about contributors submissions book series advertising contests tour dates Mixed Media PopMatters Picks
|
|
Jennifer KellyFeatures
This Year Is Gonna Be Ours: An Interview with Akron/Family’s Miles SeatonBrooklyn's exhilarating folk-prog-jazz quartet hit a rough spot last year, as Ryan Vanderhoof left and the remaining three members had to rethink what it meant to be a band. The shake-up led to profound changes in Akron/Family's sound and approach to music. [5 May 2009] Hidden Melodies: An Interview with Christian FenneszChristian Fennesz always has the record button on, and with his new album he's found a way to turn a cross between a flute and a gong into something perfectly natural. [23 April 2009] Mirror Twins: Conversations with Nels and Alex ClineAlthough their careers have some similarities, the twin composers and songwriters aren't as similar as it seems, covering everything from the monastic to the chaotic. [25 February 2009] Hats Off: An Interview with Roy HarperJimmy Page wrote a song about him. Paul and Linda McCartney sang back up for him. And now, after decades of languishing as "the longest running underground act in the world", Roy Harper is reissuing his entire catalogue to a world that may just finally be ready for him. [20 October 2008] Clearer Vision: An interview With David Berman of the Silver JewsThe Silver Jews' David Berman recently underwent eye surgery that both physically and metaphorically extended his range of vision. He talks to PopMatters about being able to see farther in so many ways. [17 June 2008] Chicha Libre [New York]Blending the strains of native South American, Latin, African, and psychedelic music, Peruvian chicha music has a trippy, lighthearted vibe all its own. Olivier Conan talks to us about this fascinating genre, his band Chicha Libre, and the syncretism of global music. [27 March 2008] In Extremity and Loving ItFifty-eight bands and two aching ear canals later, Jennifer Kelly offers up some guiding lights for next year. [20 March 2008] Pretty Much a Rock Band: An Interview with KinskiKinski guitarist Chris Martin says he'll never be nervous again after the summer's last-minute, arena-sized tour with Tool. His Seattle four-piece may be the only band ever to open for Tool and record a split with Acid Mothers Temple. [19 March 2008] Isolation Songs: An Interview with Bon Iver’s Justin VernonBon Iver's Justin Vernon holed up in the north Wisconsin woods to try to get his life and his music back on track ... and, in the process, almost by accident, made one of this year's most hauntingly beautiful folk-rock albums. [19 February 2008] New Ground: An Interview with PJ HarveyPJ Harvey talks to PopMatters about her haunting new album, learning piano by ear, limitless imagination, and why she decided to do a string of solo shows to bring White Chalk to her fans. [28 November 2007] Taking It Slow: An Interview with Glenn Mercer of the FeeliesWith Bill Million, Glenn Mercer headed up the Feelies, one of the best and most underrated bands of '70s and '80s. Now he's back with a solo album that features several ex-Feelies and has the same bewitching shimmer. [6 November 2007] Michael Gira in His Own WordsEven after decades of creating powerful music, first through Swans and now with Angels of Light, Michael Gira finds the creative process mysterious, chaotic and a little frightening. [30 October 2007] Fire Engines: Hungry BeatCowbell-crazed, no-wave noised, robot-funk grooves from the short-lived Scottish band best known for inspiring Franz Ferdinand. Even the most cursory listen provides that they were much, much more interesting than that. [3 October 2007] C’mon Over and Let’s Make a Record: An Interview with Devendra BanhartHow the pied piper of psych folk and his ever growing band of followers holed up in a Topanga Canyon house, broke out a boxload of exotic instruments and kicked out the jams of Smokey Rolls Down Thunder Canyon. [2 October 2007] The Brutal Truth at Last: An Interview with Reid PaleyOne of America's best -- and most underrated -- songwriters talks about life, liquor, Pittsburgh, and what it's like to write songs with Frank Black. [14 September 2007] Still Howling: An Interview With Neil Michael HagertyFrom the diesel-fueled abandon of Pussy Galore through the trance inducing blues-rock of Royal Trux to Howling Hex, Neil Michael Hagerty has plumbed the mind-changing properties of psychedelic repetition. [11 September 2007] Chris Letcher [London/South Africa]South African filmmaker and songwriter Chris Letcher talks about the intersection of film soundtracks and pop, what it was like growing up in apartheid-era South Africa and how he got the sounds of a heart transplant ward onto tape. [23 August 2007] Makes Some Waves: An Interview with Bodies of WaterA love of gospel, Tropicalia, and exuberant vocal choruses unites the four members of Bodies of Water, an L.A.-based quartet whose debut full-length is like a musical comedy soundtrack exposed to radiation. [8 August 2007] Je Suis France [Athens, GA]Now ten years into its rule as one of Athens, Georgia's best-loved party bands, Je Suis France has broken out its most professional album ever in Afrikan Magik. But don't worry that they're turning into squares -- the big hit is still an eight-minute space-rock epic... about a whale's erection. [11 July 2007] Relinquishing This World of Brutal Music: An Interview With Jesu’s Justin BroadrickWhile still in his teens, Justin Broadrick pioneered grindcore in Napalm Death, and later, with Godflesh, extended the range of antagonistic volume. Now with the gorgeous soundscapes of Jesu, Broadrick says, "I really need to explore melody in an all-out way." [18 June 2007] Branching Out: An Interview With Ted LeoAmerica's last remaining old-style punk rocker revisits his hardcore, pop, mod, soul, celtic and reggae roots in his fifth and latest full-length. "I knew going into it that I didn't want this record to be as concise as the last one," he says. [23 April 2007] Ghost Stories: Masaki Batoh on Life, Death, and Stormy NightsJapanese psych-folk master Masaki Batoh of Ghost talks life, death, improvisation and plasma balls ... and why he and his band won't be touring the US any time soon. [19 April 2007] Good Times, Other Realities: A Conversation with Panda BearWhether with Animal Collective, through his solo work, or via a handful of other projects, Noah Lennox (or Panda Bear) makes a kind of disruptively joyful, emotionally affecting music operate on some sort of limbic plane to change your mood. [26 March 2007] Out of Nowhere: An Interview With MapsJames Chapman's moody, dream-fuzzed songs spent 2006 evolving from home-taped reveries to NME-charting singles. This year, with a new album in the works, a partnership with Bjork soundman Valgeir Sigurdsson, and a rising tide of blog interest, the Northampton (UK) songwriter is poised to move from off the map to off the charts. [20 March 2007] Complex Music for Everyone: An Interview With Loney, DearEmil Svanägen, the Swedish pop auteur otherwise known as Loney, Dear, has no patience at all for minimalism or primitivism or any of the -isms that make music less baroquely abundant than it naturally is. "For me I want to make complex music that everyone can like." [12 March 2007] Such Nice Boys: An Interview With Terry SixTwo years after the tragic automobile accident that killed three of his bandmates, surviving Exploding Hearts guitarist Terry Six is back with a new power pop/glam-rocking band called the Nice Boys. "I came to realize that I'm not sure I know how to do anything else but play music and write music and love music," said Six. "That's all I can do." [28 February 2007] Pretty Surfaces, Sharp Edges: An Interview With Wet ConfettiWet Confetti's Alberta Poon fronts a three-person band that's drawing comparisons to Delta 5, X-Ray Spex, and the Au Pairs. Funny, though, she says she and her two band-mates never heard of post-punk until after they started making music. [21 February 2007] Dirty FacesGrimy, blue-collar rock and roll... or is it? Dirty Faces' Get Right with God would be the most intense and powerful straight rock record of the year. That is, if it really were a straight rock record. [11 February 2007] May I Refer to Myself in the Third Person?: An Interview With Bobby ConnFor more than a decade, prog/glam/disco terrorist Bobby Conn has been confounding interviewers with almost-plausible tales of career life as the antichrist and a mysterious missing finger, and now there's the risk that Tom and Katie might sue for libel. [5 February 2007] Take Flight: An Interview with Red SparowesMajestic, monolithically heavy yet full of light and air and structure, Red Sparowes' music may have been informed by metal and hardcore, but it has ended up somewhere else entirely, exploring new territories of shifting dynamics and cinematic scope. [31 January 2007] All for One and One for All: An Interview With Swan LakeWhat happens when you throw three of indie rock's most eccentric songwriters together in a remote cabin on Vancouver Island -- with only guitars and mics for amusement and the nearest bar over a dangerous mountain pass? Swan Lake, that's what. [18 January 2007] Radio Birdman Does the Pop Again: An InterviewAfter 20 years of hiatus and 10 of Australia-only dates, the legendary Radio Birdman is finally touring the US. PopMatters talks to Deniz Tek and Rob Younger about the early days at Sydney's Fun House, their frustrated first run at a US audience, their 1996 reunion, and the confluence of factors that resulted in a new album and a full-scale trek through America. [26 October 2006] Perpetual Motion: An Interview with Akron/FamilyWith its third album in two years Akron/Family takes another snapshot of its continuously evolving musical journey. Meek Warrior's free jazz freak outs may surprise some fans, but bass player Miles Seaton shrugs it off, saying, 'We just want to keep capturing wherever we are along the way.' [11 October 2006] Songs of Faith and Struggle: An Interview with WovenhandWovenhand's David Eugene Edwards