Category: Music
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Ben Folds – Songs For Silverman
Artist: Ben Folds Title: Songs For Silverman Label: Epic Rating: 6.5/10 CORPORATE LINE: A new record—here comes the piano man. THE GREAT: “Jesusland” – Irony in everything is the guide to Folds and his inspiration (“cross flying high above the malls”). “Landed” – Folds addresses a lover and the mistakes that befell their relationship. “Late”…
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Caesars – Paper Tigers
Artist: Caesars Title: Paper Tigers Label: Astralwerks Rating: 7.5/10 CORPORATE LINE: Features the “Jerk It Out” as heard in the iPod Shuffle commercial. Hailed by Blender magazine for making music “as hot as a kiln,” the Caesars new album is richly layered power pop with a sound that melds the summer of ‘65 electric beat…
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Bruce Springsteen – Devils & Dust
Artist: Bruce Springsteen Title: Devils & Dust Label: Columbia Rating: 8/10 CORPORATE LINE: Bruce Springsteen’s new album, Devils & Dust (Columbia Records) will be released exclusively in DualDisc format on April 26 in the US, with the full album on CD on one side of the disc and DVD content on the other side. The…
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Crossfade – Interview
Crossfade are a true success story. A little more than a year ago they were virtually unknown outside of their home state of South Carolina. Now, one year later, they have easily topped five hundred thousand album sales, two smash hit songs, over 260 live shows, and at least ten national TV appearances later they’ve…
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Manic Street Preachers – The Holy Bible [10th Anniversary Edition]
Artist: Manic Street Preachers Title: The Holy Bible [10th Anniversary Edition] Label: Sony Rating: 9/10 Although fairly obscure in the USA, the Manic Street Preachers have been a household name in their native England and across Europe and Japan for over a decade. The band of avant-garde misfits came out around the time grunge first…
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Mariah Carey – The Emancipation of Mimi
Artist: Mariah Carey Title: The Emancipation of Mimi Label: Island Rating: 6/10 CORPORATE LINE: The Emancipation of Mimi marks “the return of the voice.” As an artist who has paved the way for a host of emerging talent throughout the years, Mariah is set once again to redefine the heights of musical success with her…
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112 – Interview [2005]
If anyone had told the soul boy members of 112—Q, Slim, Daron and Mike– that they’ll still be making records nine years after their self-titled debut dropped from r&b heaven, they might not have believed you. “We thought we might make enough money to open a laundry or something,” Mike jokes. “We never thought we’d…
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American Hi-Fi – Hearts on Parade
Artist: American Hi-Fi Title: Hearts on Parade Label: Island Rating: 5/10 CORPORATE LINE: Set up by two acclaimed albums and in the past few months playing live to half-a-million fans, American Hi-Fi turns up the volume with its Maverick debut, Hearts on Parade, produced by Butch Walker. Led by Stacy Jones, American Hi-Fi scores the…
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Starz – Ryko Reissues
Artist: Starz Title: Ryko Reissues Label: Ryko Rating: 8/10 Even with these stellar new reissues from Ryko, the New York band Starz will most likely remain a footnote in the annals rock history—a band of also-rans with a few memorable moments, but ultimately, minimal impact on the scene. But upon closer examination, Starz and its…
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No Address – Time Doesn’t Notice
Artist: No Address Title: Time Doesn’t Notice Label: Atlantic Rating: 5/10 CORPORATE LINE: On “TIME DOESN’T NOTICE,” the Tallahassee-based No Address brings an inspired spin to modern rock. Ben Lauren, a published poet and the band’s chief songwriter, offers up profoundly honest and ingenious lyrics, melded with music that is both aggressive and soulful. No…