The style known as “anti-folk,” as realized by practitioners like Ani DiFranco and Billy Bragg, is derived from a punk aesthetic, and thus tends to be spare and confrontational. But while Regina Spektor’s music is anti-folk in the way it subverts the traditional coffeehouse vibe, it’s less interested in rebellion and more concerned with […]
Two eclectic acoustic music veterans are better than one, as this second collaboration by singer-songwriter Peter Rowan and guitar virtuoso Tony Rice attests. Doubling their fun is the addition of bassist Bryn Davies and mandolinist Sharon Gilchrist, who provide female harmonies as well as instrumental support. Five of the eleven tunes are Rowan originals, […]
On their third album, Portland, Oregon’s Menomena (remember Sesame Street and the Piero Umaliani song, “Mah Na Mah Na”?) sound like Spoon on the brink of outer space with Mercury Rev riding in their rocketship. They write collectively, using software they scripted to assemble songs from their own click-tracks and melody snippets–and then re-learn […]
What k.d. lang branded “torch and twang” might serve as a starting point for a description of Neko Case’s music, but the uniqueness of a style that incorporates country roots, punk attitude, and supper-club sophistication defies classification. Her 2003 debut performance on the Austin City Limits series (also available on DVD) showcases Case’s artistry […]
Wynonna’s first solo holiday album comes across as a thing of beauty, but also as something of a surprise, and not just because she tackles “Ave Maria” in Italianized Latin. Though paired with the original team behind the Judds (producer Brent Maher, musical arranger/guitarist Don Potter), the normally fiery redhead seems subdued on this […]
The Shins’ third album probably won’t change your life, despite what Natalie Portman’s character insists in “Garden State.” But “Wincing the Night Away” might actually be their best yet, a quietly ambitious effort that nudges the Shins’ trademark indie pop into unexpected new directions. There’s a drum machine beat, loping bass groove, strings and […]
The 22nd release in Hersh’s 20-year career has the ambition, enthusiasm and intensity of an artist still pushing the envelope. These terse, rocking tone poems of self-awareness expose Hersh’s conflict between “numb and feeling,” as she puts it in “Peggy Lee.” Children and marriage haven’t muted the aching adolescent emptiness. Check out “Day Glo,” […]
Kenny Wayne Shepherd passed for an old blues soul when he was just 18 and released his first album, “Ledbetter Heights.” So it shouldn’t be surprising that, at 29, he can hang convincingly with some real old blues souls on “10 Days Out (Blues From the Backroads),” a CD/DVD project resulting from a sojourn […]
Pace’s latest offering is easily the strongest and most fully realized of her already estimable career. Having built a reputation as one of the most gifted purveyors of hand-clapping, foot-stomping gospel, Pace makes no concession to the contemporary R&B influences prevalent in much of the genre today. In fine, powerful voice, she pours herself […]
It’s been around for nearly a decade, but Placebo is a band-of-the-moment. Next-generation Goth (or is it emo?) faves like Panic! at the Disco and My Chemical Romance point to the British trio as a primary influence. Singer Brian Molko does the nasal, androgynous thing better than almost anyone, and most of all, the […]
Much like 2004’s “Milk Man,” Deerhoof’s new set reinvents what it means to be “accessible” for the trio. Experimental elements like startling dissonant chords in “The Galaxist” or the held-tilting formlessness on “Whither the Invisible Birds” rear their heads amid recognizable pop, rock and dance arrangements. Satomi Matsuzaki’s toy-like voice, combined with authoritative power chords […]
For three decades-plus, Mellencamp’s music has represented Middle America and its blue-collar values. “Freedom’s Road” is no different. That’s not to say his latest release is stale. The garage band feel of the album — which was, in fact, recorded in a garage — breathes new life into Mellencamp’s common-man themes. Indeed, his first […]
Brazil’s gift to popular music, Veloso has crossed many stylistic borders in his prolific career, from straight-up bossa to rule-breaking tropicalia fusion. But on “ce,” he shifts gears with robust vitality and delivers what he calls his “clandestine rock album.” Conceived while he was preparing to record a collection of sambas, the disc spotlights […]
If Danger Mouse’s last big project, Gnarls something-or-other, existed in a zany monster movie, his new one takes place in the buildup scenes, where, say, a bunch of explorers are wandering around a misty, lost island. GBQ is a Damon Albarn-orchestrated supergroup featuring the Mouse, Clash bassist Paul Simonon and Fela Kuti drummer Tony […]