tells PopMatters about his bleak view of humanity, his love of outsized percussion, his fascination with traditional music, and the difficulties of being a devout Christian in the rock world. [26 September 2006] An Encounter with Tropicalia’s Trickster: The Tom Zé InterviewUnder a pragmatist's influence, Zé says occasionally explicable things. [1 January 1995] The Slow-Burning Songs of Vetiver: An Interview with Andy CabicDevendra Banhart's favorite songwriting partner, Andy Cabic, is back with a darker, more percussive second album that will take more than a couple of spins to sink in. The Happy Songwriter: An Interview with Kelley StoltzSan Francisco's best-kept songwriting secret on influences, old pianos, optimism, career breaks in biker bars and the stacks of tapes in his apartment closet. Secret Girl: An Interview with Kim GordonOne of rock's most iconic women talks about music, art, the quick genesis of Sonic Youth's 20th album, and why she doesn't worry too much about how people perceive her. Finger-Picked Blues and Never-Ending Sine WavesSix Organs of Admittance's Ben Chasny talks about the acoustic blues, raw psyche, and transfiguring rivers that shaped his new album The Sun Awakens. The Sadies Come Out in FrontToronto's Sadies have backed up rock and alt.country's best-known acts -- everyone from Neko Case to Jon Langford to Jon Spencer -- but for two nights in February 2006, this lanky, hyper-skilled musical outfit took center stage at Lee's Palace, recruited 27 friends and admirers, and recorded the live album of the decade. Frightening Intensity, Damaged Beauty: An Interview with the pAper chAseIn a revealing conversation, John Congleton talks about fear, ambiguity, imperfect beauty, aging, and German postcard art... just don't ask him about 'emo'. Ritual Improvisation: An Interview with No-Neck Blues BandA member of the No-Neck Blues Band makes a rare foray into public conversation. Obliterate… Reiterate: Mission of Burma’s Exhilarating ReturnTwo years after their astonishing return to music, Mission of Burma raises the ante with The Obliterati, playing harder and louder than ever... but this time with a lopsided grin. 'This is all pure gravy, unexpected and unsought,' says bass player Clint Conley, a statement that is as true for fans as it is for the band. Man Man Lets Its Demons Out of the BagMembers of Man Man come clean about the reconfigured band, the new tour, and the new record (that draws inspiration from, among other things, Furbies!) -- proof that the band's darkest days may be behind them. DIY for Life: An Interview with Eric GaffneyThe Sebadoh founder talks about life after that band, home recording, self-promotion, and the worst roommate he ever had. Feathers Flock TogetherEight members, multiple songwriters and dozens of instruments coalesce in one indefinable, all-natural sound for Vermont's folk collective Feathers. 'Each of us has our own philosophy of how we make music and we all get to practice it in parallel,' said Feathers' Meara O'Reilly. 'It happens to all coincide in some way.' Folk Goes Interplanetary with EspersThe Philadelphia folk collective's Greg Weeks and Meg Baird talk about their new larger band, the tantalizing possibility of an all-planetarium tour, and their delicate balance of space-age drone and pristine folk. The Apocalyptic Visions of Current 93David Tibet talks about the frightening images and transcendent beauty at the heart of his new album Black Ships Ate the Sky in a rare interview with one of experimental music's most intriguing characters. From Concert Halls to Rock Dives: An Interview with Padma Newsome of ClogsA longstanding collaboration between classically trained musicians bears intricate, improvised fruit in Lantern. The World on a Damn, Damn Leash: An Interview with Be Your Own PetBe Your Own Pet's debut full-length bristles with an old school punk fury, all spit and sputter and splatter-spazz energy. It's the kind of ferocious assault you'd expect from a foursome that's been playing together since high school... oh, two, three years ago. ReviewsPonytail + The Pains of Being Pure at Heart + Rabbit Rabbit: 26 April 2009 - Northampton, MAI’d give it to Ponytail if I had to name a winner, but it’s rare that two bands succeed so well on different terms. [11 June 2009] 
The Baron: The Complete SeriesBritish television’s forgotten international man of mystery battles cold war villains, ex-Nazis and art thieves around the world…without ever leaving a London backlot. [8 April 2009] Amargosa + Aseethe + Shores of the TundraThere is nothing quite like the visual of a camouflage-dressed metal singer spewing rage and disaffection into a microphone in front of benches that have hymnals tucked into the pockets. [12 March 2009] Loney, Dear + Dennis Crommett + Aric BieganekLoney, Dear’s Emil Svanängen has long since made the transition from secluded laptop folk artist to full-fledged pop bandleader. [20 February 2009] 
The Odd Couple: The Final SeasonThe often cancelled, usually revived Odd Couple ventures outside the apartment and outside its central relationship in the fifth and final season. [12 February 2009] Wild Light + BirdfeederLike all good pop, Wild Light’s songs are open to multiple interpretations… on the record they are clearly melancholy, yet live they are celebratory enough to dance to. [28 January 2009] 
Dreamend: The Long Forgotten FriendRyan Graveface’s third full-length as Dreamend explores the luminous space between dreams and waking, bright pastel pop alternating with darker meditations on loneliness and mortality. [20 January 2009] 
We Landed on the Moon: These Little WarsBaton Rouge foursome resurrects an angst-ridden, female-fronted, rain-of-guitars sound from the 1980s, not quite as tough as Blondie but harder-edged than the Motels. [14 January 2009] 
Red Eyed LegendsSharp, stinging full-length from the Chicago garage punk band with members from Circus Lupus, the Monorchid, the Dishes, and Submarine Races. 
Michael Zapruder: Dragon Chinese Cocktail HoroscopeRecalling songwriters from Vic Chestnut to Elliott Smith to Lambchop, Michael Zapruder crafts another set of prickly, epiphany-laden songs and wraps them in whispery orchestral sounds. A quiet stunner, this one. [11 January 2009] 
Wall-EThe first half hour of Wall-E is a lyrical, magical achievement in filmmaking, which if it ended there, would make the movie an undisputed classic. [9 January 2009] 
Push-Pull:Hello SoldierDebut album from Bloomington (IN)’s Push-Pull slips the jokes into its slinky post-hard-core punk beats in a sharp-edged but melodic collection of tunes. [8 January 2009] 
Viking Moses: The Parts That ShowedRecorded by Paul Oldham, assisted by members of Deertick, Spenking and Flaspar and inspired by country diva Dolly Parton, this second Viking Moses full-length exudes warmth and low-key charm. [18 December 2008] 
The Rockwells: Place and TimeSouthern band of brothers makes engaging power pop but falls well short of standards set by Big Star and the dBs. [17 December 2008] M83 + School of Seven BellsDespite occasional bouts of recorded poetry or samples, what’s startling about M83 is how live their show is. [16 December 2008] 
B. Fleischmann: Angst Is Not a WeltanschauungElectronic artist Bernhard Fleischmann explores the nexus of machine-driven precision and messy, unpredictable organic life…with a little help from Daniel Johnston. [11 December 2008] 
Like a Fox: Where’s My Golden ArmThis Philly foursome’s second album offers classic power pop, weaned on the Beatles and influenced by Cheap Trick and the Raspberries, but twisted two turns to the weird. [3 December 2008] 
Star Trek: The Original Series – Series 3 RemasteredTV’s first and most ambitious space opera closes out its original run with brave, ham-handed, unintentionally hilarious philosophizing on race, gender, truth and beauty…beam me up, Scotty. [2 December 2008] 
Edie Sedgwick: Things Are Getting Sinister and SinistererJustin Moyer dons a wig, lipstick, and teetering heels to throw down Part Three of his witheringly sardonic, aggressively tasteless, and intermittently amusing critique of celebrity culture. 
Klangwart: StadtlandflussGerman electronicists Markus Detmer and Timo Reuber set a long-time staple of their live performances to tape. Their Stadtlandfluss explores tone, mood and rhythm in a haunting evocation of man and machine, spirit and materiality. [25 November 2008] 
Savina Yannatou: Songs of An OtherAncient tunes and folk melodies turn into a springboard for free experiment on this third full-length from Greek singer Savina Yannatou and the band, Primavera en Salonico. [18 November 2008] Michael Chapman + Jack RoseA road-tested veteran in every sense of the word, Michael Chapman mentioned that he had recently celebrated 40 years of touring. [14 November 2008] 
Fredrik: Na Na NiLike his fellow Swedes in Loney, Dear, I’m from Barcelona and Boy Omega, songwriters Fredrik and Lindefelt craft soft-but-soaring pop songs that twitch and stutter with electro rhythms. [13 November 2008] 
The Magnificents: Year of ExplorersA Scottish band flirts with electro-clash but marries post-punk in a sharp-edged, anthemically large triumph of an album. [6 November 2008] 
Bears: Simple MachinerySummer’s wistful end, love’s bittersweet aftertaste, California’s harmonized melancholy all get their due on a second full-length from the Bears. [5 November 2008] 
Mark Tucker: In the SackA long out-of-print landmark in home recordings of the mentally fragile contains some odd field recordings, a handful of jazzy piano improvisations, a couple of wonderfully cracked lyrical outings and one perfectly gorgeous pop song, recorded backwards. [3 November 2008] George Stavis + Cian Nugent + Ben ReynoldsAcoustic guitar blues has had a bit of a revival lately, in large part due to the Imaginational Anthem series. [31 October 2008] 
Monsters Are Waiting: Ones and ZeroesLA pop shoegazers’ second EP -- put out by the label that first brought us Grizzly Bear -- wraps little girl coos and whispers in shimmering swathes of sound. 
