Allen Ginsberg / Leonard Cohen / William Shatner

Old Jewish poets never go away, they simply say, "Oy vey." New testaments from Ginsberg, Cohen and Shatner

Album Reviews Allen Ginsberg's Wichita Vortex Sutra, though recorded 10 years ago and written almost three decades before that, might be the most timely of three recent, mostly spoken-word releases from the mouths ...   More

 

Wednesday, December 8, 2004 JEFF ROSENBERG

Nirvana

Box set hoards grunge gods' diamonds in the rough, reveals what all that fighting was about.

Album Reviews Nirvana's impact on pop culture was intense and confounding. To this day, those involved still sift through the material remains of the sardonic, sad and incontrovertibly talented songwriter Kurt Coba ...   More

 

Wednesday, December 1, 2004 Dave Clifford

The Magnificent 7

Album Reviews This month our roundup of must-hear songs breaks all the rules, recognizing that Omaha doesn't totally suck and naming a track you can't even get until January. We are bastards.1. Various artists, "Am ...   More

 

Wednesday, November 24, 2004 Amy Mccullough, Mark Baumgarten, Kelly Clarke

The Gun Club

Faceless hero of the L.A. punk scene, Jeffrey Lee Pierce's dark blues-punk sees the light with these excellent reissues.

Album Reviews Miami Death PartyThe Las Vegas Story(Sympathy for the Record Industry)True musical pioneers are essentially faceless. Granted, a rare few individuals attain "icon" status, but in the lore of American ...   More

 

Wednesday, November 17, 2004 Dave Clifford

Swell Maps

Album Reviews Swell MapsA Trip to Marineville;Jane from Occupied Europe(Secretly Canadian)Thirty years ago, the Godfrey brothers entered their parents' garage with no expectations. They came out with two albums and ...   More

 

Wednesday, November 10, 2004 Matt Wright

The Go-Betweens / Jimmy Eat World

Album Reviews The Go-BetweensLiberty Belle and the Black Diamond Express, Tallulah and 16 Lovers Lane reissuesJet Set RecordsLatter-day work from Aussies gives insight to a band caught between greatness and playlis ...   More

 

Wednesday, November 3, 2004 Richard Shirk, Amy Mccullough

The Magnificent Seven

Politics might be scary, but this month's best songs are all about the sweet, sultry and sweaty stuff.

Album Reviews 1. The Arcade Fire, "Wake Up" This Montreal septet gently builds sweeping, shivering walls of voices, violins and guitars only to shatter them into hopped-up shards of indie rock and "Lust for Life" b ...   More

 

Wednesday, October 27, 2004 Mark Baumgarten, Kelly Clarke, Amy Mccullough

The Futureheads / Rendezvous

Album Reviews The FutureheadsThe Futureheads(Sire)The Futureheads bow down to the post-punk/New Wave totem, and Matt Wright gives them a little kick in the ass.Midway through "Meantime," the fifth track off the Fut ...   More

 

Wednesday, October 20, 2004 Matt Wright, Corban Lester

Point Line Plane / Pink Martini

Album Reviews Point Line PlaneSmoke SignalsSkin GraftPortland's synth-synth-drum trio reimagines the future as it was meant to be: full of screaming and sirens blaring.Remember how cold, alien and downright lame th ...   More

 

Wednesday, October 13, 2004 Dave Clifford, Jay Horton

Brian Wilson / The Blue Nile

Album Reviews Brian WilsonSmileNonesuchThe shelf life on this long-unreleased Beach Boys album proves lengthy as Wilson re-records the songs of a younger man. Sure, it's kind of creepy. But go with it.As my editor ...   More

 

Wednesday, October 6, 2004 JEFF ROSENBERG