Sunday, January 1 1995
Mingus Big Band: Blues & Politics
With the release of Blues & Politics, the Mingus Big Band brings us some of the most intriguing of Mingus’ work. The band was established…
Man or Astro-Man?: A Spectrum of Infinite Scale
While Man or Astro-Man? is generally labeled a surf band, assuming that the group’s music is simply 1960s revivalism would be a mistake. While it’s…
Motorplant: American Postcard
Steve! Eric! Andy! Kevin! These are the fresh-faced men who make up Motorplant, one hell of a rock solid outfit who cut straight to the…
Samantha Mumba: Gotta Tell You
Follow the analogy: Britney is to McDonald’s as Christina is to Burger King, as Jessica is to Wendy’s as Mandy is to Dunkin Donuts or…
Mr. Oizo: Analog Worms Attack
Mr. Oizo has been compared to Daft Punk, and there are certain similarities. Both use synthesizers and samplers to achieve a general sense of cuteness—and…
The Muffs: Alert Today Alive Tomorrow
I remember, once upon a time, when the Muffs were a pretty good band. Well guess what—they’re not anymore. Tired and boring are the nicest…
Mr. Wright, Star Time
Le Grand Magistery is making quite a name for itself with swanky Europop. Witness the recent Louis Phillipe release and the various efforts of the…
Mortal Loom: Alchemy Through Dreams
Reading press notes is often enlightening in a way those who would manage the media don’t intend. The idea behind them, at best, is to…
MIA: Lost Boys
MIA’s greatest hits album chronicles the life of a punk rock band in Reagan-era America. Lost Boys is a blueprint for how to be a…
Mouse on Mars: Idiology
Perhaps it shouldn’t be surprising that so many electronic musicians betray the same essential conservatism and lack of imagination as any other variety of artist.…
Aimee Mann: Bachelor No. 2
For a musician struggling in the face of the industry’s indifference, the answer all too often seems to be ‘No’. Aimee Mann is one of…
Magnified: Stand in Traffic
This is the best “we-should-be-on-the-soundtrack-of-a-mid/late-‘90s-Generation-X-film” band I’ve ever heard. Replete with catchy hooks, danceable technofied beats and lacking absolutely any integrity whatsoever (even the dudes…
The Masticators: Masticate
This is the real deal. If there is anyone with ears out there, combined with the money and influence to put this band into the…
David Murray Octet: Octet Plays Trane
David Murray is one of the surviving young guns of the previous generation of musicians who were expected to revolutionize jazz. He’s now of an…
Blind Willie McTell: The Essential
Willie Samuel McTell (1901-1959) was born in Thomson, Georgia, between the Mississippi Delta and the rapidly urbanizing Piedmont section of the Carolinas and Virginia. His…
Little Milton: Welcome to Little Milton
Little Milton has always known how to romp his way through an album, and his latest release shows that he’s still got it. And while…
The Melvins, The Crybaby
The Melvins go way back, all the way to the mid-‘80s and the pre-history of Grunge. Drummer Dale Crover played on Nirvana’s Bleach, Kurt Cobain…
Mary Ann McSweeney: Thoughts of You
It is a sad fact that women in jazz, especially if they want to get famous, are still supposed to be singers not players. Despite…
Aimee Mann: Ultimate Collection
Aimee Mann’s songwriting is absolutely fucking exquisite. There’s just no other way to say it, really, that hasn’t been said before, and there’s no better…
Tara MacLean: Passenger
+ another review of Passenger by Ben Varkentine Canadian women rule the pop world today. When did you last tune in your radio and not…