Woven Hand: Ten StonesDavid Eugene Edward's fifth album under the Woven Hand flag is a juggernaut, his most intense and powerful so far and a rival for his finest work with 16 Horsepower. [29 October 2008] 
caUSE co-MOTION: It’s TimeA new collection of the Brooklyn-based pop-punk foursome’s singles offer high energy, lo-fi fun, but no stand-out songs. [28 October 2008] 
Hush Arbors: Hush ArborsA wholly natural folk music from Sunburned Hand of the Man's Keith Wood evokes Pentangle, Gary Higgins, and Six Organs of Admittance, as well as clear water, bird song, and morning sunlight. [27 October 2008] 
Robbie Basho: Bonn Ist SupremeRecorded in Germany, just six years before Basho’s death, this live disc captures the far-reaching genius and extraordinary skill of one of history’s greatest steel string guitar players. 
Matthew and the Arrogant Sea: Family Family Family Meets The Magical ChristianDenton's Matthew Gray spins dreamy, dayglo textures of Beatles-esque psychedelia in this vinyl-only debut, his friendly but warped reality couched in bright reverbed keyboards and swoony harmonies. [23 October 2008] 
The Iguanas: If You Should Ever Fall on Hard TimesWhat doesn't kill you makes you... funkier? Three years after Katrina, the Iguanas regroup for a quintessentially New Orleanean celebration of rock, jazz, R&B, Latin, and Cajun styles. [22 October 2008] 
Palmyra Delran: She Digs the RideFriggs frontwoman Palmyra Delran caps off a year of reissues, reunion shows and resumed interest with a seven song EP of new material, her first since the 1990s. [21 October 2008] 
KatJonBand: KatJonBandTwo uncompromising punk veterans find a volatile common ground in staccato rhythms, surreal imagery, and passionate political engagement. [15 October 2008] 
Goldcure: Portuguese PrinceAustin rockers lobby to be compared to Spoon and Arcade Fire... but sound more like the Counting Crows, the Dave Matthews Band and the Spin Doctors. 
Palms: It’s Midnight in HonoluluA cross-continental collaboration between Berliner Nadja Korinth and New York's Ryan Schaefer juxtaposes synthetic modernism and unearthly wails, silly love songs, and ritual-drummed drones. It's a mix that's always fascinating, but not quite cohesive. [10 October 2008] 
Chandeliers: The ThrushA foursome with ties to Icy Demons and Mahjongg improvises complex, textures out of bright bits of synthesized sounds. [9 October 2008] Thurston Moore + Little Claw + Eat SkullThurston Moore revisits his 1995 solo album Psychic Hearts with Steve Shelley, Chris Brokaw, and a bass player called Mutilator along for the ride. [3 October 2008] 
Boduf Songs: How Shadows Change the BalanceSparse and stunning, Mat Sweet's third full-length wraps images of shocking violence in gossamer arrangements. It's always the quiet ones you have to watch. [30 September 2008] 
XX Teens: Welcome to Goon IslandFive guys from London set sights on the Fall's manic, percussive surrealism and come up, predictably, a bit short. Their everything-but-the-kitchen-sink rock and roll cuts, though, suggest a band to watch. [29 September 2008] 
The Anton Chekhov CollectionA superbly acted, exhaustively complete summary of the great Russian’s dramas that provides real depth of insight into the plays and their possibilities. [25 September 2008] 
Apse: SpiritSpiritually-engaged and viscerally moving, Apse's first full-length dips into Krautrock, psych and atmospheric metal to create disturbingly beautiful soundscapes. [24 September 2008] 
Black Sun Ensemble: Across the Sea of IdThe long-running Tuscon band led by Jesus Acedo comes out of hiatus for a career-summing album of sunny guitar meditations and shimmering textures of sitar, as warm and welcoming as a psychedelic album can be. [17 September 2008] 
All the Saints: Fire on Corridor XThe Atlanta threesome cranks dreamy assaults of feedback and drone, machine gun splatters of manic drums. It's a pummeling, visceral, yet surprisingly serene take on the shoegaze sheets-of-sound idiom. [11 September 2008] 
Steve Wynn: Crossing Dragon BridgeSteve Wynn traveled to Slovenia to record his 12th post-Dream Syndicate album, working without the Miracle 3 for the first time since 2000. The result is a solitary, ruminative piece of work, and one of Wynn's best. [9 September 2008] 
Angela Desveaux & the Mighty Ship: Angela Desveaux & the Mighty ShipWhile Desveaux moves more firmly into rock territories with her very strong second album, the subject matter -- strong women in unhealthy relationships -- would resonate with female country legends, as well as people who can’t sing a note. [8 September 2008] 
The Weeks: Comeback CadillacAt their best, The Weeks crank jittery, bristling, two-guitar onslaughts, paced at punk speed, but laced with southern blues guitar… at their worst, they sound a lot like the Counting Crows. [5 September 2008] 
Thank You: Terrible TwoAdrenaline-pounding spazz-outs skitter and stutter across this second full-length from a Baltimore art noise trio. The record fits right in alongside drum-crazed, experimental improvisers like OOIOO and the Boredoms. [26 August 2008] 
Osborne: OsborneDetroit DJ Todd Osborn's first full-length album is as smart as it is physical, a distillation of old-style '80s house, chilled, synth-filtered soul, breakbeats, and African percussion. [25 August 2008] King Khan & the Shrines + Live Fast DieWhen King Khan enters, after an extended jazzy vamp, all thunking bass and blast of horns, he’s wearing a glittery cape and mask…and why not? [14 August 2008] 
LD & the New Criticism: Amoral CertitudesC'est n'est pas un chanson, the caption should read in this post-absurdist meditation on pop and confessional lyricism. LD Beghtol, like his sometime collaborator Stephin Merritt, writes songs and comments on them at the same time. 
Douglas Armour: The Light of a Golden Day, the Arms of the NightLA songwriter Douglas Armour splits his debut right down the middle: one half, trebly, watery dance pop, the other trebly, slightly less watery bedroom pop. [12 August 2008] 
The Instruments: Dark SmålandBaroque pop orchestras are thick on the ground these days, but few have the sweet, dream-blurred melancholy of Instruments, led by E6 cellist Heather McIntosh and an all-star Athens back-up band. 
Boy Omega: Hope on the HorizonLike Elliott Smith's Figure Eight, this fourth from the Swedish songwriter takes a turn toward baroque large-ensemble arrangements. And like Smith, Martin Gustafsson is able to expand his wistful songs without undercutting their vulnerability. [30 July 2008] Dengue Fever + Chicha LibreOn this sweaty, hazy night, two bands with mostly gringo players but decidedly non-Western influences viewed 1960s psych, funk, and soul through different perspectives. Chicha Libre filtered all-world pop through the Peruvian barrio genre mash known as “chichi,” while Dengue Fever cranked a sweltering blend of R&B, surf, and Cambodian pop. [29 July 2008] 
Wayne Horvitz Gravitas Quartet: One Dance AloneExperimental pianist and composer Wayne Horvitz leads two very different ensembles -- one rhythm-based and jazz leaning, the other lushly orchestral -- along paths that sometimes cross and comment upon one another. Gorgeous and thought-provoking. 
TimLee3: Good2b3Tim Lee's eponymous trio hitches skanky roots rock riffs to paisley underground drones in a more predictable, sentimental take on the psych-country experiments of Dream Syndicate and True West. [17 July 2008] 
The Closer: The Complete Third SeasonJohnson is a new breed of television heroine: smart, driven, successful and about three-eighths of an inch away from unlikeable. [16 July 2008] 
The Boy Bathing: A Fire to Make PreparationsLike Will Sheff, The Boy Bathing's David Hurwitz sometimes has to talk double-time to cram all his ideas into lilting pop lines. Still when it works, as it frequently does, the combination of buoyant choruses and lyrical difficulties is like a gymnast sticking a perfect landing. [14 July 2008] 
Skybombers: Take Me To TownMelbourne's Skybombers take a ride on the time-honored rock 'n' roll hit mobile ... a fun enough trip through familiar scenery. [10 July 2008] 
Los Lonely Boys: ForgivenBack after assorted lifestyle problems, the Garza brothers crank a slick slab of '70s hard blues rock and southern boogie. Great news if you're looking for a lifeless imitation of Hendrix, Vaughan and Santana. [2 July 2008] 
Pyramids: PyramidsDenton, TX-based post-metal foursome creates frightening, beautiful soundscapes with the majesty of Jesu, the proggy lyricism of Radiohead. [27 June 2008] 
Mats Morgan Band: Heat Beats LiveDrummer Morgen Agren and keyboardist Mats Oberg may be best known because they once played for Zappa, but this career-summing pair of discs makes a case for their fusion-y, proggy virtuosity, all on its own. [25 June 2008] 
Scorch Trio: Brolt!Rock instruments take free-jazz flight in this incendiary third album from the Norwegian trio. [24 June 2008] 
Marilyn Crispell: VignettesPianist Marilyn Crispell finds lyrical beauty in the intersection of contemporary classical music and jazz. [16 June 2008] Bishop Allen + The War on Drugs + The True JacquelineThe plan was to be wowed by the shimmery guitar textures and Dylanish growls of Philly's the War on Drugs, while maybe sticking around for Bishop Allen's clever, bubbly pop. You really can't plan these things. [11 June 2008] 
Lexie Mountain Boys: Sacred VacationA capella singing on steroids links field blues, cheerleader chants, doo wop, hip-hop and marching songs. [10 June 2008] 
Lights: LightsBrooklyn's Lights lace airy female harmonies with pedal-damaged psychedelic guitars. Cuts range from relative folk purity to full-on lysergia. The weirder they get, the better. [9 June 2008] 
Chris Mills: Living in the AftermathAcerbic, politically-aware lyrics and a show-stopping band raise Chris Mills' best material above the ordinary... but you'll be happiest if you stick to the rockers. [5 June 2008] 
Elvis Costello: MomofukuThe 28th studio album from genre-chomping innovator Elvis Costello reminds us why he's great without exactly proving it all over again. [4 June 2008] 
Night Marchers: See You In MagicThe first album from John Reis's Night Marchers revisits the torrid pace and stripped-down glories of Hot Snakes, but also hits some interesting side paths. [3 June 2008] Shearwater + Jennifer O’ConnorShearwater's songs surge and ebb like natural elements -- tides, storms, gusts of wind -- wild and untamed, however carefully they are structured and played. [30 May 2008] 
Thalia Zedek Band: Liars and PrayersThe veteran post-punk singer and songwriter from Uzi, Live Skull and Come gathers a full band, surveys the political landscape and records her most cathartic, powerful solo album yet. [29 May 2008] 
Charlemagne Palestine: From Etudes to Cataclysms for the Doppio BorgatoThe revered minimalist Charlemagne Palestine explores the percussive tones and textural drones of an unusual keyboard instrument played with both hands and feet. 
