Album Reviews

(500) Days of Summer

Tue, 18 Aug 2009 14:17:07

On the 500 Days of Summer soundtrack, the sound of unrequited love is oh so beautiful. This generation's cinematic ballad for the broken-hearted sees ...more

DevilDriver

Pray for Villains

Sun, 26 Jul 2009 22:27:23

You don't wanna fuck with Devildriver. On Pray for Villains, these five Southern California cowboys from Hell have their six guns drawn and aimed ...more

Jim Jones

This Is Jim Jones

Mon, 06 Jul 2009 14:43:44

"I'm not really famous, but I bet all the famous people know me. I guess I moved past that," declares Jim Jones" as he exhales a plume of smoke at the ...more

Paper Route

Absence

Fri, 12 Jun 2009 16:52:30

The lushness and sprawl of Coldplay, the experimental electronica of later period Radiohead and the neo-nu wave of The Postal Service is adequately ...more

The Field

Yesterday and Today

Tue, 02 Jun 2009 09:29:59

Yesterday & Today, the sophomore release from The Field (AKA Stockholm producer Axel Willner), is at times lovely, but more often than not, it's less ...more

Chrisette Michele

Epiphany

Thu, 28 May 2009 10:15:24

Chrisette Michele is no joke. She’s also one of the most successful R&B; singers that you’ve probably never heard of! The accomplished songstress has ...more

Steve Earle

Townes

Thu, 28 May 2009 10:09:54

It was well documented in the Townes Van Zandt documentary Be Here To Love Me, that alt-country patriarch Steve Earle was highly influenced by the ...more

Green Day

21st Century Breakdown

Tue, 26 May 2009 12:57:46

The revisionist history on Green Day is that they were a snot-nosed bunch of acerbic punks who sang songs about masturbation before changing ...more

The Veer Union

Against the Grain

Tue, 26 May 2009 12:52:58

Radio rock has been saddled with a bad rep. It’s often written off as “butt rock,” a cookie-cutter concoction derived for mass consumption. People ...more

Iggy Pop

Preliminaires

Thu, 21 May 2009 09:18:58

Of all the potential contenders in the musical world to become our new Serge Gainsbourg, only liars would say they'd pegged Iggy Pop as the victor. ...more

Tori Amos

Abnormally Attracted to Sin

Wed, 20 May 2009 11:08:14

Tori Amos has always been—and will always be—the kind of artist who uses music to exorcise and absolve her demons, as opposed to plopping on a ...more

Eminem

Relapse

Tue, 19 May 2009 11:08:28

"The fuckin' Antichrist is back," barks Eminem during a particularly vitriolic and violent verse on Relapse's final vigil, "Underground." Is Eminem ...more

Hatebreed

For the Lions

Sun, 17 May 2009 11:09:56

A complete covers album is usually geared for a band’s diehard fans who possess collector mentalities. In all fairness, a renditions collection is ...more

The Pink Mountaintops

Outside Love

Sun, 17 May 2009 11:06:48

Pink Mountaintops is considered a side-project of Stephen McBean’s main group, psych-rock act Black Mountain. But maybe it shouldn’t be. Outside Love ...more

Isis

Wavering Radiant

Thu, 14 May 2009 09:56:45

Well, it’s over. It’s only May, and the album of the year has already been released. Post-metal, sludge, whatever genre name you feel the need to ...more

New York Dolls

Cause I Sez So

Thu, 14 May 2009 09:48:19

No one can dispute the New York Dolls' status as iconic, American glam rock and/or proto-punk legends. “Legend” is a term often tossed around too ...more

The Last Vegas

Whatever Gets You Off

Thu, 14 May 2009 09:41:10

The glitz and glam of LA’s Sunset Boulevard has been effectively bottled by The Last Vegas. While the quintet may originally hail from Chicago, ...more

Ciara

Fantasy Ride

Wed, 13 May 2009 09:00:13

It’s time to get strapped in for the ultimate Fantasy Ride with that uber- hottie known as Ciara. The ultra-fine vocalist gets by with a plenty o’ ...more

The Grouch

Say G&E;!

Wed, 13 May 2009 08:46:43

The Grouch and Eligh’s latest release, Say G&E;! has all the ingredients for a mainstream breakthrough, with a venerable list of high-profile guest ...more

Cage the Elephant

Cage the Elephant (Bonus Track)

Mon, 11 May 2009 11:06:39

Cage the Elephant are big in the UK, which doesn’t always mean much or translate to U.S. success. The band, hailing from the sleepy little town of ...more