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Zeth LundyAbout Zeth Lundy Zeth Lundy has been writing for PopMatters since 2004. He is the author of Songs in the Key of Life (Continuum, 2007), and has contributed to the Boston Phoenix, Metro Boston, and The Oxford American. He lives in Boston. Features
Uncool Rising: Why It’s OK to Listen to Creedence Clearwater RevivalWhy is Creedence Clearwater Revival -- staple of classic-rock radio and formidable singles band -- the epitome of uncool in the eyes of some music separatists? [6 October 2008] Shadows No More: An Interview With Eddie Willis of the Funk BrothersGuitarist Eddie Willis takes us from the beginnings of Motown through the band's current activities, all with a sense of amazement that he's been part of something so big. [10 July 2008] The Dawn That Grows Into Day: High Noons, Twilights, the Beach Boys, and Dennis WilsonA pair of new Beach Boys releases -- a 16-disc box set of singles and the reissue of Dennis Wilson's Pacific Ocean Blue -- examines the group's resonance beyond the lauded Pet Sounds era. [11 June 2008] Anyone Can Play Guitar: The Replacements on Twin/Tone, 1981-1984With four albums for the independent Minneapolis label Twin/Tone, the 'Mats rendered the hierarchies and caste system of the rock world irrelevant by remaking rock 'n' roll as an anonymous force. [22 April 2008] Reflections: Motown in 1967The latest installment in Hip-O Select's impressive reissue series, The Complete Motown Singles, Volume 7: 1967 collects every A-side and B-side released that year, including planned and deleted singles, as well as alternate and promotional mixes -- 120 tracks in all. [17 August 2007] Sly’s the LimitSly & the Family Stone, a group that riddled pop music's consciousness with a concentrated dosage of exploding possiblity, finally get the expanded reissue treatment from Epic/Legacy. [2 April 2007] MacGuffin PopRandy Newman's latest Academy Award nomination makes it easy to forget how truly deceptive his songwriting really is. His music, which rarely wanders far from New Orleans R&B, ragtime, or Brill Building pop, is the stuff of familiarity and comfort, an unassuming foundation of Americana into which subversive (confrontational, even) ideas can be planted. [23 February 2007] Pixilated: Frank Capra’s Columbia YearsCapra's films of the '30s are seminal works and cannot be underestimated; their influence on American film has been viral, forever infiltrating the structural and thematic templates of contemporary cinema. [23 January 2007] Hoots, Hollers and Barbaric YawpsA field guide to unscripted exclamations in the pop-music wilderness. [19 January 2007] New Adventures in AntiquityA new box set commemorating a series of tribute concerts for Harry Smith's Anthology of American Folk Music puts inherited eccentricities center-stage that probe the rift between artifice and authenticity. [3 November 2006] The Last Temptation of the CompletistAs record companies empty their vaults and bring forth an unending supply of alternates, remixes and studio-session outtakes, even the most definitive pop masterpieces can seem provisional. But as our curiosity about these works gets sated, is our pleasure in their greatness diminished? [23 January 2006] Bring Me My Figgy Pudding and While You’re in There, Turn Off That Awful Racket: An Indispensible GuBring Me My Figgy Pudding and While You’re in There, Turn Off That Awful Racket: An Indispensible GuBring Me My Figgy Pudding and While You’re in There, Turn Off That Awful Racket: An Indispensible GuThe dilemma is reminiscent of one we all face every year. Who should rock us through the holidays, Michael McDonald or the Reverend Horton Heat? PopMatters inspects a bundle of this year's holiday music to help you keep the season's mood extra merry. Forever Young: Lolita Turns 50Lolita was, understandably, a tough sell upon its original publication in 1955; furthermore, much of its sustained notoriety stems from the controversy it has since towed in its wake. Zeth Lundy looks back at 50 years of Lolita. [16 September 2005] James Dean Iconography: Archetypes, Stereotypes, and the Imitation of LifeJames Dean's devastatingly good looks and '50s loner chic have often overshadowed his intuitive acting style; many look at Dean in retrospect and see a matinee idol, a pin-up, not a craftsman on the exulted level of his contemporary Marlon Brando. [21 July 2005] Best Music of 2004PopMatters' own Zeth Lundy looks back on the year and music and gives us his 20 picks of the year, crowning Nick Cave's double-set, Abattoir Blues/The Lyre of Orpheus, the best of the year. [6 December 2004] Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?Your band has released not just its career-defining album, but a record that will undoubtedly go down as one of the decade's artistic hallmarks. The world is your oyster and then, A Ghost Is Born. [14 July 2004] Awright!, or Constructing By Feel: An Interview with Spoon’s Britt DanielSpoon frontman speaks on space, samples, and spinning vinyl. [1 January 1995] More Than Wallpaper: A Conversation with Robbie FulksA conversation with the country songwriter who listens to more Michael Jackson than Nashville. Reviews
Coltrane: The Story of a Sound by Ben RatliffRatliff eschews the typical trappings of routine biography to plumb more profound ideas of musical language, identity, and influence. [5 April 2009] 
La Strada (Essential Art House)As part of its "Essential Art House" series, the Criterion Collection reissues Fellini's 1954 masterpiece, featuring a nonpareil performance by Giulietta Masina. [25 March 2009] 