Make a Rising: Infinite Ellipse And Head With Open FontanelThe baroque pop/experimental band's second album again blenderizes pop, classical, jazz and avant garde styles... but this time with a bit more sophistication and better singing. [28 May 2008] 
Various Artists: What’s Happening in PernambucoThis wonderful compilation surveys the Brazilian hybrid known as manguebeat, a fusion of rock, hip hop, funk and traditional styles like maracatu and samba. [16 May 2008] 
Movin’ On UpFrom its first eerily harmonized soul anthems through the feverish funk of Superfly, this two-disc documentary establishes Mayfield’s visionary leadership. [7 May 2008] 
Roommate: We Were EnchantedKent Lambert's delicate home recordings blossom into full-blown baroque pop in this lovely, thought-provoking second album. [5 May 2008] 
The Chapin Sisters: Lake BottomAn A-list family of sisters, with blood ties to both folksinger Tom Chapin and horror meister Wes Craven, sings soft, pretty songs about violence and betrayal. [29 April 2008] 
Experimental Aircraft: Third TransmissionThese Austin shoegazers celebrate 10 years of struggle with pearlized sheens of glistening feedback, dreamy lullabies, tumultuous rhythms and the roar and drone of large machinery. 
Peg Simone: The Deeper You GetHoly cow! Brooklyn's Peg Simone handles the slide like a dusty 78 master, but sings like the most modern kind of woman. [23 April 2008] 
Helvetia: The AcrobatsThis second full-length under the Helvetia name tones down the experimental fuzz, reins in the odd meters, brings the vocals up and finds the pop center of Jason Albertini and Canaan Dove Amber's universe. [22 April 2008] 
Various artists: Do the Pop!The shadow of Radio Birdman looms long over this second edition in an exhaustive Aussie proto-punk series. [18 April 2008] 
Unwed Sailor: Little WarsJohnathan Ford's expansive instrumental landscapes conjure open roads and limitless skylines with its mesh of insistent pulsing rhythms, interlacing guitars, and the swell of Cure-like keyboards. Little Wars is serene but never boring. [14 April 2008] 
Ex Reverie: The Door into SummerGolden Ball's Gillian and David Chadwick conjure dark medieval chants, early musick string arrangements and 1960s psych rock overload in their first album as Ex Reverie. See if you can find your way out of this dream. [9 April 2008] 
Ssion: Fool’s GoldTongue-in-cheek, mirror-ball decadence from art-punk-disco-glam instigator Cody Critcheloe. Fool's Gold is almost as smart as it is dirty. [1 April 2008] 
Lo-Fine: Not For Us TwoKevin O'Rourke's second full-length album is just about perfect in its low-key way, a soft, haunting bit of country rock that will remind you of Matthew Sweet. [31 March 2008] 
Big Dipper: SuperclusterMassive three-disc reissue reintroduces the jangle-punk, goofball geniuses of Big Dipper to the world, including all three Homestead releases, and the long lost-in-limbo big label and assorted unreleased tracks. [28 March 2008] 
Head of Femur: Great PlainsChicago's vast baroque pop collective summons every instrument known to man in its fourth and best full-length album, working them jigsaw-like into complicated, colorful patterns. [27 March 2008] 
PacificUV: Longplay2Athens, Georgia's space rockers spool out celestial drones and eerie slides in a slow-moving dreamscape of a second album. 
SSM: Break Your Arm for EvolutionThis is not garage rock, but something altogether different. [12 March 2008] 
Justice of the Unicorns: Angels with UziBrooklyn provocateurs turn lo-fi pop into weapons-grade subversion. [10 March 2008] 
The Swimmers: Fighting TreesPhilly-based the Swimmers debut with piano-banging, hook-laden wistful pop, a la the Zombies, ELO, the Shins and Beulah. Now if they could just get home. [7 March 2008] 
The Waco Brothers: Waco ExpressFor more than a decade, these punk rockers on holiday have luxuriated in twanging pedal steel, stand-up bass and the rocking-est country barroom stomps ever delivered in a north English burr. [6 March 2008] 
Stephen Malkmus & The Jicks: Real Emotional TrashLong meandering jams coalesce into Stephen Malkmus' heaviest, most classic rock-influenced Jicks album yet, but where are the songs? [4 March 2008] 
Foot Foot: TrumpetLA-based duo sets eccentric country songs to rocking in a third-full length that is weirdly compelling and absolutely original. [27 February 2008] 
Sabertooth: Dr MidnightChicago's Sabertooth Quartet has been holding court at the Green Mill from midnight to five on Saturdays since the early 1990s -- with a light-hearted, sax and organ dominated jazz that keeps the crowds happy. 
Németh: FilmThe first solo album from Stefan Németh echoes Radian's uneasy blurring of the lines between organic and electronic sound. [26 February 2008] 
Throw Me the Statue: MoonbeamsThis debut album alternates wistful observations about 20-something life with fuzzily glorious rock-outs. Think of it as Casiotone for the not-quite-so-Painfully Alone. [19 February 2008] 
The Ex: Building a Broken Mousetrap [DVD]Punk’s most passionate, politically-engaged band plays a show in New York on the three-year anniversary of 9/11 and in the midst of the Republican National Convention. [15 February 2008] 
The Resonars: Nonetheless BlueThe Resonars' Matt Rendon unearths a 1960s time capsule of a record, with soaring Britpop harmonies and just a touch of melancholy. [14 February 2008] 
The Bridge: The BridgeBaltimore's Bridge spans southern genres like funk, R&B, boogie blues, roadhouse country and jam rock... but never gets nearly dirty enough. [12 February 2008] 
Aaron Stout: Queens Live in CasketsA Hoosier by birth, a wanderer by choice, Aaron Stout crafts ghostly textures and eerie atmospheres out of plainspoken songs. [11 February 2008] 
Condor Moments: …And Though We’re Told We’ve Got It All, The All We’ve Got Is Freezing ColdBaroque orchestral music terrorism that recalls all the oddballs -- Zappa, Beefheart, Akron/Family, the Residents, Sun City Girls, Man Man, the Art Bears -- without really sounding like any of them. [8 February 2008] 
School of Language: Sea from ShoreField Music's David Brewis retreats to his laptop for, paradoxically, his most open-ended and adventurous music yet. Free your cursor and your mind will follow. [5 February 2008] 
Theo Angell and the Tabernacle Hillside Singers: AuraplinthJackie-O-Motherfucker collaborator Theo Angell twists field blues, acoustic spirituals and folk into otherworldly forms Auraplinth is as stunning as it is unsettling. 
