With the Arcade Fire hype machine still going strong and media and record label interest squarely fixed on spotting the next big thing from the Canadian music scene, Montreal indie-rock outfit Handsome Furs has released its debut album that seems destined to boost the anticipatory fervor. Continue reading
After spending years as the butt of jokes and releasing increasingly abstract and difficult albums, Icelandic singing maven Bjork has recorded a new disc that is more immediate than anything she’s done in a decade but maintains the avant-garde experimentation that so often made her a punch line. Continue reading
Ten years after they peaked with the multi-platinum, Grammy-winning “Tha Crossroads,” the members of Bone Thugs-N-Harmony hope to regenerate their career with a brand-new disc, “Strength & Loyalty.” To cinch this comeback, the group called in favors from a string of star guests and first-rank producers. Continue reading
Soundbytes Music Column 