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Michael Keefe

About Michael Keefe

Michael Keefe is a freelance music journalist, an independent bookstore publicist, and a singer/guitarist/songwriter in a band. Raised on a record collection of The Beatles, Coltrane, Mozart, and Ravi Shankar, Michael has been a slave to music his whole life. At age 16, he got a drum set and a job at a record store, and he's been playing and peddling music ever since. Today, he lives in Oregon with his wife (also a writer, but not about music), two cats, and a whole lot of instruments and CDs.

Features

Music

Just Another Brick: The Phases of Pink Floyd

[8.Feb.08] :. Keefe trolls through all the highs and lows of the Pink Floyd catalogue, surveying both their history and offering video highlights of the seminal band's many incarnations.

Recent features

PopMatters Picks: The Best Music of 2007

The Best Singer-Songwriter Albums of 2007

[13.Dec.07] :. What unites these artists is an individual presence -- a voice -- that is powerful enough to carry an entire album without retreating to the cozy confines of a band.

PopMatters Picks: The Best Music of 2007

Music

Various Artists: The Brit Box

[20.Nov.07] :. Tracing the evolution of UK alt-pop from just after new wave died, through the Britpop explosion, and ending right before Coldplay emerged, this four-disc box set is both an excellent survey and a very well sequenced mix.

Recent features

Featured Article

Music

Laurie Anderson: Big Science

[8.Aug.07] :. Remastered for the 25th anniversary of its original release, Laurie Anderson's debut remains a uniquely compelling and surprisingly timeless statement on life in the modern world.

Recent features

The Cut-Out Bin

Robyn Hitchcock: Storefront Hitchcock / Jewels for Sophia

[2.Aug.07] :. These reissues of two late '90s Robyn Hitchcock albums find the surrealist singer-songwriter in prime form.

The Cut-Out Bin

Featured Article

Music

Charles Mingus: Tijuana Moods

[11.Jul.07] :. This newly remastered version of the Mingus classic still sounds crazy after all these years -- crazy good!

Recent features

Music Magazine: A Band from Under the Floorboards

PopMatters Picks: The Best Music of 2006 Globespotting: Best World Music of 2006

Reviews

Featured Article

Music Tindersticks: The Hungry Saw

Music Joe Ely & Joel Guzman: Live Cactus!

Music Hayshaker: Black Holiday in Mexico City

Music Various Artists: In the Name of Love

Music The Billionaires: Really Real for Forever

Music The B-52's: Funplex

Music Sara Melson: Dirty Mind

Music Allison Moorer: Mockingbird

Music Ray Davies: Working Man's Café

Music The Shackeltons: The Shackeltons

Music Aphrodesia: Lagos by Bus

Music Eliza Lynn: The Weary Wake Up

Music Supersilent: Eight

Music The Capstan Shafts: Environ Maiden

Music Ari Shine: A Force of One

Music Hard-Fi: Once Upon a Time in the West

PopMatters Pick

Music

Robyn Hitchcock: I Wanna Go Backwards

[30.Nov.07] :. This glorious five-CD box set contains remastered editions of three of Robyn Hitchcock's very best solo albums, plus two discs of mostly great non-LP cuts.

Recent Music reviews

Music Nicole Atkins: Neptune City

Music Tandy: To a Friend/Did You Think I Was Gone?

Music Os Mutantes: Mutantes Live

Music Leigh Marble: Red Tornado

Music David Bowie: The Buddha of Suburbia

Music Qui: Loves Miracle

Music The Coral: Roots & Echoes

Music The Future Kings of Nowhere: The Future Kings of Nowhere

Music Jamie T.: Panic Prevention

Music Vieux Farka Touré: Remixed

Music Devendra Banhart: Smokey Rolls Down Thunder Canyon

Music Nellie McKay: Obligatory Villagers

PopMatters Pick

Music

The Modern Lovers: The Modern Lovers

[21.Sep.07] :. The Modern Lovers is the direct link between the proto-punk of the Velvet Underground and the new wave era. Later, the album would influence countless indie and alternative acts.