The Dig: Good Luck and Games EPPromising six-song EP from a Brooklyn-based band weds twitch power pop to abrasive guitar murk. [1 February 2008] 
Biirdie: Catherine AvenueBiirdie's second album is a low-key pleasure all the way through, its trippiness emerging from unassuming pop forms. [31 January 2008] 
Barton Carroll: The Lost OneWith his second solo outing, the Crooked Fingers sideman spins dark, obsessive tales of lust and violence, leavened by shimmery guitar picking and a wry sense of humor. [29 January 2008] 
The Odd Couple: The Third SeasonGay subtext or not, this show is primarily about the way two people relate to each other -- in affection, in rage, in exasperation, and in simple recognition of each other's quirks. [25 January 2008] 
Eric Matthews: The Imagination StageThe sounds that make 1960s pop so breezy -- lush harmonies, jazz chords, baroque instrumentation -- turn uneasy in this fascinating album. [18 January 2008] 
Hell on Heels: Dogs, Records and WinePhoenix femme rockers' second album blends classic punk sneer with 1960s garage pop and a cameo from guest singer Nikki Corvette. [17 January 2008] 
Hisato Higuchi: Butterfly Horse StreetJapanese guitarist Hisato Higuchi coaxes ethereal loveliness, ineffable melancholy, and bracing, abrasive bouts of distortion from electric guitar and voice. [9 January 2008] 
Pinch: Underwater DancehallFirst full length album by Bristol-based Pinch submerses skittery, subtle beats in bone-chilling currents of bass. [8 January 2008] 
The Cynics: Here We AreTwenty-some years and a dozen albums on, Pittsburgh's Cynics make a weathered, fuzzed and definitively, gloriously American rock and roll record. They just had to go to Spain to do it. [17 December 2007] 
Tiger! Tiger!: The Kind of GoodnightAtlanta's Tiger! Tiger! smoulders, swaggers and strides, riding Stax-ish grooves and saxophone wailing roadhouse romps. Like the Detroit Cobras with more nuance and not so many tattoos. [14 December 2007] 
The Grip Weeds: House of Vibes RevisitedComing after the 1980s Paisley Underground movement and before the '00s garage rock revival, this New Jersey band's 1994 home-recorded debut never found the niche it deserved. [10 December 2007] 
The Major Stars: Mirror/MessengerLong mainstays of Boston's improv scene, guitar-crazed Major Stars bust out brutal riffage, behemoth 1960s grooves and blues-y female-centric vocals. [3 December 2007] 
Alcest: Souvenirs DUn Autre MondeThe first full-length from French artist Neige alternates dreamy interludes and withering blasts of sound. Like recent Jesu, this is a shoe-gazing, post-rocking take on metal ... if it is metal at all. [28 November 2007] 
Medium: The Third SeasonThe most interesting thing about Alison Dubois isn’t that she can talk to dead people. It’s how the people around her deal with it. [19 November 2007] 
Various artists: Little Darla Has a Treat for YouAnother dumpload of quality pop and electro from Darla Records... can you believe they've done 25 of these? 
Spider: The Way to Bitter LakeSpider, aka Jane Herships, breathes hushed meditations and delicate melodies on her debut album, but she's no shrinking violet. Her songs have a very tough, resilient core. [16 November 2007] 
Southeast Engine: A Wheel Within a WheelAthens, Ohio's Southeast Engine links earthly love and heavenly visions into one mystical wheel. It's the most Bible-friendly psych pop since Jeff Magnum caterwauled "I love you Jesus Christ." [15 November 2007] 
Euros Childs: The Miracle InnGorky's Zygotic Mynci’s songwriter lays fragile vulnerability next to piano-hall giddiness in his third solo album. [9 November 2007] 
Michael Dracula: In the RedOhio-via-Glasgow's Emily MacLaren breathes an icy chill over dirty grooves, fuzzily realized blues vamps and metronomic post-punk basslines. [6 November 2007] 
Dust Galaxy: Dust GalaxyProducer Rob Garza, one-half of Thievery Corporation, comes out from behind the boards in his first solo album. [5 November 2007] 
Pamela Wyn Shannon: Courting AutumnFolksinger Pamela Wyn Shannon hails the onset of autumn with traditionally-rooted compositions that are burnished like apples, flickering like firelight and rustling like fallen leaves. Man Man + Who Shot HollywoodMan Man is, if anything, still evolving, and, these days, you better be prepared for a surprise -- especially when the time comes to play new songs. [2 November 2007] 
Michael Hurley: The Ancestral SwampA worn-in collection of covers and originals, laid down at home over nearly a decade, Ancestral Swamp is a laid-back landmark, full of weathered charm. 
230 Divisadero: 230 DivisaderCross-Atlantic pen pals -- Matt Shaw and Nick Grey -- join in an album of dream-like clarity and subtle, reticent epiphanies. [31 October 2007] 
Ethan Rose: Spinning PiecesPortland electronic composer Ethan Rose builds bright landscapes from discarded sounds and clanky musical machines. [29 October 2007] 
Siberian: With MeSeattle-area sad rockers build angsty, echoey castles of sound out of altered guitars; big, booming drums; and emotionally fraught vocals...it's like the Twilight Sad minus the accents. [23 October 2007] 
Fatal Flying Guilloteens: Quantum FuckingHair-raising album from Houston's Fatal Flying Guilloteens ditches any trace of garage-blues sludge for amped-up, stutter-frantic, head-pounding madness a la Brainiac, Jesus Lizard and the Mae Shi. [18 October 2007] 
Donny Hue & the Colors: FolkmoteBrooklyn via DC mainstay Donny Hue draws friends from Nethers, Carlsonics and other Capital City bands into a gleeful, rainbow colored mélange of pop and psychedelic styles. [17 October 2007] 
Circle: KatapultFinnish experimentalists splice metal riffs and deathhead growls into tapestries of rock, prog, folk, and jazz, creating a hybrid that is impossible to classify, but undeniably powerful. [15 October 2007] 
Sugar & Gold: CremeThese Bay Area revivalists dust off the synth bass, unclamp the high hat cymbal and stomp down on the wah wah pedal for a 1970s overdose of electro-disco-funk. The effect is more KC than P-Funk, but still wicked fun. [12 October 2007] 
Ed Askew: Little EyesThis second album by folksinger Ed Askew was recorded in 1970, then stashed in a carton for more than 30 years. The CD reissue, following a 2002 vinyl-only version, captures an eccentric talent at his unfiltered best. 
X27: AntiloveA second album from the Chicago no-wavers of X27 turns down the heat, slows down the pace, and finds forbidding melodies in squalls of noise. [3 October 2007] 
Upsilon Acrux: Galapagos MomentumSan Diego shredders' fifth full-length splices math rock-ish time signatures to free jazz improvisation to the head-on adrenaline of punk rock. You'll be out of breath just listening. [21 September 2007] Sleepytime Gorilla Museum + Tub RingOne of the adjectives you'll hear most often in describing SGM is "frightening". Others include scary, mesmerizing, perceptive, and theatrical. And yes, god yes, they're also very, very loud. [19 September 2007] 
Turbo Fruits: Turbo FruitsFast, fun, silly punk rock without a trace of civilizing influence...from the boys of Be Your Own Pet. 
The Get Quick: See You in the CrossfirePhilly's glam pop outfit, Get Quick, kick out clever puns and killer riffs on a 1960s-redolent, but 00s-relevant second full-length. 
Gravenhurst: The Western LandsFifth album from Nick Talbot's Gravenhurst is ominously beautiful and mysterious, with churning MBV-ish rock songs, lucid dream ballads and echoing western guitars. [17 September 2007] 
People Noise: Ordinary GhostsVHS or Beta's Zeke Buck's new duo lays down big anguished guitars next to synthy soundwashes... in a weird hybrid of the Cure and Nirvana. [12 September 2007] 
Heavy Trash: Going Way Out with Heavy TrashSpencer and Verta-Ray's rockabilly romp grows wilder, weirder, and considerably louder with the addition of the Sadies, who are fast gaining a reputation as world's best backing band. [5 September 2007] 
Matteah Baim: Death of the SunFresh off her Metallic Falcons collaboration with Coco Rosie's Sierra Casady, Baim constructs eerie, delicate songs that hardly rise above a whisper....Devendra Banhart, Jana Hunter and other free folk types appear in cameos. [27 August 2007] 
The Mekons: NaturalSixteen albums and 30 years into their genre-bending, expectation-confounding career, the Mekons turn the volume down, break out the wooden instruments and craft haunting, bone-clinking songs about mortality. [23 August 2007] 
John P. Strohm: Everyday LifeNot terrible, but not very interesting either... the ex-Blake Baby and former Lemonheads drummer remains mired in the softer swamps of country pop. [20 August 2007] 
Imperial Teen: The Hair the TV the Baby & the BandSan Francisco indie pop band cranks catchy, peppy tunes on their fourth studio album, but it all seems a little slack. 
Jason Holstrom: The Thieves of KailuaA vacation in America's 50th state led to this Seattle indie rocker's obsession with ukuleles, slack key guitars and breezy harmonies...no word on whether he's performing in a grass skirt. [14 August 2007] 
Various Artists: The Trials of Darryl HuntPaul Brill's documentary soundtrack gathers songs from hip-hop and indie heavyweights, a fierce and uncompromising tribute to Darryl Hunt's 20-year imprisonment. [13 August 2007] 
Art in Manila: Set the Woods on FireOne half of ethereal dream poppers Azure Ray gathers a full band and takes a turn towards the rock. Orenda Fink still sounds like part of heaven's choir, but now she's got a beat. 
Dog Day: Night GroupScratchy vulnerable pop and infectious boy-girl choruses... it's like the Lemonheads without the drugs! [27 July 2007] 
Southerly: Storyteller and the Gossip ColumnistDIY home-recorder Krist Krueger enlists an orchestra of friends for second album, a lush, elaborately realized, but not quite satisfying excursion into country pop. [26 July 2007] 
Part Chimp: CupMogwai's noisiest little brothers compile super-distorted, rock-obliterating singles, rarities, unreleased tracks and b-sides. Is that ringing on the CD or just in your ears? [16 July 2007] 
Fursaxa: Alone in the Dark WoodPhiladelphia's Tara Burke weaves freaky medieval harmonies, and space-age instrumental soundtracks out of multitracked voice, guitar, organ and fairy dust... strange magick indeed. [13 July 2007] The EvensPeterborough, New Hampshire is best known as the setting for Thornton Wilder’s Our Town. It is not a typical stop on a rock tour. [6 July 2007] 
Thee Fine Lines: Set You StraightA second album of stripped-down rockers from the hard-charging Missouri garage trio brings tunes as rough and acrid as kerosene, and just as likely to catch fire. 
