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Latest Entries
Soundbytes: Glimpse Predictions For Grammy 2006
The Grammys will be doled out on Thursday and David is again putting on his swami hat to give a rundown of who’s likely to walk away with the music industry’s most prestigious awards. Continue reading
Review: Yellowcard’s New Album Should Reassure Their Base
Yellowcard seems to be a very polarizing band. You’re either a fan or you think they’re sappy interlopers in the sacred palace of rock. David weighs in on whether their new record will win the cynics’ hearts. Continue reading
Review: 50 Cent ‘s Soundtrack Touts Movie, Cohorts
50 Cent’s latest album is the soundtrack to the partially fictionalized big-screen biopic of the star rapper’s pre-music business life as a big-time drug dealer. The film is doing so-so business at the box office, but David explains why the disc proves that 50 should still keep his day job. Continue reading
Review: Leaked Elliott Smith Songs Should Revive Interest
Only days before the second anniversary of his untimely death, more than 20 unreleased tracks recorded by deceased alt-rock poster boy Elliott Smith have leaked online. David gives a review of whether these illegal goodies are worth tracking down. Continue reading
2005 / Movie Reviews / Music
Review: Dylan Documentary Tells Legend’s Story
“No Direction Home: Bob Dylan,” the new Martin Scorsese-directed documentary broadcast this week on PBS and available on a two-disc DVD set, is exhilarating to watch because it’s one of the great heroic stories in pop music history. Continue reading
Review: My Morning Jacket Refines Their Sound
Long seen as rising stars in the jam band scene My Morning Jacket have finally lived up to their promise with the group’s new record, “Z.” Soundbytes gives a review of how their latest should keep the band in Cameron Crowe’s good graces. Continue reading
2005 / Book Reviews / Music
Review: Big Star’s Bio Follows Group’s Ups, Downs
A new book traces the ever-stalled career of ’70s power-pop icons Big Star. Although the Memphis combo is a key musical touchstone for many rock bands, the group’s artistic achievements went largely unnoticed during their brief existence. David gives a book report about this story filled with classic albums marred by disappointment and tragedy. Continue reading
Review: The Band Box Set Chronicles Group’s Forgotten Achievements
With last week’s Bob Dylan documentary still fresh in listeners’ minds, a brand new box set devoted to seminal ’60s combo (and former Dylan sidemen) the Band seeks to reemphasize this largely forgotten group’s place in rock history. Boasting five CDs, one DVD, David judges the weight. Continue reading
Review: Sheryl Crow Still Aims To Please
Sheryl Crow’s new album is a quieter and a more intimate effort than her old albums, but like the others, it goes to great lengths to please listeners’ ears. David explains why and how Crow does it. Continue reading
Review: Neo-Folkies Make New Old Music
Thanks to their masterful 2004 releases, singer-songwriter Devendra Banhart and one-man-band Iron And Wine have set themselves as among the leaders of an acoustic music revival in the chic rock underground. David assesses if the pair’s latest albums have them turning up anything new. Continue reading
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