2006 Recorded in Hammersmith, England, “Live in Slow Motion” captures David Gray in concert during his tour to promote 2005’s “Life in Slow Motion.” The concert’s set list draws heavily from “Slow Motion” and “White Ladder,” Gray’s 2000 breakthrough. The combination works perfectly: While “Ladder” was an album of romantic optimism, Gray’s latest work […]
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Superman Returns
p>There are some things in life even the Man of Steel can’t overcome, like tepid box-office returns or indifferent audiences, both of which thwarted the astronomical expectations for Bryan Singer’s feverishly touted reboot of the ailing Superman franchise, “Superman Returns.” It wasn’t that Singer necessarily failed, so much as wrapped himself too tightly in the […]
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Gwen Stefani-The Sweet Escape
Interscope Surely no one could’ve predicted the force with which ska-pop sprite Gwen Stefani’s 2004’s solo debut, “Love.Angel.Music.Baby.” would hit, loaded as it was with Eighties-shaded tunes, a devastating sense of style and a chart-smashing monster known as “Hollaback Girl.” Two years later, Stefani is already dropping “The Sweet Escape,” her erratic sophomore effort. Whereas […]
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Lady Sovereign-Public Warning
Def Jam Lady Sovereign (Lady Sov if you’re nasty; Louise Harman if you’re her parents) arrives on American shores behind a mountain of hype taller than she is. Pint-sized but big-mouthed, this latest British hip-hop export is the newest face in Jay-Z’s galaxy of petite female stars (oh, whither Rihanna?)’ a foul, verbally agile hybrid […]
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Moby-Go: The Very Best of Moby
V2 In the liner notes for this Christmas-ready career-retrospective disc, Moby writes he’s baffled he’s had a career at all, claiming he’s “just a weird bald guy who makes music in his bedroom.” While that’s true, he’s also the one who helped propel electronica from club-only marginalization into a viable art form. Say what you […]
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Oasis-Stop the Clocks
Epic If there were ever a better argument for Oasis being a singles band, “Stop the Clocks” pretty definitively would prove that Liam and Noel Gallagher are much more adept at penning three minutes of brilliance than whole albums. “Stop the Clocks” is a band-curated glance backward at what could be charitably described as […]
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The Hold Steady-Boys and Girls in America
Vagrant Who knew that tales of drug-addled teens could be so operatic? The Hold Steady’s “Boys and Girls in America” is a blistering rock ‘n’ roll album that merges the storytelling of Bruce Springsteen, the riffs of Thin Lizzy and the bleary-eyed stomp of the Replacements. The album title references Jack Kerouac’s “On the […]
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Sarah McLachlan-Wintersong
Arista Sarah McLachlan is slowly, steadily turning herself into a reliable brand; you know exactly what you’re getting when you pick up the latest album. Which is to say, said album will be stuffed with the same damn thing you’ve heard countless times before. “Wintersong,” McLachlan’s crack at a holiday-themed disc, cribs a track from […]
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The Byrds-There is a Season
Columbia/Legacy If ever a band merited two box sets, it would be The Byrds. In under a decade, the band pioneered what has collectively become known as Americana: folk rock, psychedelia, country rock and, eventually their through influence, alt-country. “There Is a Season” improves on the first box set (now out-of-print) by giving a […]
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Dirty Pretty Things-Waterloo to Anywhere
Interscope Trying to put the looming legacy of the Libertines’ and former bandmate/rock star cliché Pete Doherty’ behind him, Carl Barat formed Dirty Pretty Things; “Waterloo to Anywhere” is their first release, and it’s proof that Barat was underrated all along. Though indie rock inspired by punk is quickly becoming yesterday’s shtick in Brit-rock, Dirty […]