Isaac Hayes: Black Moses / Juicy Fruit (Disco Freak)Stax reissues an odd couple of solo albums by its multi-instrumental songwriting genius: the great 1971 double-LP Black Moses and the late-period misstep Juicy Fruit (Disco Freak). [20 March 2009] 
The Soundtrack of Our Lives: CommunionThe Swedish band's fifth full-length is a 90-minute double album consisting of 24 songs -- one for each hour of the day. [18 March 2009] 
Bee Gees: Odessa (Deluxe Edition)The Bee Gees' ambitious 1969 double album, heavy on ballads and emotional reach, is reissued in a three-disc edition that includes stereo and mono mixes, demos, alternate mixes and unreleased tracks. [20 February 2009] 
Various Artists: Titan: It’s All Pop! / Eccentric Soul: The Young DisciplesThe latest reissue compilations from the Numero Group shine the spotlight on power-pop from Kansas City, MO, and a soul factory youth group based in East St. Louis, IL. [23 January 2009] 
The Rest Is Noise: Listening to the 20th Century by Alex RossAlex Ross' tome, winner of the 2007 National Book Critics Circle Award for Criticism, offers a history of the 20th Century as seen through the prism of the modern-day composer. [20 January 2009] 
Rokia Traoré: TchamantchéFourth studio album from the Malian singer is its own language of insinuation and inference, of timbre and chalky sweetness. [14 January 2009] 
Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers: Runnin’ Down a DreamInitially available only as an exclusive Best Buy box set, Peter Bogdanovich's four-hour documentary on the making of an American rock 'n' roll institution is re-released in a two-disc edition, available anywhere. [13 January 2009] 
Bo Diddley: GoldBo Diddley may be gone, but he is not forgotten, as this two-disc compilation of his prime Checker years easily proves. [17 November 2008] 
Various Artists: Nobody Knows Anything: DFA Presents Supersoul RecordingsThe inaugural release on DFA Records' new Death from Abroad imprint is this two-disc collection of vinyl- and digital-only tracks from Berlin's Supersoul label. [13 November 2008] 
Otis Redding: Live in London and ParisCommercially issued in their entirety for the first time, these live sets from March 1967 show Redding and Booker T. & the MGs at their incendiary best. [26 September 2008] 
TV on the Radio: Dear ScienceThe NYC band's dense sound is all one, a sonic totality of post-industrial digi-funk and the paranoid, lovesick blues of the Information Age. [22 September 2008] 
I Got the Feelin’: James Brown in the ‘60sAt the time of Dr. King's murder, with America's racial and existential crises at a peak, Brown's music was itself a crisis, always on call. [5 September 2008] 
The Individuals: Fields/AquamarineReissue of long-unavailable EP and LP by obscure Hoboken, NJ band, caught on the border of post-punk and indie pop from 1979-1983. [3 September 2008] 
Lonesome Cowgirls and Honky-Tonk Angels, by Kristine M. McCuskerBarn dance radio was its own construct, even if, upon superficial re-inspection, it appears to represent a bygone era of non-cynical musical appreciation. [28 August 2008] 
High and LowCriterion supersedes its 2002 edition of Kurosawa's 1963 suspense masterpiece with this two-disc set, replete with feature-length commentary, a making-of documentary, and interviews. [22 August 2008] 
The Bridges: Limits of the SkyDebut album from young Alabama family is, despite its impeccable radio-ready polish, more than mere adolescent catharsis and focus-group appeal. Matthew Sweet produces. [21 August 2008] 
Various Artists: The In-Kraut, Vol. 3: Hip Shaking Grooves Made in Germany, 1967-1974Third volume of "hip shaking grooves made in Germany" in the late '60s and early '70s offers more deliriously great slabs of pseudo-funk, kinda-psych rock, and almost-jazz. [6 August 2008] 
Boy Genius: AnchorageDebut full-length from Brooklyn band with a knack for mid-'80s jangle-pop heroics. [1 August 2008] 
Various Artists: Daptone 7 Inch Singles Collection, Vol. 2The venerable Brooklyn label's second singles round-up includes songs by Antibalas Afrobeat Orchestra, Charles Bradley, Lee Fields, and Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings. [29 July 2008] 
David Bowie: Live Santa Monica ‘72Bowie's first live U.S. radio broadcast, a show in Santa Monica, California with the Spiders from Mars, is officially released 36 years after the fact. [25 July 2008] 
All You Need Is LoveTony Palmer's compelling yet frustrating 15-hour television series on the history of popular music, originally broadcast in the 1970s, finally sees a DVD release. [22 July 2008] 
Marc Ribot’s Ceramic Dog: Party IntellectualsIdiosyncratic American guitarist teams up with bassist Shahzad Ismaily and drummer Ches Smith for the year's best heretic deconstruction of power trio clichés. [23 June 2008] 
Various Artists: New Orleans Funk, Volume 2Allen Toussaint and the Meters are featured heavily on this compilation of rare-ish soul, R&B, and funk from New Orleans in the '60s and '70s. [13 June 2008] 
Sloan: Parallel PlayThe venerable Canadian power-pop band follows up its 30-track double-album with a collection of songs that gets back to basics with renewed energy. [12 June 2008] 
Supergrass: Diamond Hoo HaSixth studio album by the Oxford quartet follows the bucolic Road to Rouen with a foot-to-the-overdrive-pedal punch of rock 'n' roll. [9 June 2008] 
The Futureheads: This Is Not the WorldThird album from Sunderland, England post-punk quartet anticipates the inevitable flux of the times -- the moments where the familiar become foreign, where planned outcomes yield to unseen endgames. [2 June 2008] 
Love: Forever Changes (Collector’s Edition)Love's 1967 masterpiece is reissued yet again, this time with a bonus disc containing tracking sessions, outtakes, and an alternate mix of the entire album. [23 May 2008] 