Mary Timony: The Shapes We MakeFierce politics, wry humor and a seductive, fleshed-out sound elevate Timony's first "band" effort since Helium to the clouds... pink clouds, apparently. [2 July 2007] 
Miroslav Vitous: Live in Vienna [DVD]Czech string bass virtuoso and Weather Report founder Miroslav Vitous bridges jazz improvisation with classical forms. In a stunning solo performance, he elicits an orchestra's worth of texture from an instrument that usually remains in the background. [29 June 2007] 
Rasputina: Oh Perilous WorldLurid images and disturbing allegories link gothic history to global warming, anthrax and the Patriot Act in Melora Creager's sixth full-length exploration of heavy metal cello ... and apparently she's been reading Mutiny on the Bounty. [28 June 2007] 
Nonloc: Between HemispheresBright guitarist Mark Dwinell's second solo disc layers short, tightly constructed motifs in jewel-like patterns of guitar and piano notes... but falls short of last year's Bells Break Their Towers. [27 June 2007] 
John Doe: A Year in the WildernessEx-X front man is in rugged, flame-throwing form, and the guest list -- Kathleen Edwards, Dave Alvin, Aimee Mann, Jill Sobule -- is stellar... This may be the best Doe solo album yet. [22 June 2007] Califone + The Bitter TearsThe second I see a man wearing a satin wedding gown hiked up over a pair of blue jeans, it's pretty clear what kind of night this is going to be. [21 June 2007] 
Slaraffenland: Private CinemaRock? Jazz? Post-rock? Improv? Danish band Slaraffenland is hard to categorize but easy to listen to. 
Lou Rhodes: Beloved OneThis little-heralded gem got Mercury shortlisted in the UK, but seems to have dropped under the radar here. Move over Vashti Bunyan and Kath Bloom, here's another deceptively simple, wise and utterly lovely album. [15 June 2007] 
Queens of the Stone Age: Era VulgarisFifth full-length from the desert hard-rockers is slick, hard-hitting and sly... score one for big-time rock and roll. [11 June 2007] 
Clorox Girls: JAime Les FillesThis reconfigured Left Coast trio churns out happy, boppy, sub-two-minute punk songs... one of them in French! [8 June 2007] 
Paul Collins Beat: Flying HighCasual but excellent power pop on new wave veteran Paul Collins's first album in 12 years. 
Antelope: ReflectorJustin Moyer's first full-length as Antelope cranks edgy, repetitive grooves laced with abbreviated melody and punctuated by air and space. [5 June 2007] 
Black Moth Super Rainbow: Dandelion GumA mysterious Western Pennsylvania psychedelian collective paints daydream tableaus in vibrating, supersaturated colors. [24 May 2007] 
At Dusk: You Can Know DangerThird album from the Portland post-punk trio puts serrated edges and lattice-like complexity onto jittery pop songs. [23 May 2007] 
The National: BoxerBrooklyn's band of brothers spins dark, sardonic songs about love and life, adorned with orchestral flourishes and aching with romantic desperation... an early bid for album of the year. [21 May 2007] 
Radical Face: GhostBen Cooper, ex of Electric President, warms up his old band's glitch-acoustic style, adds a raucous clatter of drums and makes maybe the best summer pop song of the year in "Welcome Home." [11 May 2007] 
Tarwater: Spider SmileEight albums and 12 years into its partnership, the Berlin duo has crafted an almost ideal mix of organic and synthetic sound, pop tunefulness and electronic experiment, uneasy lyrics and body-moving rhythms. [8 May 2007] 
Cold Bleak Heat: SimituSecond album of improvised mayhem from four of free-jazz and out rock's most daringly skilled practictioners -- Paul Flaherty, Chris Corsano, Greg Kelley and Matt Heyner -- breaks for unexpected moments of tranquility. [3 May 2007] 
The Vocokesh: ...All This and Hieronymus BoschMilwaukee psych legends crank lysergic surf and abyss-howling feedback in loving tribute to Syd Barrett, Arthur Lee, Hieronymus Bosch, and a mysterious guy named Eddie. [25 April 2007] 
The Zombies: Live at the Bloomsbury Theatre, LondonForty years after their groundbreaking, wonderful, alternatively-spelled Odessey and Oracle, Colin Blunstone and Rod Argent form a cheesy Zombies cover band. [20 April 2007] 
Various Artists: Danielson - A Family Movie [DVD]This paints a picture of an ideal Christianity, the sort where people really do love one another, and where music is just another way to express appreciation for a loving god. [18 April 2007] 
Mary Weiss: Dangerous GameShangri-Las front-woman returns after 40-year absence from music. The music's excellent, her voice has held up... but what has she learned in the last 40 years? [17 April 2007] 
Greg Ashley: Painted GardenThis second solo album of loosely constructed, fragile psychedelic folk from the Gris Gris frontman evokes Mad Syd, Tyrannosaurus Rex and, especially, Satanic Majesties-era Stones. [11 April 2007] 
Stargate Atlantis - The Complete Second SeasonThe second season of this sci-fi serial drama starts with FX thrills and gun battles, but wins you over with character and storyline. [10 April 2007] 
The Safes: Well, Well, WellThe O'Malley brothers, out of Chicago, crank out bad boy riffs and good time tunes. They've got one foot in garage, the other in sweetly addictive power pop. [5 April 2007] 
Samamidon: But This Chicken Proved FalseheartedSam Amidon, once of laid-back Brattleboro, VT and now of busy Brooklyn, has crafted a gentle, unobtrusive album of country folk. [4 April 2007] Nightingales + The Victoria LucasNot everyone has heard of Nightingales, but the people who have tend to be fans... rabid fans. [30 March 2007] 
Zozobra: Harmonic TremorsThis is a monstrously loud, utterly enjoyable slab of melodic metal. [29 March 2007] 
Sonic The Hedgehog - The Complete SeriesThis early '90s cartoon series sought to capitalize on the global popularity of Sega’s videogame hero, conjuring a dark, threatening cosmos inhabited by flimsy caricatures. [26 March 2007] 
Holy Molar: Cavity SearchHoly Molar shares three members and a spazz-punk-metal aesthetic with the Locust, and its new 10-minute, five-song EP will not shock anyone familiar with the other band. [19 March 2007] 
McHales Navy - Season OneSlapstick, hijinks, one-liners, get rich quick schemes and a miraculous little war where nobody ever dies. 
Arbouretum: Rites of UncoveringMesmerizing jams from Anomoanon drummer Dave Heumann wed righteous, slow-paced Americana with free-wheeling 1960s psych. Five bucks says he's got a beard. [15 March 2007] 
Creeping Weeds: We Are All Part of a Dream You Are HavingThe combination of dream-like surreality and blossoming indie pop is not a new one, but Philadelphia's Creeping Weeds get the mix of wistful dislocation, gentle melancholy, and jangling, enveloping melodies just right. [13 March 2007] 
Pagoda: PagodaPuzzling, not entirely objectionable outing from the actor who played Cobain in Last Days lifts attitude, chords, melodies and riffs from Nirvana. [12 March 2007] 
Peter and the Wolf: LightnessI've been putting this off for ages, after seeing Red Hunter's puzzling set at CMJ and feeling that there was already maybe one too many willfully eccentric freak folkers wending his costumed, ethnic-instrumented way through the cosmos. [6 March 2007] 
My Teenage Stride: Ears Like Golden BatsA soft jangle of guitars, a hazy, New Zealand production sheen, the gently melancholy yet sort of humorous lyrics had me thinking I'd stumbled onto some lost Flying Nun outtake. [5 March 2007] 
Autumn Shade: Ezra MoonAn extraordinary mix of folk, rock and classical influences, the songs are minimally couched and passionately sung against a backdrop of piano and violin. [27 February 2007] 
Primordial Undermind: Loss of AffectEric Arn's long-running avant rock collective -- fellow travellers with Twisted Village's Kate and Wayne Rogers and the Charalambides crew -- spins ominous soundscapes and rock-spirited free jams in a series of live, improvised recordings from just before they left Austin for Austria. [26 February 2007] 
Various artists: Beyond IstanbulTraditional Turkish sounds, spliced with dance, electronic music, rap, rock, and (shudder!) ska. Not for anyone who likes their world music straight ... but an interesting glimpse into the ways that old instruments, rhythms, and chords can be coaxed into the shiny new century. 
