Sunday, January 1 1995
National Skyline: self-titled
Never before has Billy Joel, Eddie Vedder, and Björk seemed so logical a musical match than on “Metropolis,” the first song on National Skyline. Hum’s…
NRBQ: Scraps
NRBQ has been one of America’s national treasures for more than 30 years, performing anywhere with a stage, and playing anything with a melody (they…
Meat Puppets: Golden Lies
A band that has always been more of a popular influence than actually popular, the Meat Puppets rose from the early ‘80s desert southwest to…
Scott Miller & The Commonwealth: Thus Always to Tyrants
The story is an old one: acclaimed band self-destructs just at the point where they seem to be making their best music, and members go…
Michelle Malone: Hello Out There
It’s easy to miss the Lilith Fair sometimes. While Sarah MacLachlan’s project was flawed at best, featuring only a certain type of women in music…
Mushroomhead: XX
Mushroomhead’s album XX is another chapter in the book of new metal. Along with Slipknot, they are beginning to destroy the cliché that the Midwest…
Martha Davis and The Motels: Anthologyland
During the early ‘80s, when MTV actually showed videos, is where I first heard “Only the Lonely” by The Motels. There was this lady on…
Nass Marrakech: Sabil ‘a ‘Salaam
From the cover photo onward, Nass Marrakech’s Sabil ‘a ‘Salaam is a transcendentally beautiful album. It is also a dangerous album. The photo of cracked,…
Russell Malone: Heartstrings
As sophisticated sideman to both Harry Connick Jnr. and more recently Diana Krall, Georgia-born Malone, with his cultured playing, has found his way into more…
The Mercury Program: From the Vapor of Gasoline
Gasoline is quite an intoxicating smell. While many folks seem to enjoy the reek of the toxic funk, most can’t explain why, and are quick…
Mile: Driving Under Stars
Driving Under Stars, the debut offering from the Tallahassee, Florida band Mile is probably the best rock album I’ve heard this year, taking a backseat…
James Michael: Inhale
I want to say right off that my general opinion of James Michael’s solo debut is a good one. I come to praise, not to…
The Mermen: The Amazing California Health and Happiness Road Show
Talking to Jim Thomas, the guitarist, songwriter and now producer who steers The Mermen, is not unlike listening to his music. His cheery conversation sprawls…
Melt-Banana, Charlie
Remember those old turntables you had as a kid? Sometimes just for kicks you’d play records backwards or play an album at 45 speed. That’s…
Hannah Marcus: Black Hole Heaven
Hannah Marcus explores her conflicting emotions with her haunted voice on Black Hole Heaven. Guiding listeners through the fearful territory of the dark underworld of…
My Ruin: A Prayer Under Pressure of Violent Anguish
The women of My Ruin are playing by the boys’ rules. Growling and snarling through the songs on A Prayer Under Pressure of Violent Anguish,…
Melodine: Appreciation
Melodine is the brainchild of vocalist, all round musician and songwriter Evan Frankfort, and those who pay attention to such details will recognise his name…
Mollycuddle: The Best Place For You
The Best Place For You, the most recent CD EP from Mollycuddle, is one of those releases that’s hard to write about. No, it isn’t…
Alanis Morissette: MTV Unplugged
I want to invite Ms. Morissette down to my local coffee shop. Sister’s is a quaint hole in an arty cube, much like any other…
Matmos: A Chance to Cut Is a Chance to Cure
Since their self-titled debut in 1997, Matmos has been making both the most intelligent and the most listenable electronica around. Their genius lies in substituting…