Phantom Planet: Raise the DeadFourth album from LA power pop band -- its first without drummer Jason Schwartzman -- smothers great songs under a full-tilt production aesthetic. [20 May 2008] 
Eli ‘Paperboy’ Reed & the True Loves: Roll with YouBoston hasn't been able to boast of a performer like Eli "Paperboy" Reed in a long time. [30 April 2008] 
The Roots: Rising DownEighth studio album from Philly's legendary hip-hop crew, a minor-key rush of synthesizer-heavy vamps and distrustful rhymes, features cameos from Mos Def, Talib Kweli and more. [29 April 2008] 
The Clash: Live Revolution Rock [DVD]Fiery yet flawed, this 22-song collection of live Clash clips is a visual feast of gritted teeth, sopping hair, and snarled lips. [15 April 2008] 
Neon Neon: Stainless StyleSuper Furry Animals' Gruff Rhys and hip-hop beatman Boom Bip get elbow-deep in '80s synth-pop with a concept album about John DeLorean. [21 March 2008] 
The Helio Sequence: Keep Your Eyes AheadFourth album from Portland duo launches cannonballs of anthemic weight from its indie sling. [18 March 2008] 
Whiskeytown: Strangers AlmanacLike the Replacements' Pleased to Meet Me, Strangers Almanac wrangled Whiskeytown's unruliness into polished structure, yielding a ragged heart and clean lapels. [10 March 2008] 
Mike Doughty: Golden DeliciousSophomore solo album for former Soul Coughing frontman goes heavy on the groove and the hook, but may go a little too soft on the edges. [28 February 2008] 
Nick Lowe: Jesus of CoolLowe's classic 1978 solo debut, long out-of-print and overlooked, is reissued in a definitive expanded edition that includes ten bonus tracks. [15 February 2008] 
Beck: OdelayBeck's 1996 breakthrough album gets the two-disc deluxe treatment, which augments the original record with remixes, unreleased songs, and b-sides. [8 February 2008] Frank Ciampi: Big Top WomanFrom song to song, he bends each archetype to his post-modern, irreverent will, yielding spring-loaded pop that's both fresh and familiar. [18 January 2008] 
Ohmega Watts: Watts HappeningSecond full-length from indie producer/MC revels in the progressive lilt of infectious hip-hop and regularly concedes its jurisdiction to powers of influence greater than itself. [12 December 2007] 
Its A Wonderful Life: Two-Disc Collectors SetContrary to its public image, Frank Capra's greatest film is a dark and turbulent tale of surrender and sacrifice, of human frailty and defeatism, of that proverbial ledge from which hopes and dreams are thrown to the raging waters. [3 December 2007] 
Roy Haynes: A Life in Time: The Roy Haynes StoryHighlights from the jazz drummer's six-decade career grace this three-CD/one-DVD retrospective, including performances with Charlie Parker, Miles Davis, John Coltrane, and Sarah Vaughan. [5 November 2007] 
Help!The Beatles' second (and second-best) movie, an absurdist romp with Bond-esque aspirations, gets an overdue clean-up on this new double-disc edition. [2 November 2007] 
Aretha Franklin: Rare & Unreleased Recordings from the Golden Reign of the Queen of SoulTwo-disc compilation offers up a wealth of demos, outtakes, alternate versions, and B-sides from Franklin's 1966-1974 Atlantic sessions. [26 October 2007] 
John Coltrane: InterplayColtrane's supportive role as a sideman is highlighted on this five-disc collection of "blowing sessions" recorded for Prestige in the late '50s. [25 October 2007] 
John Lee Hooker: JealousTwo lesser late-period releases from the legendary Mississippi-via-Detroit bluesman are reissued as a follow-up to last year's career-spanning box set. [24 October 2007] 
Elvis Costello: My Aim Is TrueCostello's classic debut gets yet another double-disc reissue (its fourth reissue in 14 years), including a 1977 live show with a newly formed Attractions. [19 October 2007] 
The First Films of Samuel FullerI Shot Jesse James, The Baron of Arizona, and The Steel Helmet were shot on shoestring budgets and had unforgiving production schedules, but they're accomplished little feats of maverick filmmaking. [28 September 2007] 
Porter Wagoner: WagonmasterLongtime Grand Ole Opry emissary and former Dolly Parton duo partner returns with his first studio album in seven years. [17 September 2007] 
Various Artists: Fairytales Can Come True: UK Popsike from the Late 60sThe 20-track collection from the Psychic Circle label boasts a slew of obscure British psych-pop from 1966-1969. [12 September 2007] 
Louis Prima: Jump, Jive an’ Wail: The Essential Louis PrimaLouis Prima embraced jump blues, swing, New Orleans jazz and R&B, pop, and just about any kind of quick-pulsed shuffle music that could withstand his nimble and punishing arrangements. [7 September 2007] 
Super Furry Animals: Hey Venus!Welsh band's eighth studio album is everything its predecessor was not: immediately likeable, swiftly paced, and mercilessly brief. [5 September 2007] 
James Brown: The Singles, Volume 3: 1964-1965Hip-O Select's limited edition series rolls on by documenting an overwhelming awkward period in Brown's otherwise superhuman ascension into R&B's uncharted places. [30 August 2007] 
The New Pornographers: ChallengersOn the other hand, Zeth Lundy thinks the Canadian collective's surprisingly docile fourth album is rather like an engine idling. [21 August 2007] 
Bumps: BumpsDrummers for the post-rock outfit Tortoise, do nothing but groove on this offshoot, which crams 23 tracks into just over 30 minutes. [16 August 2007] 
Fats Domino: Greatest Hits: Walking to New OrleansThirty-track compilation of Domino's tenure at Imperial Records includes 29 top ten R&B records from 1950-1961. 