Nobody: Revisions RevisionsNobody has one foot in underground hip-hop, the other in dreamy psychedelic pop. [9 February 2007] 
Charlemagne Palestine and Tony Conrad: An Aural Symbiotic MysteryTwo pioneers in avant-garde music, separated by three decades and a lifetime of experience, join together again for a brilliantly dense, spiritually satisfying collaborative concert. [6 February 2007] 
Terry Manning: Home Sweet HomeLegendary producer and Box Tops/Big Star engineer Terry Manning recorded one song on this long out-of-print, exuberant psyche-rock-blues-pop CD as a joke... but Stax VP Al Bell didn't think it was funny, asking when the rest of the record was coming. [31 January 2007] Mission of Burma + OneidaWhen people ask me who my favorite band is, I usually say Oneida, except for when I say Mission of Burma... [29 January 2007] 
Coach Fingers: No Flies on FrankThree NNCK'ers and a walrus... all drunk on country music and moonshine. [18 January 2007] 
Entrance: Prayer of DeathTrance blues and gypsy reels celebrate mortality in Blakeslee's fourth full-length. [16 January 2007] 
David Kilgour: The Far NowDreamlike clarity and gentle surreality suffuse David Kilgour's sixth full-length solo album, another slow-burning triumph. [15 January 2007] 
Boduf Songs: Lion Devours the SunIn the follow-up to last year's highly regarded EP, home recorder Mat Sweet crafts minimalist acoustic reveries of whispered menace and unsettling grace. [5 January 2007] 
Kamikaze Hearts: Oneida RoadStartlingly fresh, real and unmistakeably passionate, Oneida Road crafts a new alt.country for the NASCAR era. These are stories about income-gap America, their acid observations and withering pessimism encased in soaring instrumentations. 
Swan Island: The Centre Will HoldDouble guitar'd girl punk from the Pacific NW... Sleater-Kinney is gone, but the Auteurs/Delta 5/Lora Logic lineage continues. [4 January 2007] Architecture in Helsinki + The Blow [2006 Rewind]Melbourne's favorite indie popsters face PopMatters' Jennifer Kelly. And this time, she's wearing pants... 
Rafael Toral: SpacePortuguese electronic composer (and Rhys Chatham collaborator) Rafael Toral ponders the unpredictability of synthesized sound and the emptiness of deep space in three extended pieces. [3 January 2007] 
Mark Mallman: Between the Devil and the Middle CIf this were 1970, Mark Mallman would have his own plane, a stack of gold records and an endless supply of groupies. This late in the day, his glam rock, hard-soul anthems cut very close to parody. [2 January 2007] 
The Memory Band: Apron StringsUK semi-super folk group spins languorous, sunny-afternoon soundscapes out of old songs, string-band jams, psyche-soul one-hits and a Carly Simon song. [22 December 2006] 
Nurse with Wound: Rock N Roll StationReissue of Stephen Stapleton's hallucinatory mid-1990s excursion into the rhythmic possibilities of hip-hop. [21 December 2006] 
SCTV - Best Of The Early YearsBobby Bittman, Edith Prickley, Count Floyd, the MacKenzie Brothers -- and a whole bunch of late '70s/early '80s trivia -- come to life in this three DVD survey of the landmark Canadian comedy show. [20 December 2006] 
31 Knots: PolemicsPortland spazz-pop innovators slice genres, moods and soundscapes in a fractious beauty of an EP. [19 December 2006] Alejandro Escovedo String Quartet + Mark MulcahyGuys with guitars. Guys on stools. It either works or it doesn't, depending on a simple but volatile combination of words, melody, and personal charisma. [18 December 2006] 
Some Action: The Band That Sucked the Life Out of Rock n Roll and Killed Itself in the ProcessNYC punk rockers want to be your Joey Ramone... but fare best when they take things down a notch. [11 December 2006] 
Summer Hymns: Backward MasksZachary Gresham's fourth full-length wraps edgy lyrics and complex instrumentation in silky smooth country rock textures. 
Pattern Is Movement: CanonicTiny Telephone engineer Scott Solter re-interprets the fractious avant pop of Pattern Is Movement [6 December 2006] 
Susanna and the Magic Orchestra: Melody MountainNorwegian songstress and Jaga Jazzist vet spin songwriting straw (and a few classics) into strange and luminous gold [5 December 2006] 
Paul Brill: HarpoonerNYC songwriter leaves the guitar in its case in his fourth full-length, encasing sensitive lyrics in shimmering electro atmospheres. [30 November 2006] 
Les Breastfeeders: Les Matins de Grands SoirsSexy movies, nearly every kind of food, existential philosophy...and garage rock? The ever-expanding list of what's better when it's French. [27 November 2006] 
The Figgs: Follow Jean to the SeaTen CDs and two decades into their cultish career, the Figgs parlay power chords, surging choruses and twitchy sarcasm into an exuberant pop rock cocktail. [21 November 2006] 
Earl Greyhound: Soft TargetsCalling out T. Rex, Slade and especially Led Zeppelin, this NYC trio splices monster hooks and thunderous drums to catchy glam-rocking choruses. [17 November 2006] 
The Black Neon: Arts & CraftsA diverse set of pop-goes-mechanical tunes point to deep nostalgia for motorik grooves of 1970s Germany. [15 November 2006] 
The Nice Boys: The Nice BoysExploding Hearts survivor Terry Six resurfaces in fabulous power pop style with the guitar chiming, glitter-beated Nice Boys. [13 November 2006] 
Fiona Boyes and the Fortune Tellers: Lucky 13Aussie guitar phenom cuts a joyous swath through electrified raunch, haunted 12-bar vamps, New Orleans swing and rockabilly stomps... if you didn't see the album cover, you'd swear she was black, 50-something and weighed at least 300 pounds. [6 November 2006] 
Steffen Basho-Junghans: Late Summer MorningGerman painter and fingerpicker spins sunny landscapes on steel-string guitar, drawing on folk, blues and raga styles. [3 November 2006] 
Luc Ferrari: Son MémoriséSecond of three final albums by the recently deceased musique concrète pioneer includes field recorded collages from France, Italy, and Morocco (including the final "Presque Rien") and a stunning late abstract composition. [1 November 2006] 
The Bamboo Kids: Feel Like HellKicking punk garage follow-up from NYC's criminally underrated Bamboo Kids... this time with a political edge. [27 October 2006] 
Beach House: Beach HouseBaltimore duo spins soft vocals, electrified keyboards and mechanical percussion into pearlized fogs of melancholy pop. [24 October 2006] 
Theo Angell: Dearly BelovedHall of Fame founder Theo Angell mines deep lodes of folk, blues and spiritual music in this eccentrically powerful solo album. [20 October 2006] 
The Anderson Council: The Fall ParadeSuperlative paisley pop with swirling guitars, buoyant bass lines and sunny vocal harmonies...the only thing different is that the girls wearing go-go boots are killers. [19 October 2006] 
Dan Melchior: Fire Breathing Clones on Cellular PhonesBilly Childish collaborator Dan Melchior rips the world another one with scorching blues rock vamps and lacerating lyrics. [18 October 2006] 
Remote Islands: Smother PartyOwen Pate's one-man lo-fi orchestra concocts overstuffed, understructured ditties for half an album, then resolves into clarity near the end. [17 October 2006] 
Two Dollar Guitar: The Wear and Tear of FearAll ghostly traces and cauterized sentiments, Tim Foljhan's fifth full-length as Two Dollar Guitar considers love's aftermath in ten hauntingly minimal songs. 
The Who: The Who - The Vegas Job [DVD]World's one-time best rock band cashes in disgracefully on boomer nostalgia. Try to focus on the music....it's the only way to get through this. [13 October 2006] 
Marble Valley: Wild YamsEx-Pavement drummer seeks ecstasy in whiskey, weed, sunshine, God, and fuzzy guitars... but never loses his sense of humor about it. [5 October 2006] Architecture in Helsinki + The BlowMelbourne's favorite baroque, brass-and-xylophone-happy indie popsters return with funk-obsessed, island-jamming guitars...and lots of cowbell. 
Various artists: Radio AlgeriaIntoxicating collages of radio-transmitted rai, chaabi, desert blues, and synthy pop open an impressionistic window onto Algeria's musical culture. But if you don't already know what you're listening to, you're out of luck. 
Kath Bloom: FinallyLess avant-garde than her work with Loren Mazzacane Connors, but transparently lovely, Finally marks the return of an eccentric and engaging songwriter. [2 October 2006] 
Bosque Brown: Cerro VerdeHurricane Katrina tests but does not shake the faith of Mara Lee Miller, who finds solace and musical inspiration in the storm. [29 September 2006] 
Spencer Dickinson: The Man Who Lives for LoveUneven, over-the-top, and, at its best, irresistibly dirty blues funk from Jon Spencer and the North Mississippi All-Stars 
Philip E. Karnats: PleasesuiteTwo great songs jump out of an entertaining but inconsistent solo effort by ex-Tripping Daisy contributor. [25 September 2006] 
Thee Emergency: Can You Dig It?Blue-collar, girl-fronted rock and roll band from Seattle talks a tough game but secretly -- or at least in the hidden track -- has a thing for gospel blues. [22 September 2006] 
Theater Fire: Everybody Has a Dark SideDallas traditionalists fuse country, folk, mariachi and the modern world in carefully crafted songs. [20 September 2006] 
Bound Stems: Appreciation NightTake Pavement's arch sloppiness and cross it with post-rock's abstraction, apply for a library card and toss in a couple of Prozac et voila: the Bound Stems. 
Nat Baldwin: Enter the WinterFreeform musician continues to surprise in ability to be accessible and push boundaries. [11 September 2006] 
Christian Kiefer: Czar Nicholas Is DeadChristian Kiefer, composer and literature professor, sets imagined Russian landscapes to music in a haunting series of abstract compositions. 
