groovin' is an excellent primer for anyone unfamiliar with Soulive's imperfectly-conceived yet satisfying career. [13 April 2005] 
Emperor X: Central Hug / Friendarmy / Fractal DunesThe key is not that we should admire the record for the dexterity with which a group of seemingly random pieces have been assembled to form a new whole, but that we should recognize the whole to be far greater than the sum of its parts. [12 April 2005] 
Robot ChickenYou don't have to be a big ol' nerd to laugh, but it helps if you know your Mark Hamill from your Leonard Nimoy. [11 April 2005] 
Tarentel: We Move Through WeatherThis is not an album that rewards impatience. There are no grand movements or blustering climaxes. All motion is relative and gradual. Sounds wane and wax with the implacable inevitability of tidal forces. [7 April 2005] 
Spiritual Voices (1995)Over five hours, such ostensible fealty to the sprawling rhythms of daily life makes for a rigorous and occasionally maddening viewing experience. [31 March 2005] 
Eroica (1957)Eroica presents a picture of a bifurcated country, ostensibly cowed, but still seething with recrimination and indignation. 
Confession (Povinnost) (1998)Visceral and at times brutal, it's a livid illustration of the effects of monotony and oppression on the spirit. 
John Digweed: Fabric 20This is a hypnotically tasteful mix, a perfect synthesis of current flavors filtered through Digweed's distinctively transparent style. [29 March 2005] 
Kaiser Chiefs: EmploymentListening to Employment over the last few days has left me with an undeniable and disappointing lethargy. I'm just not getting it. [22 March 2005] 
The Golden Republic: People [EP]The Golden Republic have some Beatle-based garage pop, some disco-fied post-punk, some '70s glam, and even an acoustic ballad, all of it filtered through the slightly tinny focus of latter-day American retro-revival groups such as the Strokes and the Kings of Leon. [18 March 2005] 
Home Video: Citizen EPHome Video seem, at least ostensibly, to be a rock act, but their stylistic influences are definitely broad enough to qualify them for membership under the Warp umbrella: they are to rock as Prefuse 73 is to hip-hop, albeit nowhere near as accomplished. [17 March 2005] 
Bowling For Soup: A Hangover You Don’t DeserveIt would be easy to hold Bowling For Soup responsible for perceived shortcomings, but the band won their success the old-fashioned way: they earned it. [15 March 2005] 
Hybrid: Hybrid Presents Y4KMy indifferent reaction to the mix as a whole has less to do, perhaps, with the overall quality -- which is high -- than the simple fact that this disc presents far less variety and far more stylistic similarity than past volumes. [10 March 2005] 
Rammstein: Reise ReiseBy using the repressive trappings of heavy metal to comment on repression both physical and spiritual, they have achieved a uniquely subtle synthesis of satirical form and function. [9 March 2005] 
The Mystery of Charles DickensVeteran actor Simon Callow gives life to Ackroyd's demanding script, which weaves historical and personal anecdotes in and out of dramatizations from Dickens' oeuvre. [7 March 2005] 
Death in Vegas: Satan’s CircusDeath in Vegas have yet to craft a fitting follow-up to 1999's The Contino Sessions, and while Satan's Circus is an enjoyable album, it is also damningly immaterial. [1 March 2005] 
Spike & Mike’s Sick and Twisted Festival of Animation: Caught in the Act!The animators here have, with a few exceptions, yet to outgrow a fascination with the satirical possibilities of putting wholesome cartoon characters through their R- and X-rated paces. [28 February 2005] 
Laurent Garnier: The Cloud Making MachineIt doesn't sound a lot like most of his recent material, and the new sounds that he utilizes here are neither very new or very good. [21 February 2005] 
Sister Helen (2004) - PopMatters Film Review )Sister Helen was, by the movie's account, an unpleasant person: hard, focused, and motivated by the kind of purposeful regret that verges on self-loathing. [17 February 2005] 
Sasha & John Digweed: Renaissance: The Mix Collection (10th anniversary Edition)Don't let the self-serving nostalgia and portentous imagery of this deluxe package divert you from the real attraction: the beautiful, beautiful music contained herein. [10 February 2005] 
How to Draw a Bunny (2004) - PopMatters Film Review )We feel a dogged incompletion, as if Ray Johnson's career was a massive joke awaiting one final punch line. [7 February 2005] 
The Kids in the Hall: The Complete Season 2, 1990-1991The Kids' steadfastly humanizing instincts go a long way towards rendering their comedy adorably toothless. [2 February 2005] 
Mystikal: Greatest Hits - Screwed & ChoppedMystikal is in jail, and he's going to be in jail for a long time after doing a few things he wasn't supposed to be doing. He's got a long sentence and in the meantime his record label's got a lot of work to do if they're going to milk each and every cent they can out of him in absentia. [31 January 2005] 
The Chemical Brothers: Push the ButtonPush the Button is rounded and accomplished where 2002's Come With Us was uneven and tentative. If you were worried that an unfocused fourth album was the beginning of diminishing returns for the pair, their fifth album serves as a reminder that the Chemical Brothers should never be underestimated. [28 January 2005] 
Rise: The Story of Rave Outlaw Disco Donny (2004) - PopMatters Film Review )PULL. [26 January 2005] 
Morcheeba: From Brixton to Beijing [DVD]Of all the acclaimed groups birthed by the 'Bristol' trip-hop sound of the early '90s -- an exclusive group that includes such unquestionable luminaries as Massive Attack, Smith & Mighty, Tricky and Portishead -- Morcheeba have always been considered the underachievers. [17 January 2005] 
Quincy Jones and Bill Cosby: The New Mixes, Volume OneBill Cosby has worn many hats in his decades-spanning career, but the one that will probably come as the biggest surprise is that of a jazz maestro. 
