It seems that the easy success of California heavy rock group the Queens of the Stone Age has been carefully mapped out by their creative kingpin, Josh Homme. But the group’s new album, “Era Vulgaris,” signals that they might be losing their way on a side route. Continue reading
Ten years after shocking his way into the pop scene, Marilyn Manson is still somehow a pre-eminent figure in music despite the number of times his career appeared to die a horrible death. His new album, “Eat Me, Drink Me,” thanks to a musical partnership, is bringing him back from the dead yet again. Continue reading
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
In celebration of St. Patrick’s Day, Soundbytes’ David Hyland examines the career of Irish music legend Van Morrison. Continue reading
Four decades after they created the template for punk rock, the ’60s combo the Stooges have reunited with frontman Iggy Pop for a brand-new album. Find out if the results are worth the wait. Continue reading
Canadian drama-rock outfit Arcade Fire have answered the lofty expectations of the indie-rock world with a new album every bit as epic as their much-loved debut. It’s a darker effort, but just as powerful. Continue reading
Industrial-rock icons Nine Inch Nails might have reclaimed much of their original fire with their last album, but the group’s new DVD captures the mechanized experience of them live but with little feeling that human artistry is involved. Continue reading
With a new album already in the can, singer-songwriter Sam Beam, aka Iron & Wine, decided to debut most of it at a one-off performance Milwaukee’s Pabst Theater on Thursday night. Continue reading
Soundbytes Music Column 