The Budos Band: The Budos Band IISophomore album from Staten Island instrumentalists (and Dap-King labelmates) is a hulking freight of Afrobeat-tinged funk. [9 August 2007] 
Buffalo Tom: Three Easy PiecesAfter nine-year silence, the Boston trio picks up exactly where it left off. [1 August 2007] 
The Beau Brummels: Beau Brummels 66Two new releases -- a reissue of the Beau Brummels' third LP and a compilation of Nina Simone's pop flirtations -- spotlight great performers turning in sub-par covers of '60s pop. [27 July 2007] 
Nicole Willis and the Soul Investigators: Keep Reachin UpThird album from Willis is her first to fall under the banner of the retro soul movement spearheaded by the likes of Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings, Amy Winehouse, and the Quantic Soul Orchestra. [23 July 2007] 
Spoon: Ga Ga Ga Ga GaAustin band's sixth LP is its most groove-oriented effort since 2001's Girls Can Tell, an efficient rhythm machine with a sinuous palate. [11 July 2007] 
Jason Isbell: Sirens of the DitchDebut solo album from ex-Drive-By Trucker is a slickly produced record of conservative hard rock and country-tinged balladry whose polish floats a little too far from his former band's grungier orbit. [9 July 2007] 
The Stanley Brothers: The Definitive Collection (1947-1966)Three-disc set chronicling the seminal bluegrass band spans recordings made for the Rich-R-Tone, Columbia, Mercury, King, and Starday labels. [29 June 2007] 
A Band of Bees: OctopusThird album from the Isle of Wight's premiere rock combo is also its best, an eclectic and fun romp of British rock 'n' roll augmented with horns, hand claps, and wolf whistles. [14 June 2007] 
David Bowie: Young AmericansTwo new reissues illustrate different sides of Bowie: restlessly shifting gears from glam rock to soul in the '70s and embracing complacency in the bad-taste abyss of the '80s. [8 June 2007] 
Paul McCartney: Memory Almost FullThe former Beatle's third studio album of the new century backtracks on the creative revitalization of 2005's Chaos and Creation in the Backyard. [4 June 2007] 
Various Artists: The Rough Guide to the BluesTwenty-two track compilation covers eight decades of blues music, from Mamie Smith to Ali Farke Touré, with mixed results. [29 May 2007] 
Elvis Costello: The Best of Elvis Costello: The First 10 YearsTwo compilations, released along with a brand new reissue campaign, highlight both familiar and lesser-known tracks from Costello's Columbia years. [10 May 2007] 
Carla Thomas: The Queen AloneStax Records' reissue campaign continues with the 40th-anniversary re-release of the Queen of Memphis Soul's defining album. [27 April 2007] 
The Ark: Prayer for the WeekendThe Swedish band's fourth album takes everything that was great about last year's State of the Ark and supersizes it, a gluttonous allowance by a band that has every right to have the world eating from the palm of its hand. [20 April 2007] 
The Beatles and Philosophy by Michael Baur and Steven Baur [Editors]Perhaps Lennon's pop-song gibberish happens to have a fluke connection with Hindu philosophy, but it seems irresponsible to make intentional bedfellows of the two. [12 April 2007] 
Various Artists: The Birmingham Sound: The Soul of Neal Hemphill Vol. 1Like other recent reissues of rare R&B and soul music, this is a glimpse into a recess of region-specific American music that has gone largely unheard for three or four decades. [6 April 2007] 
Johnnie Taylor: Live at the Summit ClubGritty 1972 club set by the 'Philosopher of Soul' is released for the first time on the reactivated Stax label. [30 March 2007] 
The Stooges: The WeirdnessLegendary proto-punk band led by Iggy Pop reunites after 30 years and makes a record with the help of Steve Albini and Mike Watt. [27 March 2007] 
Air: Pocket SymphonyFourth full-length from the French duo of Jean-Benoit Dunckel and Nicolas Godin maintains a modernist style while seriously decreasing the stakes. [5 March 2007] 
Ronnie Wood: Anthology: The Essential CrossexionFirst-ever career-spanning compilation offers highlights of the British guitarist's four decades as a solo artist and group member, including the Faces and the Rolling Stones. [18 December 2006] 
The Beatles: LoveThe companion piece to the Cirque du Soleil extravaganza, George and Giles Martin's remix project affirms newfound thematic correlations within the Beatles' catalog. [15 December 2006] 
The Flamin Groovies: Bust Out at Full Speed: The Sire YearsFinal three albums from regressive San Francisco rockers are packaged together in this latest reissue. [14 December 2006] 
Various Artists: The In-Kraut Vol. 2Marina Records goes back to the vaults to dig up another 20 rare and unreleased pop, funk, and acid-curious marching band music. [30 November 2006] 
Dizzy Gillespie: Night in Tunisia: The Very Best of Dizzy GillespieNew one-disc compilation highlights Gillespie's RCA Victor recordings from 1946-1949, including his big-band bebop and Afro-Cuban jazz. [21 November 2006] 
Pixies: The Pixies - Club Date: Live at the Paradise in Boston [DVD]This DVD provides two glimpses of Pixies: the kindler, gentler manifestation, and that kinder, gentler manifestation's rough estimate of past incarnations now distanced by time, age, forgotten roles, and so-called "retirement". [19 November 2006] 
Dwight Yoakam: Guitars, Cadillacs, Etc., Etc. [Deluxe Edition]The 20th anniversary reissue of Yoakam's major-label debut includes both his 1981 demos and a live show from the Roxy in L.A. [9 November 2006] 
George Harrison: Living in the Material WorldReissue of the Quiet Beatle's fourth solo album from 1973 includes a few extra b-sides and a bonus DVD. [8 November 2006] 
Pernice Brothers: Live a LittleFifth studio album from Joe Pernice and co. brings back the strings, horns, and '70s sheen. [27 October 2006] 
Exile on Main St by Robert GreenfieldAll this righteous posturing distracts from the narrative itself, distorting its no-bullshit prose into downright surliness. [23 October 2006] Protokoll: Protokoll [EP]Debut EP from Boston-based rock quartet is yet another entry in the ongoing renaissance of '80s disaffection. [13 October 2006] 
Beck: The InformationBeck's ninth studio album, his third with producer Nigel Godrich, is his most infectious and adventurous mess of irrelevance since Midnite Vultures. [4 October 2006] 
Various Artists: The Best of Studio One CollectionNew four-disc box set of Clement "Coxsone" Dodd's Studio One recordings is a cross-section of seminal ska and rocksteady, and a foundation for contemporary reggae. [9 August 2006] 
Elvis Costello & Allen Toussaint: The River in ReverseFirst full-album collaboration between British singer-songwriter and legendary New Orleans songwriter/producer/arranger includes appearances by the Crescent City Horns and the Imposters. [16 June 2006] 
Francine: AirshowThird LP from intricate Boston band moves further away from power pop towards something more enigmatic. [13 June 2006] 
Elvis Costello/The Metropole Orkest: My Flame Burns BlueCostello's latest non-rock excursion finds him fronting a 52-piece jazz orchestra at the 2004 North Sea Jazz Festival. 
