Rhino Front one of rock’s all-time biggest bands and your solo career is bound to suffer in comparison, whether you’re Paul McCartney, Mick Jagger or Led Zeppelin’s Robert Plant, who gets an elaborate post-Zep retrospective with “Nine Lives,” a mammoth boxed set containing all nine of his solo albums. No Plant album has made […]
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Gob Iron-Death Songs for the Living
Transmit Sound/Legacy Son Volt’s dour Jay Farrar continues his quest for the world’s slowest tempo, this time enlisting Varnaline leader Anders Parker in a (probably) one-off duo. Gob Iron specializes in traditional folk and blues, with Farrar frequently reworking the lyrics. Stephen Foster’s “Hard Times” is changed to great effect, though it bears little […]
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Damien Rice-9
Warner Bros. The mental image I’ve had of eternally dour troubadour Damien Rice’ as a leaky human sieve, barely held together and struggling to stay whole amid a near-constant barrage of debris’ is only reinforced with his sophomore disc “9.” Love is either unrequited, spurned or dreamt in Rice’s songs, acoustic shards of folk-pop that […]
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Los Lobos-The Town and the City
Hollywood Los Lobos: proof that the family that plays together stays together. For close to 30 years, they’ve kept the same lineup, adding sax lad Steve Berlin along the way, and leaving a trail of good to great records behind them. They’re as rooted as The Band was, but they’re not afraid to splatter […]
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Clipse-Hell Hath No Fury
Zomba It’s been four years since siblings Pusha-T and Malice’ collectively known as Clipse’ dropped “Lord Willin’,” a mind-blowing collaboration with the then-lesser-known production team The Neptunes. A endless series of legal disputes have kept the duo’s sophomore release, “Hell Hath No Fury,” from seeing the light of day, but at last, these irreverent, futuristic […]
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Nellie McKay-Pretty Little Head
Hungry Mouse Nellie McKay has protest on her mind, but don’t expect an earnest folkie on guitar. In “Pretty Little Head,” this brilliant wordsmith adorns her social activism’ from gay marriage to animal rights’ in ribbons of cabaret, show tunes, cocktail-lounge jazz and even the occasional bow of hip-hop. More akin to early Randy […]
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The Downers-Shake the Dead and Let the Downers Die
Sickboy Records Utah’s five-man The Downers play the psychedelic pop of Big Star and do it very well. This five-song sampler will trance you out like a Quaalude from 1974. It’s good’ Paul Burke’s vocals are mesmerizing. The Downers are not a throwback, but rather the group transports its genre into the future. “Shake […]
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Paul “Wine” Jones-Stop Arguing Over Me
Fat Possum Records This, the final album from the late Paul “Wine” Jones (1946-2005)’ an original member of the Fat Possum Records family and a specialist in the raw, quirky, electric blues that put the label on the map’ begins unexpectedly: with a hard-driving, hip-struttin’ dance number. It’s basically Jones’ version of disco, and it’s […]
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Imitation Electric Piano-Blow It Up, Burn It Down, Kick It ‘Til It Bleeds
Drag City To borrow one of its own song titles, Imitation Electric Piano’s second album makes for “Relatively Good Times.” That it’s not better lies in the band’s decision to make a marked departure in its signature sound: adding full-time vocals. One of many offshoots of post-rock giant Stereolab, the band debuted in 2001 […]
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The Pernice Brothers-Live a Little
Ashmont Praising a new record from The Pernice Brothers is a bit like marveling at a sunrise: It’s a wonder, but easy to take for granted. Anyone familiar with the preternaturally melodic sensibilities of band front man Joe Pernice knows that he’s incapable of producing anything other than irresistible ear candy. The group’s latest offering, […]