Nethers: In Fields We Will LieDC's Carlsonics find true calling in freak folk reveries and dark rural pop [5 September 2006] 
Drop the Lime: We Never SleepBangers & Grime impresario Luca Venezia conjures vast echoing spaces and strobe-lit throngs in his second full-length. [1 September 2006] 
Sean Smith, Adam Snider and Matt Baldwin: Berkeley Guitar 2006The Imaginational Anthem series that started by unearthing folk blues legends now focuses on upcoming West Coast stars in the Takoma finger-picking tradition. [25 August 2006] 
Arrington De Dionyso: Breath of FireIf the throat-singing intervals from Old Time Relijun's 2012 left you jonesing for a whole CD of the same, your prayers are answered. 
Various Artists: Live at KEXP, Vol. 2KEXP fundraising compilation delivers quality performances from some of indie rock's hottest talents...but takes very few chances. [22 August 2006] 
Candi Staton: The Ultimate Gospel CollectionThe great soul queen discovers god and disco... and puts them together with surprisingly good results. [21 August 2006] 
Spoon: Soft Effects EP/TelephonoA younger, brasher Spoon's early albums show a band gradually getting over its Pixies obsession and defining a jittery, soulful sound. [31 July 2006] 
Nobody & the Mystic Chords of Memory: Tree Colored SeePsyche-leaning electronica and trippy cowboy tunes go together like peanut butter and chocolate, but how about some stronger beats? [27 July 2006] 
Cloudland Canyon: Requiems Der Natur, 2002-2004Ex-Panthers spazz rocker joins German experimentalist to make surreally beautiful meditations on music, noise and the natural world. [24 July 2006] 
Oneida: Happy New YearTipping towards the folk precision of The Wedding but blistering with noise, Happy New Year is another landmark album from one of rock's most underrated bands. Maybe this time people will pay attention? [12 July 2006] 
The Country Teasers: The Empire Strikes BackGive me your racist clichés, your sexual shibboleths, your unspeakable taboos and sacred cows yearning to break free... [10 July 2006] 
Etran Finatawa: Introducing Etran FinatawaTwo nomadic tribes from Saharan Africa join in hypnotic grooves and electrified caravan shuffles [30 June 2006] 
Nick Castro and the Young Elders: Come Into Our HouseOud, saz, mbira, tabla drums... a UN yard sale? Nope, another world-spanning album from Nick Castro. [28 June 2006] 
Willowz: Seeinsquares (2006): Richie James Follin, Alex Nowicki, Jessica Reynoza - PopMatters FilmA band that got its first big break through the movies revisits the visual format with mixed success. [26 June 2006] 
Dinosaur Jr.: Green MindCleaned up a little but raging, alienated and freakin' loud as ever, J makes his uneasy peace with mass distribution. [21 June 2006] 
Bardo Pond: Ticket CrystalsBardo Pond's primal stew has always contained the DNA for drone, post-rock, psyche and freak folk. The sixth full-length brings together all these elements in a terrifying, gorgeous mix. [12 June 2006] 
Ladyhawk: LadyhawkThe latest in a rash of Neil Young-loving guitar heroes, these Black Mountain-affliated roots rockers spin fuzz-distorted tales of love and disappointment. [9 June 2006] 
Kieran Hebden & Steve Reid: The Exchange Session Vol. 2Who knew that free jazz's funkiest drumming and electronic music's warmest, most organic sounds were twins separated at birth? [8 June 2006] 
The Mae Shi: Lock the Skull, Load the Gun [DVD]LA spazz punkers show off film school/animation skills in 30-video set, but if you want to see the Mae Shi in action, you're better off buying show tickets. [7 June 2006] 
Feu Thérèse: Feu ThérèseHypnotic soundscapes, jump-cut with rock beats, from veterans of Fly Pan Am and the Shalabi Effect [1 June 2006] 
About: BongoIntricate samples, fractured sentiment, pop melodies and tubas from Jason Forrest's multitalented protégé [15 May 2006] 
Untied States: Retail DetailFractured noise, beat-dropping time signatures, touching intervals of melody and bizarre wordplay -- this is the sound of intelligence devouring itself. [1 May 2006] 
No-Neck Blues Band and Embryo: EmbryonnckEthno-improviser Christian Burchard explores the strange indigenous music of Harlem's No-Neck tribe [28 April 2006] 
Lylas: Lessons for LoversNashville alt.brooders used to love you like a sister... now they want to teach you how to kiss. [27 April 2006] 
Moha!: Raus Aus StavangerPulverizing improvised clatter and screech from Norway's N Collective [18 April 2006] 
The Seconds: Kratitude'Second' band of YYY's Chase and Ex Models' Lehroff takes punk deconstruction to its logical extreme. [17 April 2006] 
Parts & Labor: Stay AfraidThink Lightning Bolt's ferocious noise cut through with arena-filling rock melodies... then double it. [13 April 2006] 
Eagles of Death Metal: Death by SexyYou know you'll feel like trash tomorrow, but you're going home with Death By Sexy anyway. [7 April 2006] 
The Rogers Sisters: The Invisible DeckShort, jagged songs stretch to hallucinatory drones on this Brooklyn dance-punk trio's ground-breaking third record. [23 March 2006] Stereolab + EspersOn the face of it, Stereolab and Espers seem odd acts to bill together. But, things are not always as off as they seem... [20 March 2006] 
Stone Jack Jones: BluefolkPatty Griffin protg's second album finds the sweet spot between blues and folk. [14 March 2006] Destroyer: Destroyer’s RubiesBejar's career-defining seventh casts itself toward infinity…comes up aces. [20 February 2006] Vinicius Cantuária: SilvaA soft, sensual masterpiece of muted bossa nova from this NY-by-way-of-Rio songwriter [14 February 2006] CallaIf music were colored, your band would be black... [9 February 2006] 
Make a Rising: Rip Through the Hawk Black NightMadly beautiful, beautifully mad music from this everything-but-the-kitchen-sink Philly collective. [6 February 2006] 
Jonathan Kane: FebruaryEx-Swans drummer Jonathan Kane finds the link between Howlin' Wolf and avant-garde experimentation. [30 January 2006] 
Love Story in Blood Red: Love Story in Blood RedEx-Means singer Jason Frederick turns from blues-garage stomp to twitchy, sardonic pop. [26 January 2006] BlogsNotes from the Road: Music Day 4: Todd P’s Party at Mrs. Bea’s [23 March 2009]Notes from the Road: Music Day 4: Megafaun [22 March 2009]Notes from the Road: Music Day 4: Freedy JohnstonNotes from the Road: Music Day 4: Los LlamaradaNotes from the Road: Music Day 4: The UglysuitNotes from the Road: Music Day 3: Obits / Wovenhand / Major StarsNotes from the Road: Music Day 3: MayyorsNotes from the Road: Music Day 3: WFMU Showcase - The Strong Stuff [21 March 2009]Notes from the Road: Music Day 3: Mi AmiNotes from the Road: Music Day 3: No Primal Scream, No SonicsNotes from the Road: Music Day 3: Running Out of PowerNotes from the Road: Music Day 2: Secretly Canadian / Jagjaguwar / Dead Oceans ShowcaseNotes from the Road: Music Day 2: Team Clermont / Utne Reader Party [20 March 2009]Notes from the Road: Music Day 2: Beerland again, what can I say?Notes from the Road: Music Day 2: Tim EastonNotes from the Road: Music Day 1: K Records Showcase [19 March 2009]Notes from the Road: Music Day 1: Day ShowsNotes from the Road: Music Day 1: Anticon / Ghostly International ShowcaseMixed Media: Stephen Lynch - “3 Balloons” (MP3) [11 March 2009]Mixed Media: Anahita - “Pirin Planina” / “Chalice of Cypress” / “Velvet Shoon” (MP3) [5 March 2009]Mixed Media: My kid could do that… no, my elephant could (MP3/video) [26 February 2009]Mixed Media: African blues from Terakaft [13 February 2009]Mixed Media: Dex Romweber Duo: “Picture of You” / “Lookout” (MP3) [10 February 2009]Consuming Consumables: The National: Boxer [$14.98] [27 November 2007] |
Now on PopMatters
Features
:. Director Spotlight: Pedro Almodóvar :. The Iconographies: Masters of Horror Manga: Kazuo Umezu and Hideshi Hino
Columns
The Rockist: We All Know the Way to Sesame Street Worlds in Panels: What We Talk About When We Talk About Supergirl’s Shorts
Blogs
Short Ends and Leader: Poitier Portraying Another Magic Negro: She’s Blind, So Race Don’t Matter
Music
:. AC/DC: Backtracks :. Sufjan Stevens: Run Rabbit Run + The BQE (CD/DVD) :. Joan Baez: How Sweet the Sound :. Robyn Hitchcock: I Often Dream of Trains in New York [DVD] :. Lowlights: Further/Free :. Sondre Lerche: Heartbeat Radio :. Jupiter One: Sunshower
Books
:. The Original of Laura by Vladimir Nabokov :. The City Out My Window: 63 Views on New York by Matteo Pericoli
News
:. ‘Modern Warfare 2’ video game scores record sales in launch :. INTERVIEW:Tom Arnold is a lovable loser , and open about it :. Jazz pianist reflects on his influences in his first piano concerto :. INTERVIEW:Wes Anderson meets Roald Dahl in ‘Fantastic Mr. Fox’ :. INTERVIEW:It’s ‘Tuesday Night’ again for Sheryl Crow :. Libraries turning a page with cafes, chat rooms and flat screens
|
