Music
Judith Owen, Happy This Way (Courgette)
Judith Owen treats songs as art, making beautiful piano-based songs that draw on jazz, pop, folk and R&B traditions, effectively dressing up a number of songs with strings. They […]
Various Artists, Songs form the Basement, Vol. 5 (WTUL)
There have been few if any benefits for New Orleans underground bands since Katrina, and there hasn’t been any outcry, “Don’t let our underground rock die.” That’s to some […]
Matthew Stearns, Daydream Nation (Continuum Books); Sonic Youth, Daydream Nation (Geffen/Universal)
In Daydream Nation, Matthew Stearns’ contribution to Continuum Books’ 33 1/3 series of books about classic albums, he describes Sonic Youth’s breakthrough album from 1988 as having passages that […]
Elizabeth Cook, Balls (31 Tigers)
Balls has received a lot of well-deserved critical love. Elizabeth Cook sounds like a classic country singer rather than a Sheryl Crow or Shania Twain-wannabe, and the title cut—“Sometimes […]
What’s in a Name?
“I want to thank everyone who supported deadboy & the Elephantmen, it was and will always be more than just a band; it’s in my DNA.” On his MySpace page, […]
Tom Morello, the Nightwatchman
“By day I’m an organizer and an activist, a guy who believes in rallying the troops and in standing up in an uncompromising way for social justice. The Nightwatchman believes […]
The Avett Brothers, Emotionalism (Ramseur)
Emotionalism is my first Avett Brothers album, and people who already liked them miss the raw attack of their previous albums, as they treated American roots music with a […]
Adrienne Young, Room to Grow (Addiebelle Music)
Adrienne Young’s The Art of Virtue from 2005 was the sort of bluegrass that could find a larger audience. It was song-oriented, warm and intelligent in an unironic way. […]
George Porter, Jr., It’s Life (Independent)
Believe it or not, it has been almost 16 years since George Porter, Jr.’s previous solo album, Runnin’ Pardners. With that amount of time elapsed, it’s no surprise that […]