Various Artists: The DFA Remixes: Chapter OneNew compilation from acclaimed Manhattan-based duo includes remixes of Gorillaz, Fischerspooner, and Le Tigre. [1 May 2006] 
Drive-By Truckers: A Blessing and a CurseA Blessing and a Curse continues to distance itself from the Truckers' "Lynyrd Skynyrd with a higher IQ" roots, drawing from both the Replacements and the Rolling Stones for its rock 'n' roll sound. [14 April 2006] 
Magnet: The TourniquetThird full-length from Even Johansen (his second as Magnet) is a warm but unadventurous rehash of gooey sentimentalisms and optimistic buzzwords. [22 February 2006] Various Artists: The Transatlantic Folk Box SetThree-disc compilation of defunct UK label collects 70 tracks of obscure folk and folk-rock from the '60s and '70s. Turtleneck sweaters, goatees, and flowers not included. [17 February 2006] 
Belle & Sebastian: The Life PursuitSeventh studio album from Scottish septet includes more adventures in image-altering, twee-free pop. [27 January 2006] 
Talking Heads: 77 / More Songs About Buildings and Food / Fear of Music / Remain in Light [DualDiscFollowing last year's career-spanning Brick box set, the first four studio albums from the seminal art-pop band are reissued as individual DualDiscs. [17 January 2006] 
Talking Heads: Talking Heads: 77 / More Songs About Buildings and Food / Fear of Music / Remain inFollowing last year's career-spanning Brick box set, the first four studio albums from the seminal art-pop band are reissued as individual DualDiscs. 
Lyn Taitt & the Jets: Hold Me Tight: Anthology 65-73Two-disc set is the first-ever CD compilation of one of rocksteady's architects. Among the tracks included are rare instrumental sides and numerous session dates that arguably defined the genre's sound in the late '60s. [6 January 2006] 
The Band: A Musical HistoryThis five-CD/one-DVD set spans the most important years of the Band's existence, from its days with Ronnie Hawkins to The Last Waltz's curtain call. It's both a lavish dedication and definitive documentation of the Band's legacy. [23 December 2005] 
The Beatles by Bob SpitzSpitz conquers the sensibilities of common logic by telling us a story we know by heart as if we'd never heard it. [16 December 2005] 
Ryan Adams: 29Adams completes his promised hat trick of album releases for 2005 with this more subdued and reflective follow-up to Cold Roses and Jacksonville City Nights. 
Beck: GuerolitoRock's resident chameleon has his latest album remixed by the likes of Air, Diplo, Boards of Canada, and the Beastie Boys' Adrock. [7 December 2005] 
Bobby Bare: The Moon Was BlueFirst album in 22 years by country maverick is co-produced by Bare's son. But don't call it a comeback. [9 November 2005] 
Living Things: Ahead of the LionsFraternal hard rock trio from St. Louis finally sees its ferocious, politically charged full-length debut released, one year after being lost amongst major label mergers. [3 November 2005] 
Annie Hayden: The Enemy of LoveSecond solo album in four years from former Spent guitarist is an often anonymous affair, never quite finding a groove that becomes its modest inspirations. [1 November 2005] 
Adrian Belew: Side TwoThe second in run of three albums planned for 2005 finds the eccentric guitarist satisfying his experimental tendencies. [26 October 2005] 
Joe Strummer: WalkerStrummer's soundtrack for Alex Cox's 1987 Western -- his first solo endeavor after the Clash disbanded -- is reissued for the first time since it went out of print. [21 October 2005] 
Mark Eitzel: Candy AssSecond outing into electronic music for American Music Club frontman is a ramshackle collection that even the most diehard fan should avoid. [20 October 2005] The Gravel PitThese guys reeled to the cusp of something bigger, but never attained the massive presence they deserved. Of course, some conclusions aren't convinced of their finality... [18 October 2005] 
Broken Social Scene: Broken Social SceneHighly anticipated follow-up to Canadian collective's breakthrough album is an overblown, underdeveloped mess in need of new ideas. [14 October 2005] 
The King of France: The King of FranceNYC band's latest release (its first with all band members involved) is quirky and accessible, roughly one non sequitur away from Robyn Hitchcock-caliber idiosyncrasy. [11 October 2005] 
Paul McCartney: Chaos and Creation in the BackyardIn collaboration with producer Nigel Godrich (Radiohead, Air), McCartney delivers one of the strongest records of his long and winding post-Beatles career. [7 October 2005] 
The Go! Team: Thunder, Lightning, Strike2004 debut album from Brighton, UK ensemble is finally released domestically, albeit with some minor changes. [4 October 2005] 
The Standard: AlbatrossPortland, Oregon quartet's second album in as many years is dramatic tension in search of a worthy epic. [3 October 2005] 
Jamiroquai: DynamiteAnother 21st century rehash of classic soul, served with a side of disco kitsch. [23 September 2005] 
Super Furry Animals: Love KraftDepending on how you choose to perceive it, the band's orchestral seventh album is either one of its greatest achievements or one of its most pedestrian. [22 September 2005] 
Supergrass: Road to RouenBritpoppers finally make the album worth listening to after smoking their name. [16 September 2005] 
Koufax: Hard Times Are in FashionThey, too, don't wanna be to be American idiots. [14 September 2005] 
Greg Dulli: Amber HeadlightsCollection of unreleased 2001 recordings made shortly after the release of the Twilight Singers' debut. [9 September 2005] 
