CD Reviews

Star Fucking Hipsters | Until We’re Dead

BARRY THOMPSON — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 03:50:50 GMT

Fat Wreck Chords (2008)
Of course, one could argue that anything called Star Fucking Hipsters gets an automatic three stars.

Brooklyn Academy | Bored Of Education

CHRIS FARAONE — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 03:47:50 GMT

Gold Dust Media (2008)
The stakes are treacherous when a group wait 13 years to drop a debut album.

Jolie Holland | The Living And The Dead

MIKAEL WOOD — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 03:45:30 GMT

Anti- (2008)
Holland doesn’t really need the added rock-band muscle; she’d be worth hearing accompanied only by the tap of her own toe.

Silver Jew | Drag City DVD

JEFF TAMARKIN — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 03:44:00 GMT

Drag City (2008)
Michael Tully’s 52-minute home movie/documentary follows the band as they schlep around Israel touring, shopping, and playing a handful of gigs.

Tricky | Knowle West Boy

RICHARD BECK — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 03:42:24 GMT

Domino (2008)
Who is not glad to have Tricky around?

Benoît Pioulard | Temper

MICHAEL PATRICK BRADY — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 03:39:45 GMT

Kranky (2008)
Benoît Pioulard is the Gallic pseudonym of Oregon singer-songwriter Thomas Meluch, for whom inscrutability is an instrument and affectation an art.

Blink. | The Epidemic Of Ideas

JON GARELICK — Thu, 02 Oct 2008 00:36:38 GMT

Thirsty Ear (2008)
Aside from the general aggressive, post-rock, post-jazz underground feel, there’s pretty tunes here.

Jobriath | Jobriath + Creatures Of The Street

GUSTAVO TURNER — Tue, 07 Oct 2008 21:27:44 GMT

Collectors’ Choice (2008)
Jobriath was all the things the early Bowie either wanted or pretended to be: all-American, a bona fide musical-theater performer, and unabashedly gay.

Replacements | Rhino Reissues

ZETH LUNDY — Thu, 02 Oct 2008 00:32:41 GMT

Tim + Pleased To Meet Me + Don’t Tell A Soul + All Shook Down | Rhino (2008)
Rhino’s second and concluding batch of Replacements reissues charts the Minneapolis band’s Great Descent from the heights of rock-and-roll nihilism to the pit of MOR blah.

Lenka | Lenka

MIKAEL WOOD — Thu, 02 Oct 2008 00:30:19 GMT

Epic (2008)
A few months ago this pint-sized diva from Down Under posted a cutesy rendition of Modest Mouse’s “Gravity Rides Everything” to her MySpace page.

Termanology | Politics As Usual

CHRIS FARAONE — Thu, 02 Oct 2008 00:27:51 GMT

Nature Sounds (2008)
This one should be considered a “How To” manual for regional rap stars who are poised to detonate worldwide.

Peter Bjorn and John | Seaside Rock

SAM UBL — Thu, 02 Oct 2008 00:13:35 GMT

Almost Gold/Star Time | 2008
It’s really pointless. And somewhat nice.

Jem | Down to Earth

MIKAEL WOOD — Tue, 23 Sep 2008 23:10:50 GMT

ATO (2008)
The songs broadcast their emotional content — anxiety, melancholy, resilience — with a straightforwardness you rarely hear outside children’s music.

Ben Folds | Way To Normal

ZETH LUNDY — Tue, 23 Sep 2008 23:08:41 GMT

Epic (2008)
His attitude may remain young at heart, but his irony’s over the hill.

Ani DiFranco | Red Letter Year

TED DROZDOWSKI — Tue, 23 Sep 2008 23:12:29 GMT

Righteous Babe (2008)
This is DiFranco’s most sophisticated album, a musical convergence of her best qualities: warm singing, graceful writing, experimentation.

Dungen | 4

DANIEL BROCKMAN — Tue, 23 Sep 2008 23:14:27 GMT

Kemado (2008)
The playing is looser and rougher than you might expect, with tons of drum fills that teeter on the verge of sloppy, but this adds to Dungen’s trademark unpredictability.

Horse Feathers | House With No Home

NINA MACLAUGHLIN — Tue, 23 Sep 2008 23:24:01 GMT

Kill Rock Stars (2008)
It’s not a sad album, but it is mournful, in the hushed and satisfying way that Sunday afternoons in November can be.

Koushik | Out My Window

GUSTAVO TURNER — Tue, 23 Sep 2008 23:29:03 GMT

Stones Throw (2008)
Although unshy about his background, he’s a subtle arranger, reluctant to play the Bollywood card (there’s not even a teaspoon of Asha).

Annie

DANIEL BROCKMAN — Tue, 16 Sep 2008 20:34:41 GMT

Don’t Stop | Island
Annie is adept at balancing bratty tweener kiss-off ’tude with dance-friendly bliss — meaning that someone over 16 can listen to her music without wincing.

Julie Fowlis

JEFFREY GANTZ — Tue, 16 Sep 2008 20:53:50 GMT

Cuilidh | Spit + Polish
The back-up is fine, but it’s Fowlis’s soughing voice, all wind and water and machair and peewit, that’s Cuilidh ’s treasure.