Recent Music reviews

Music Naked Eyes: Fumbling with the Covers

Music Save Pluto: Age of Lowered Expectations

PopMatters Pick

Music

Lee Perry & the Upsetters: Ape-ology

[5.Sep.07] :. A dub lover's dream come true, this two-disc set collects three of Lee "Scratch" Perry's essential late 1970s albums.

Recent Music reviews

Music Kleveland: Kleveland

Books (Not That You Asked) by Steve Almond

Music The Brunettes: Structure & Cosmetics

Music Look Mexico: This Is Animal Music

Music Minus the Bear: Planet of Ice

Music The Airborne Toxic Event: The Airborne Toxic Event

Music The Waterboys: Book of Lightning

Music Lee Morgan: The Finest in Jazz

Music Prefab Sprout: Steve McQueen

Music Luther Russell: Repair

Books How to Talk to a Widower by Jonathan Tropper

Music James Chance & the Contortions: Soul Exorcism Redux

Music Bodies of Water: Ears Will Pop & Eyes Will Blink

Music Life in a Blender: The Heart Is a Small Balloon

Music Manic Street Preachers: Send Away the Tigers

Music Sea Wolf: Get to the River Before It Runs too Low

Music Sarah Borges: Diamonds in the Dark

Music The Police: The Police

Music Of Montreal: Icons, Abstract Thee

DVDs The Jesus Lizard: Live [DVD]

PopMatters Pick

Music

The Damned: Damned Damned Damned

[26.Jun.07] :. This lavishly packaged three-disc edition makes a strong case for this excellent punk album's entry into the "must have" canon alongside the classic debuts from the Sex Pistols and the Clash.

Recent Music reviews

Music Art Brut: Its a Bit Complicated

Music Sleeping in the Aviary: Oh, This Old Thing?

Music Richard Thompson: Sweet Warrior

Music Jana Hunter: Theres No Home

Music The Bravery: The Sun and the Moon

Music Rara Avis: Shaktified EP 1

Featured Article

Music

Depeche Mode: Black Celebration

[10.May.07] :. This final pair of Depeche Mode reissues reveal the band's creative highs and lows.

Recent Music reviews

Music Maxïmo Park: Our Earthly Pleasures

Music Björk: Volta

Music The Feeling: Twelve Stops and Home

Music Maria McKee: Late December

Music The Go Find: Stars on the Wall

Music Arctic Monkeys: Favourite Worst Nightmare

Music The Biltmores: Same Story, Same Ending

PopMatters Pick

Music

Bright Eyes: Cassadaga

[11.Apr.07] :. Conor Oberst has (mostly) left his indulgences behind, settling down to create an American indie rock album of substance, maturity, and passion. This is the Bright Eyes we've been waiting for.

Recent Music reviews

Music Damero: Happy in Grey

Music Jessie & Layla: Kinetic

Music Various Artists: Roots of Rumba Rock

Music Lily Frost: Flights of Fancy

Featured Article

Music

Ry Cooder: My Name Is Buddy

[29.Mar.07] :. On his latest album, global producer and cultural resurrectionist Ry Cooder is influenced by another great and important artist: himself.

Recent Music reviews

Books 69 Love Songs by LD Beghtol

PopMatters Pick

Music

The Fratellis: Costello Music

[23.Mar.07] :. This indie rock debut crackles from top to bottom with nervous energy, confident songwriting, and hopeless confusion over girls, girls, girls.

Recent Music reviews

Music Emilie Simon: The Flower Book

Music The Postmarks: The Postmarks

Music LCD Soundsystem: Sound of Silver

Music Mary Karlzen: The Wanderlust Diaries

Music Explosions in the Sky: All of a Sudden I Miss Everyone

Music Harlem Shakes: Burning Birthdays

Music Steve Swallow with Robert Creeley: So There

Music Joe Ely: Happy Songs from Rattlesnake Gulch

Music The Heights: Bad News

Music Gianmaria Testa: Da Questa Parte del Mare

Music Minus the Bear: Interpretaciones del Oso

Music Michael Mayer: Immer 2

Music Vieux Farka Touré: Vieux Farka Touré

Music The Good Mornings: The Good Mornings

Music The Stranglers: Suite XVI

Music Clinic: Visitations

Music The Orders: The Orders

Music Deerhoof: Friend Opportunity

Music Tralala: Is That the Tralala

Music LCD Soundsystem: Forty-Five: Thirty-Three

Music The Smithereens: Meet the Smithereens

DVDs David Bowie: David Bowie: Under Review 1976 - 1979: The Berlin Trilogy [DVD]

