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Latest Entries
Review: Arctic Monkeys Freeze Out Doubters With ‘Humbug’
Three records into their careers and British alternative-rock combo Arctic Monkeys are hoping a comeback album with right their ship and bring them back to the good graces of the rock-geek blogosphere. Continue reading
Review: Raconteurs’ Benson Hones Power-Pop Punch On Solo Effort
Free of recording and touring commitments with Jack White and the other Raconteurs, the band’s co-frontman Brendan Benson is now attempting to kick start his neglected solo career. His new power-pop masterpiece comes roaring to life with a fire and execution that listeners haven’t heard from him previously. Continue reading
Review: Jack White’s The Dead Weather Yields Fearsome Guitar Thunder
The concept of down time is something completely foreign to White Stripes leader Jack White. Fresh from touring with his side project, the Raconteurs, and actively plotting the future of his primary gig, White has launched yet another new band, the Dead Weather. The group’s first album fleshes out the White Stripes’ stripped down, hard-hitting formula. Continue reading
Review: Band Vocalist Levon Helm Digs Up, Exposes ‘Electric’ Roots
After years of exile from the pop mainstream and enduring nearly every hardship imaginable, former Band drummer Levon Helm won a Grammy award and other critical notices for an unplugged, roots-oriented album in 2007. Unfortunately, Helm’s brand-new disc reveals a lapse into harmful old habits. Continue reading
Review: Grizzly Bear’s ‘Veckatimset’ Quietly Confirms Internet Buzz
Thanks to opening duties for some of underground-rock’s best-loved artists, New York low-fi rock group Grizzly Bear has seen its profile extend beyond the arty clubs and warehouses of Brooklyn to the top of music world tastemakers’ homepages. The group’s new album magnificently reinforces the buzz. Continue reading
Review: Eminem Mixes Earnestness With Malevolence On ‘Relapse’
After a five-year disappearing act, rap superstar Eminem has returned with a new album that seeks to merge forthright confessions about his ongoing battles with substance abuse, but maintaining his edge as the sensational, headline-capturing firebreather on the mic. Like his Slim Shady persona, it’s a schizophrenic experience. Continue reading
Review: St. Vincent’s ‘Actor’ Commands Center Stage
With dreams of basement-created symphonies still populating her head, longtime backup musician Annie Clark has released a new solo album under the St. Vincent moniker. The new record, “Actor,” finally delivers on the promise obscured by years stuck at the side of the stage. Continue reading
Review: Bob Dylan’s New ‘Life’ Excited With Blues Spirit
Mercurial is certainly a label that even curmudgeon Bob Dylan would seem hard-pressed not to embrace. For his new album, “Together Through Life,” the rock legend surprises his audience yet again by re-embracing the sound of the roadhouse blues that first captivated his imagination back in the 1960s. Continue reading
Review: Neil Young’s ‘Fork’ Stalls Out As Gearhead-Talking Protest LP
Since the heady ’60s, singer-songwriter Neil Young has proven himself capable many times over as an artist who can rally the downtrodden with music that can inspire. Unfortunately, he tries to do so on his latest record by frequently singing about his hybrid car. Continue reading
Preview: 2009 Rock Hall Inductees Honor Pop’s Subgenres
On Saturday night, another roster of music legends will be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland. But unlike most years, this time two titans of rock’s underappreciated subgenres — hip-hop and heavy metal — will lead the way. Continue reading
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