Michael Penn: Mr. Hollywood, Jr. 1947Singer-songwriter follows wife Aimee Mann's concept album with a concept album of his own. [7 September 2005] 
The New Pornographers: Twin CinemaHighly anticipated third full-length from Vancouver collective offers up another round of smart, audaciously engaging pop. [19 August 2005] 
Sally Crewe & the Sudden Moves: Shortly After Take-OffPrickly summer music for those who like their guitar pop incisive and lean. [12 August 2005] 
Frank Black: HoneycombIs Black's 'Nashville record' the final rehabilitative step in a 12-step program for artistic ordinariness?" [10 August 2005] 
Tyrone Davis: Give It Up (Turn It Loose): The Very Best of the Columbia YearsNew compilation of Chicago soul singer's album tracks for Columbia from 1976-1981 reflects the indulgences of the disco era. [9 August 2005] 
Marian McPartland & Elvis Costello: Piano Jazz: McPartland/CostelloLegendary singer-songwriter's appearance on long-running NPR program finds him performing some of his favorite ballads. [26 July 2005] 
Carolyn Mark: Just Married: An Album of DuetsVancouver, British Columbia singer duets with 14 of her friends on what is sort of an indie answer to Sinatra's 1993 Duets album. But without all the massive ego clashes. (No Kenny G either.). [25 July 2005] 
Chris Whitley: Soft Dangerous ShoresLatest studio album from should-be legendary singer-guitarist is an amalgam of genres ruled by heat and passion. One of the year's most unexpected surprises. [22 July 2005] 
Doveman: The AcrobatFunereal anti-pop songs from this New York City band court the post-post-cocktail hours. [21 July 2005] 
The Fugs: Virgin Fugs1966 album from legendary New York City underground band is reissued on CD for the first time since its original release. [20 July 2005] 
Erin McKeown: We Will Become Like BirdsIf this is a breakup record, it works hard to avoid all the pitfalls and clichés that have come to define the sonic diary-on-wax. [13 July 2005] 
The Dirty Dozen Brass Band: Jazz Moods: HotEffervescent New Orleans band's rambunctious installment in Legacy Recordings' frivolous, demeaning series. [29 June 2005] 
A Band of Bees: Free the BeesStylistic U-turn from eclectic Isle of Wighters gives revivalism a good name. [28 June 2005] 
The Old Haunts: Fallow FieldIf minor chords, eighth notes from a fuzz bass, and the occasional arpeggio rupture make you salivate, read on. [24 June 2005] 
Nathan Larson: FilmMusikFormer Shudder to Think frontman's burgeoning career in film scoring is assessed in this collection, featuring his contributions to Boys Don't Cry, Prozac Nation, and Dirty Pretty Things. [23 June 2005] 
Without Gravity: TenderfootFolky Icelandic quartet operates in that malleable middle ground where 'sentimentality' is both a good and bad word. [22 June 2005] 
Pernice Brothers: Discover a Lovelier YouFourth studio album from Massachusetts indie pop band is marked by stylistic allusions to early '80s Manchester (England, not New Hampshire). [16 June 2005] 
Dwight Yoakam: Blame the VainTwo decades into an impressive recording career, Dwight Yoakam continues to deliver the ten-gallon goods. [13 June 2005] 
Graham Parker: Songs of No ConsequenceLegendary rock 'n' roller joins forces with the Figgs to strut and stroll through a dozen songs of sarcasm-laced pub rock. [8 June 2005] 
Elvis Costello: King of AmericaRhino continues its impressive campaign of Costello reissues by tackling one of his most beloved releases. [3 June 2005] 
Screaming Trees: Ocean of Confusion: Songs of Screaming Trees 1989-1996Solid overview of the Pacific Northwest band's definitive years on Epic includes two unreleased tracks. [25 May 2005] 
Ryan Adams & the Cardinals: Cold RosesMeet the new Ryan Adams: same as the old Ryan Adams. [23 May 2005] 
The Fearless Freaks (2005)For a world-famous band, respected and requested by everyone from Beck to Justin Timberlake, the Flaming Lips are a group of humble, down-to-earth guys. [20 May 2005] 
Robbie Fulks: Georgia HardCountry music's prince of composition ends a prolonged silence with his first collection of new material since 2001. In related news, scores of aspiring songwriters give up. [16 May 2005] 
Spoon: Gimme FictionFifth full-length from Austin indie luminary is, simply put, a triumph. [12 May 2005] 
Headphones: self-titledPedro the Lion's David Bazan goes synth-pop. Like any experiment, it yields impressive results with a few injurious side effects. [9 May 2005] 
Mike Doughty: Haughty MelodicFormer Soul Coughing singer's first full-length release coins a method to his madness, fleshing out his more traditional songs with Technicolor embellishments. [5 May 2005] 
Bluebottle Kiss: Come AcrossAustralian quartet's fifth album (second to be released in the U.S.) is as temperamental and erratic as the weather. [3 May 2005] 
Aimee Mann: The Forgotten ArmFifth solo release from consummate singer-songwriter is an examination of the centripetal destruction that consumes lives at the point of no return. It's also a concept album that actually works -- devastatingly so. [29 April 2005] 
The Sights: The SightsHammond-heavy rock from Detroit power trio is a resounding caterwaul of garage, psychedelia, glam, and pub rock. [28 April 2005] 
Dig! (2004)To the artist hell-bent on changing the world, little victories are never enough; there's always another person to reach, always another fire to start, always another convention to raze.. [26 April 2005] 
David Francey: The Waking HourFourth full-length from Juno Award winner Francey is an album rooted in traditional folk. A mixed bag, its stronger songs can be unusually powerful. 