Music Nicole Atkins: Bleeding Diamonds

Music Damien Rice: Nine

Music Roses Pawn Shop: The Arsonist

Music The Inner Banks: The Inner Banks

Music Tangerine Dream: The Essential Tangerine Dream

Music Dead Can Dance: Wake

Music The Evens: Get Evens

Music Badi Assad: Wonderland

Music The Awkward Stage: Heaven Is for Easy Girls

Music Natalie: Everything New

Music Lily Frost: Ciné-Magique

Music Branford Marsalis: Braggtown

Music The Places: Songs for Creeps

Music The Ratchets: Glory Bound

Music The Hold Steady: Boys and Girls in America

Music The Thermals: The Body, the Blood, the Machine

Music Nellie McKay: Pretty Little Head

Music The Dead Science: Crepuscule with the Dead Science

Music Cities: Variations

Music The Slits: Revenge of the Killer Slits

Featured Article

Music

John Lee Hooker: Hooker

[27.Oct.06] :. At long last, this wonderful four-disc box set offers a career-spanning retrospective of the amazing blues legend John Lee Hooker.

Recent Music reviews

Music Myra Melford: The Image of Your Body

Music Ensemble: Ensemble

Music The Purrs: The Purrs

PopMatters Pick

Music

Tom Zé: Estudando o Pagode

[9.Oct.06] :. When so few albums are either entertaining from start to finish or have anything of import to communicate, Tom Zé's smart and zany Estudando o Pagode offers the best of both worlds.

Recent Music reviews

Music Robyn Hitchcock & the Venus 3: Olé! Tarantula

Music The Vestals: Songs About Girls … And Other Mysteries

Music Lee 'Scratch' Perry: Panic in Babylon

Music The Receiver: Decades

Music Crowdpleaser & St. Plomb: 2006

Music Ska Cubano: ¡Ay Caramba!

Music The Zutons: Tired of Hanging Around

Music The Avatars: Never a Good Time

Music Earlymay: Little Answers

Music Brothers and Sisters: Brothers and Sisters

Music Josie Cotton: Movie Disaster Music

Music Susanne Abbuehl: Compass

Music Flourescent Grey: Lying on the floor mingling with god in a Tijuana motel room next door to a veteri

Music Ensemble: Disown, Delete

Music Easy Star All-Stars: Radiodread

Music Bruce Cockburn: Life Short Call Now

Music Isan: Plans Drawn in Pencil

Music Anathallo: Floating World

Music Planningtorock: Have It All

Music Patricia Barber: Mythologies

PopMatters Pick

Music

Cheikh Lô: Lamp Fall

[22.Aug.06] :. Mostly sunny, while still retaining the bite of musicians playing with intensity, and well-produced without any gimmickry, Lamp Fall is at the top of the Afro-pop ranks.

Recent Music reviews

Music Prince Diabaté: Djerelon

Music RobinElla: Solace for the Lonely

Music Adam Gnade: Run Hide Retreat Surrender

Music The Shapes: The Shapes

Music Forget Cassettes: Salt

Music French Kicks: Two Thousand

Music The Sound: The Dutch Radio Recordings

Music Ali Farka Touré: Savane

Music Lenine: Lenine

Music Moth: Immune to Gravity

Music Sufjan Stevens: The Avalanche

Music Talkdemonic: Beat Romantic

Music Luka Bloom: Innocence

Music Johnny Cash: Personal File

Music Pinmonkey: Big Shiny Cars

Music Stuart A. Staples: Leaving Songs

Music Zero 7: The Garden

Music Gigi: Gold & Wax

Music Natacha Atlas: Mish Maoul

PopMatters Pick

Music

Stella Chiweshe: Double Check

[11.May.06] :. Since the early '90s, Piranha has worked to establish Chiweshe's reputation as the world's premier player of the mbira ... Double Check thoroughly cements that reputation, and even augments it.

Recent Music reviews