Fewer than seven months after his album “Nuclear Daydream,” singer/songwriter Arthur is back with a collection of rough-edged rock songs, recorded with his new band, the Lonely Astronauts. It’s quite a makeover for Peter Gabriel’s protege, who is known for his labyrinthine vocal harmonies and dark, introspective, acoustic-based songs. More outgoing than ever, he […]
Viewers of “The L Word” are aware of Canadian trio the Cliks, whose ferocious “Complicated” was recently featured in an episode of the Showtime TV show. These days the video for the amped-up, angst-filled love song “Oh Yeah” is a mainstay on the Logo network. Sure, the Cliks are being championed by the gay […]
Green Day’s Billie Joe Armstrong has become a volunteer for homeless charity Habitat For Humanity in New Orleans.
Armstrong, accompanied by members of his family, has been posting updates of his work on the band’s official website, Greenday.net.
Yesterday (April 12) he wrote: “Today we worked on the upper ninth ward. I had to do some […]
Paul McCartney will make nearly $400 million when the Beatles’ music is made available on the Internet, according to reports.
Sir Macca was at the center of lawsuit between the Fab Four and EMI over a royalties dispute launched by the band in 2005.
Yesterday it was confirmed an agreement has been reached between both parties, […]
Macy Gray admits she only collaborated with Justin Timberlake on her new album because she was “forced to.”
The singer, who has been working on her record Big for the past two years, originally wanted to work exclusively with hip-hop uberproducer Will.I.Am, but his work with Black Eyed Peas had to take priority.
And despite a […]
The audio component of the dystopian back story that frames the record and its attendant Web angle/ publicity stunt, Nine Inch Nails’s “Year Zero” is reportedly set 15 years into the future in a world controlled by a violent theocracy, where, in keeping with Orwellian law, citizens are regularly drugged and a God-hand has […]
The former Phish keys tickler makes a steady, sweet and honest solo debut, besting the unfocused and overly slick recent efforts of better-known compatriot Trey Anastasio. Though he, like Anastasio, mixes singer/songwriter-style confessionals with longer, jammed-out numbers, McConnell doesn’t forget to balance his introspective lyrical tendencies with playful arrangements, deploying Stevie Wonder-esque clav grooves, […]
On her sophomore album, R&B singer Lumidee attempts to showcase her rapping capacity, but falls short of the mark. Fortunately, her singing efforts have considerably improved on this set. On the Patrick Swayze-sampling “She’s Like the Wind,” the Spanish Harlem native jadedly rhymes, “Always with the best, put them other dudes to rest, so […]
Inarguably this year’s most expansive and creative improvisational performance, the “9 Compositions (Iridium) 2006″ nine-CD boxed set chronicles iconic alto-saxophonist Braxton on a four-night engagement with his 12+1tet at New York’s Iridium. Recorded in March 2006, the collection comprises nine large-scale, world-premiere Braxton compositions (with numerical titles, Nos. 350-358) that complete his 11-year-old “Ghost […]
“Cassadaga,” the sixth proper full-length from Conor Oberst under the Bright Eyes moniker, is — at its core — a road album. The travels the indie superstar undertakes on these 13 country-hued tunes are chronicled in his most oblique songwriting territory to date. Cities and states are name-checked, but the imagery is more dream-like. […]
It’s not as broad as its title suggests, but Dutch DJ/producer Tiesto’s third album is one of dance’s savvier recent packages. First single “In the Dark” plays on the modern rock trend, with vocalist Christian Burns belting a Killers-ish chorus in a perfect emo-boy whine. Charlotte Martin sounds just like Tori Amos on “Sweet […]
While Grinderman is a side project of Nick Cave and three members of his band the Bad Seeds, those expecting more of the same are in for a rude awakening. For one, Cave plays electric guitar, despite the fact that he’s relatively new to the instrument, resulting in a raw, almost punk feel. The […]
It’s no surprise that David Ball sounds so comfortable singing such ’50s classics as the Harlan Howard-penned Charlie Walker hit “Pick Me Up on Your Way Down,” the Johnnie & Jack top 10 “Stop the World (And Let Me Off)” and Bob Wills’ chart-topping “Faded Love” — he has been performing these songs in his […]
We didn’t think Shadows Fall would sound much different once it jumped ship from Century Media to Atlantic, but neither did we expect the majority of “Threads of Life” to sound exactly the same. You’re not sure if you’re moving along on the record until two ballads (”Another Hero Lost,” “The Great Collapse”) pop […]