Lemon Jelly: ‘64-‘95This is the sound of one of the most satisfying acts in electronic music delivering on the promise of their early material with another ambitious and enjoyable slab of intricate beatscapes. [13 January 2005] 
Hermitage MasterpiecesThe Hermitage represents the climax of the Russian aristocracy's longtime fascination with Europe. [10 January 2005] 
The Hives: Barely Legal / A.K.A. I.D.I.O.T. EPThe closest thing the Hives approach is -- to nick a phrase from Grant Morrison -- a kind of Zen Fascism. [3 January 2005] 
Luther (2003)This is the type of movie you can imagine history teachers embracing, on account of the facile and accessible way it tackles the subject matter. [28 December 2004] 
Hi, Mom (1970)It is slightly odd to see Robert DeNiro so young and handsome, giving a performance so deftly naturalistic. [22 December 2004] 
Star Trek: The Original Series - Season ThreeStar Trek remains enjoyable today in ways that other, similarly important or influential shows do not. [13 December 2004] 
Nirvana: With the Lights OutAs amazingly important as Nirvana were, they became popular the same way anyone else ever has: they happened to be saying the right thing at just the right time. If their timing had been off by just the merest fraction, they could have easily fallen into line with the Pixies, the Replacements and Pavement as yet another greatly esteemed but commercially overlooked indie band. [3 December 2004] 
Elliott Smith and the Big Nothing by Benjamin NugentThroughout the course of the book Nugent is much more interested in explicating Smith's pseudo-biographical lyrics than in doing any of the metaphorical legwork required to come to any sort of decisive conclusions regarding Smith's life. [30 November 2004] 
The Three Faces of Eve (1957)As Eve, a young woman whose life unravels following her diagnosis with multiple personality disorder, Joanne Woodward is spectacular. [29 November 2004] 
Daddy G: DJ KicksDaddy G's entry into the DJ Kicks is absolutely wonderful, a return-to-form for the beleaguered series, an instant history lesson, and a thoroughly enjoyable CD. [16 November 2004] 
Garfield: The Movie (2004)If Garfield's non-animated creatures lack distinction (what you might call 'edge'), it should be remembered that it is intended for small children. [15 November 2004] 
Roni Size: Return to VIt's almost as if Roni Size can feel High Contrast's hot breath on the back of his neck. On Return to V, he's trying to simultaneously stretch and stay true to his roots. [10 November 2004] 
Brand Nubian: Fire in the HoleBrand Nubian are a throwback of sorts to hip-hop's so-called 'golden age', the halcyon era of the late '80s. 
High Contrast: High SocietyHigh Society is as good as drum & bass gets in the year 2004, and that is very good indeed. [2 November 2004] 
TV on the Radio: New Health RockTV on the Radio are weird enough to be safely below the radar of the average rock fan for the time being, which is a good thing, because as good as they are, they are still a long way from being as good as they will be. 
Tøyen: Did You Bring Me on National Television to Tell Me This Too?Recorded entirely on a Sony Playstation, these Norwegians have created their own very distinct universe of immaculately defined composition, which reveals many multifaceted layers of satisfying complexity. [26 October 2004] 
Various Artists: For the LadyThe cause of international human rights deserves better than this. [25 October 2004] 
Azeem: Show BusinessWhereas most indie hip-hop releases have the kind of limp-wristed beats that just wash through your ears like musical Calgon, every beat on this album hits your cerebral cortex like a brillo pad. This is as fine a rap album as you'll hear all year. [18 October 2004] 
Green Day: American IdiotIf, 10 months ago, you had told me that Green Day would release one of the very best pop records of the year, I would have laughed.... American Idiot is a work of staggering ambition, made all the more impressive by the fact that they make it all look so damn effortless. Considering the fact that Billy Joe is still only 32 years old, it boggles the mind to imagine just where the band can go from here. 
Lamb: Best Kept Secrets: Best of Lamb 1996-2004Best Kept Secrets chronicles Lamb's subtle transformation from rough-and-tumble trip-hop into smooth and subtle futuristic pop. [15 July 2004] 
DJ Spooky That Subliminal Kid: Celestial Mechanix: The Blue Series MastermixElectronic music is the music of possibility, the event horizon wherein sound can be crushed into an infinite variety of malleable and endlessly elastic portions. [12 July 2004]
Pan Sonic: KestoPan Sonic’s taproot runs deep into the soil of early industrial music, with a heavy debt owed to such obvious giants as Throbbing Gristle, Einsturzende Neubauten and Suicide. [8 July 2004]BlogsConsuming Consumables: Frank Sinatra: A Voice in Time (1939-1952) [$49.98] [9 December 2007] |
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