The duo of Susanna Hoffs and Matthew Sweet may be the perfect assimilation of vocal chops and instrumental savvy, as shown on a pair of recent albums titled Under The Covers (Shout! Factory), with volume one re-examining big hits from the ’60s and volume two tackling the ’70s. The track record for Hoffs and Sweet [...]
From the crackle and hiss of deteriorating analog tape emerges a distant choir, a spectral church song carried by a blustery Icelandic wind. The vocals soak peacefully in reverb, accompanied only by a single modulating tone. Imagine the big ambience of Sigur Rós’ Takk… stretched into the minimalism of Brian Eno’s “1/2” from Music For [...]
All right, troops, once more, and then to hell with it: To peg a piece of music as “overrated” isn’t necessarily to denigrate it, only to suggest that in the popular mind it’s come to be: a) regarded more highly than it ought to be, or b) held in higher esteem than other pieces equally, [...]
The duo of Susanna Hoffs and Matthew Sweet may be the perfect assimilation of vocal chops and instrumental savvy, as shown on a pair of recent albums titled Under The Covers (Shout! Factory), with volume one re-examining big hits from the ’60s and volume two tackling the ’70s. The track record for Hoffs and Sweet [...]
The weather was mostly pitch perfect for the weekend at Chicago’s Union Park, insignificant showers on Saturday, 70 degrees on Sunday. The audience, as usual, was informed, committed and up for anything, but the aptly named Fucked Up gave some of its fans more than they bargained for when they leapt from the Aluminum Stage with [...]
Polly Scattergood may look like the nice and normal Essex, England, singer/songwriter next door, but it quickly becomes clear that she’s absolutely mental. If Bat For Lashes hasn’t filled the Björk/Kate Bush/Tori Amos-shaped hole in your crazy femme heart, Scattergood is at the door with a box of toothpick sculptures of tropical animals. They’re all [...]
Ever wonder what will happen during the last five minutes of late-night TV talk shows? Here are tonight’s notable performers: The Late Show With David Letterman (CBS): Spinnerette The new band led by frontlady Brody Dalle, Spinnerette sounds less like her former band, the Distillers, and ex-husband Tim Armstrong (Op Ivy, Rancid), and more like [...]
The duo of Susanna Hoffs and Matthew Sweet may be the perfect assimilation of vocal chops and instrumental savvy, as shown on a pair of recent albums titled Under The Covers (Shout! Factory), with volume one re-examining big hits from the ’60s and volume two tackling the ’70s. The track record for Hoffs and Sweet [...]
Finally, an MP3 At 3PM from an artist even non-music experts have actually heard of: prominent rapper, actor and Peabody Award winner Mos Def. His fourth solo album, The Ecstatic (Downtown), was released last month and is aptly named, as it derives inspiration from myriad musical genres. Forgive Def for appearing in some less-than-adequate movies and [...]