John Doe: Forever Hasn’t Happened YetFormer X-man delivers a homebrewed distillation of old scratchy blues, country-folk, and noir, heavily annotated in mortality -- one could say that Doe is priming himself for a watershed Time out of Mind-caliber record any day now. [21 April 2005] 
Little Barrie: EPFour-song teaser from London-based trio is fun and rambunctious, but leaves many doubts as to what can be expected from the band. [14 April 2005] 
Jeff Hanson: self-titledSophomore solo record from St. Paul, Minnesota singer/songwriter is another aural document of an otherworldly voice. [11 April 2005] 
Wes Montgomery: Smokin’ at the Half Note [Reissue]Reissue of the landmark jazz guitar album is appended with six additional tracks from the original live sessions. [8 April 2005] 
Milton Mapes: The Blacklight TrapLatest album from Austin roots rockers ditches the shimmering sonics of its predecessor for a darker, moodier sound. [6 April 2005] 
The Arts and Sciences: Hopeful MonstersRecorded mostly live in just two weeks, the new album from Atlanta-based songwriter Paul Melançon and his band flexes its meta-song muscles. [4 April 2005] 
Gruff Rhys: Yr Atal GenhedlaethGet out your Welsh-to-English dictionaries! Or not! It doesn't matter!" [1 April 2005] 
Patrick Wolf: Wind in the WiresSophomore release from electro-operatic neo-folker speaks to the wind-blown wanderer in us all. [25 March 2005] 
Nic Armstrong and the Thieves: The Greatest White LiarThis facsimile of anonymous '60s rock bows before the pre-psychedelic British Invasion. Don't expect Beethoven to roll over any time soon. [24 March 2005] 
Purple Butterfly (2003)It occasionally echoes the softer version of Casablanca, another film whose fatalistic interpretation of love is set among war-torn circumstances. [23 March 2005] 
Crystal Skulls: Blocked NumbersConfident debut combines the glossy jazz-ercises of '70s AOR with contemporary slackerisms. It's got shabby chic! Buzzwords ho!" [22 March 2005] 
Hella: Church Gone Wild / Chirpin HardThe spaztastic noise-rock duo splits up for a pair of puzzling solo albums. [21 March 2005] 
Bloc Party: Silent AlarmBatten down the hatches and light the torches. Bloc Party is Paul Revere music. [18 March 2005] 
Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds: B-Sides and RaritiesOn the heels of the album of their career, Cave and the Bad Seeds look back on their 20 years together with a three-disc collection of odds 'n' sods. [15 March 2005] 
Phoenix: Live! Thirty Days AgoNo cries of 'Judas!' or radical reinterpretations on this live album from the amiable French band -- just by-the-book renditions of wickedly good pop. [8 March 2005] 
Moving Units: Dangerous DreamsYou've bought every album by Franz Ferdinand, the Killers, the Rapture, even !!!, and you remain inexplicably ravenous for more. Look no further than Moving Units for more (of the same). [3 March 2005] 
Super Furry Animals: Songbook: The Singles, Vol. 1Wales' favorite sons celebrate a decade of making Pure Pop for Now People with this collection of genre-defying singles. [2 March 2005] 
Aarktica: Bleeding LightThe latest album from multi-instrumentalist Jon DeRosa, a record of drone-pop with free jazz aspirations, is more an enigma than an experience. [1 March 2005] 
Crooked Fingers: Dignity and ShameThe fourth full-length album from Eric Bachmann and Co. is unabashedly hopeful, shaking awake the sleeping promises in human compassion. [24 February 2005] 
Iron & Wine: Woman King [EP]Sam Beam and producer Brian Deck continue to experiment in the studio, replacing the sounds of necessity with the sounds of possibility. Woman King is Iron & Wine's most economically expansive set of songs to date. [22 February 2005] 
Johnny Cash at Folsom Prison: The Making of a Masterpiece by Michael StreissguthUsing his own extensive research and interviews with Cash and his band/entourage, Streissguth recreates the legendary day that Cash stepped inside Folsom's walls and put history to tape. [8 February 2005] 
Egon: All Theory and No ActionFourth full-length from Austin-based Egon struggles to solve the mathematical sound equations of late '90s Built to Spill. 
The Mutts: The Mutts [EP]Sounding more like Detroit circa 1970 than their native Brighton, UK, the Mutts bare their teeth with a strong teaser EP of trashy rock. [7 February 2005] 
Books on Tape: The Business EndMore mercurial cut-and-paste beat-isms from producer Todd Drootin, aka Books on Tape. For those with short attention spans, he salutes you. [3 February 2005] 
The Moaners: Dark SnackScintillating debut has blues in its blood and garage dust in its hair. Not to mention songs about Flannery O'Connor and terriers. [2 February 2005] 
Owen: I Do PerceiveScarred mope pop from Chicago-based singer-songwriter Mike Kinsella wages a delicate war of self-attrition. [1 February 2005] 
Martha Wainwright: Bloody Mother Fucking Asshole [EP]Following her brother Rufus's arrival as a major pop talent, Martha Wainwright looks to make a similar dent with her raw brand of anti-folk. [28 January 2005] 
Lou Barlow: EmohPost-Sebadoh, post-Folk Implosion, Lou Barlow's first official solo release comes with a wealth of sheen, but fails to meet the standards of his indie legacy. [24 January 2005] 
Blanche: If We Can’t Trust the Doctors…Blanche is not yet a touchstone of the alt-country community, but it shows major promise as a potential bearer of folk fringe oddities. [11 January 2005] 
Steve Earle: Live From Austin TX [CD and DVD]Clean and sober, Earle's prolific string of seven albums in nine years has been nothing short of masterful. It has also usurped the first half of his career: Earle, formerly competent songwriter, now makes sonically adventurous records with political and social conscience. [5 January 2005] 
Neil Young: Greatest HitsAs a one-disc career-spanning compilation, Greatest Hits manages well, even if the two-disc retrospective Decade (1977) offers more in-depth analysis. [3 January 2005]
Miles Davis: Miles Electric: A Different Kind of Blue [DVD]Love them or hate them, the events documented in Miles Electric cast giant waves upon the jazz world that would be weathered for decades to come. [22 December 2004]
Hope of the States: The Lost RiotsThe band is the next hurrah from England, and heir to its operatic art-rock throne... It's all so serious, so overwhelming, this rock music lifting the weight of the world itself on its shoulders. [1 December 2004] 
Various Artists: Doctors, Professors, Kings & Queens: The Big Ol’ Box of New OrleansThe morning after listening to the wealth of delectable tunes, you'll awaken with a sympathetic hangover, tasting gumbo on your tongue, and swear that you were there the night before. [29 November 2004] 
Ulysses: 010Ex-Apple in Stereo main man Robert Schneider's songs for Ulysses owe more to the slacker pop of Pavement than the lavishness of '60s British Invasion imports. [16 November 2004] 
Richard Pryor: I Ain’t Dead Yet, #*%$#@!! (Uncensored)I Ain't Dead Yet doesn't pretend to be definitive; nonetheless, it is an insubstantial program about a substantial figure. [15 November 2004] 
Various Artists: The Late Great Daniel Johnston: Discovered UncoveredWhether he approves of it or not, Johnston is the elected champion of the unknown, the neglected yet respected, a representative for every hermetic songwriter crafting never-heard classics in his basement. [10 November 2004] 
Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds: Abattoir Blues/The Lyre of OrpheusThe albums are so strong, so above-the-bar, that they represent an ascension to a new abstract plane of creativity. In their evocations of sin and redemption, lust and love, nature and religion, Cave and the Bad Seeds have unleashed a contentious vision of sound and fury. [9 November 2004] 
Ted Leo and The Pharmacists: Shake the SheetsShake the Sheets is bleary eyed and caffeine-stoked, empathetic and unfiltered, as majestically melodic as Jon Brion and fiercely topical as Joe Strummer. It's a clean, bright thunderbolt of self-expression, overwhelmingly electric like flood lights, and probably one of the best sets of no-frills, intelligent rock you'll hear this year. [2 November 2004] 
Apostle of Hustle: Folkloric FeelIt's preposterous that the same press machine that hailed Broken Social Scene has yet to jump all over Apostle of Hustle with a similar passion. Simply put, to miss out on Folkloric Feel would be to miss out on some of the most extraordinary sounds of the year. [29 October 2004] 
Panda Bear: Young PrayerPanda Bear (née Noah Lennox, one-half of Animal Collective’s genetic makeup) retreats indoors, seeking to trade Sung Tongs’ projectile song-storms for a more reflective catharsis. [8 October 2004]
Midnight Movies: self-titledMidnight Movies make music that is subconsciously instinctual to their geographic location. Part Yo La Tengo and part Blade Runner, the trio’s self-titled debut is all about after-hours atmosphere and ashen intrigue. [20 September 2004]
Arcade Fire: FuneralFuneral is a truly eccentric rock record: bizarre at turns and recognizable elsewhere, equally beautiful and harrowing, theatrical and sincere, defying categorization while attempting to create new genres. [16 September 2004]
Super Furry Animals: Phantom PhorceFans of electronic music will find plenty of tracks on Phantom Phorce to rock their bodies (other artists on the album not mentioned previously include Four Tet, Boom Bip, Zan Lyons, and Massimo); however, those who know the original material will get the most satisfaction from the remixes. [6 July 2004]
Jay Farrar: Stone, Steel & Bright LightsThe original songs on Stone, Steel & Bright Lights are all songs from these solo albums, performed during Farrar’s 2003 fall tour. [18 June 2004]
Prince: MusicologyWhile Musicology isn’t a brilliant brushstroke or a complete return to his past, it is without a doubt the best record Prince has made in a long time, a release that provides plenty to be excited about while he continues to find his way back to pop bliss. [10 May 2004]
James Brown: Soul on TopJames Brown fans: you’re in for a real treat with Soul on Top. It’s been unavailable on compact disc since its original vinyl release, and the reissue sounds fantastic. BlogsSound Affects: Spectacle: Elvis Costello with Smokey Robinson (Episode 13) [25 February 2009]Sound Affects: Spectacle: Elvis Costello with Diana Krall (Episode 12) [18 February 2009]Sound Affects: Spectacle: Elvis Costello with She & Him, Jenny Lewis, and Jakob Dylan (Episode 11) [11 February 2009]Sound Affects: Spectacle: Elvis Costello with Herbie Hancock (Episode 10) [4 February 2009]Sound Affects: Spectacle: Elvis Costello with Renée Fleming (Episode 9) [28 January 2009]Sound Affects: Spectacle: Elvis Costello with Cash, Jones, Kristofferson, and Mellencamp (Episode 8) [21 January 2009]Sound Affects: Spectacle: Elvis Costello with Rufus Wainwright (Episode 7) [14 January 2009]Sound Affects: Spectacle: Elvis Costello with the Police (Episode 6) [7 January 2009]Sound Affects: Spectacle: Elvis Costello With Tony Bennett (Episode 5) [31 December 2008]Sound Affects: Spectacle: Elvis Costello With… - Episode 4 [24 December 2008]Sound Affects: Spectacle: Elvis Costello With… - Episode 3 [17 December 2008]Sound Affects: Spectacle: Elvis Costello With…—Episode 2 [10 December 2008]Sound Affects: Spectacle: Elvis Costello With… - Episode 1 [3 December 2008]Consuming Consumables: The Beach Boys - U.S. Singles Collection [26 November 2008]Consuming Consumables: The Stanley Brothers: The Definitive Collection (1947-1966) [$39.98] [2 December 2007]Consuming Consumables: Sly and the Family Stone - The Collection [$69.98] [30 November 2007]Consuming Consumables: Coen Brothers Gift Set [$49.98] [28 November 2007]Consuming Consumables: Elvis Costello: My Aim Is True (Deluxe Edition) [$29.98] [19 November 2007] |
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