Stephanie Myers
Saturday Looks Good to Me, ‘One Kiss Ends It All’ – Album Review
Saturday Looks Good to Me's forte used to be upbeat ditties that belied their often heartrending lyrics. While the contrast usually worked in their favor, their latest effort, 'One Kiss Ends It All,' finds the band focusing on the latter half of that equation, with music and melodies to match.
Iggy and the Stooges, ‘Ready to Die’ – Album Review
Those without the surname Pop may do well to step aside after the age of 65 and let the young blood through. Iggy, however, keeps going. The 66-year-old Godfather of Punk is back with the Stooges for a new studio album, 'Ready to Die,' which may please the sector of fans simply looking for a familiar fix of the iconic group's patented raw power.
Sparks Play NYC for First Time Since 2002, Bring ‘Fantastic Strangeness’ to Highline Ballroom
It's unlikely you'll ever come across another band like Sparks — and in an industry full of artists desperate to sound like one another, there's no higher praise.
Meat Puppets, ‘Rat Farm’ – Album Review
Musicians need not be ingénues to create vital music, something the Meat Puppets personify. Sure, the band doesn't bother changing its sound or image to match the ever-rotating flavor of the month, but really, why should they? When, over the course of your 30-year career, your followers have ranged from Nirvana to R.E.M., there's little reason you shouldn't do what you know.
Alkaline Trio, ‘My Shame Is True’ – Album Review
Alkaline Trio are reliable in all the right ways, and since the mid-'90s, the band has served listeners with a unique, inventive hybrid of power-pop and punk that runs close to the musical equivalent of comfort food. Their output is generally consistent, and with each new album, members of their rabid fan base pretty much know what they're getting.
Suede, ‘Bloodsports’ – Album Review
Since their inception in 1989, Suede have seen more than their share of changes. They've watched as Britpop and band members have come and gone and musical identifiers have been foisted upon them that weren't entirely correct. They even weathered a lawsuit that forced an official name change to the London Suede. But one thing Suede can be counted on is putting out fantastically flashy albums, rega
They Might Be Giants, ‘Nanobots’ – Album Review
It's an unfortunate reality that lazy music critics sometimes dismiss They Might Be Giants records as simply "quirky" affairs. It's an unfair, too-easy assessment of a band that's been prolifically putting out quality music for as long as "the Johns" -- founders Linnell and Flansburgh -- have.
Veronica Falls, ‘Waiting for Something to Happen’ – Album Review
"Tell me everything," urge Veronica Falls on 'Teenage,' the opening track on 'Waiting for Something to Happen.' This statement, surely not an accidental way to kick things off, encompasses a strand of vulnerability that unravels throughout the album.
"Teenage," like virtually every track here, manages to expertly capture longing without succumbing to triteness, something the Lo
The Misfits, ‘Dead Alive!’ – Album Review
Whatever their lineup at any given time, the Misfits can be counted on for one thing: putting on a show. They're modern-day medicine men, taking their wares and horror cabaret from town to town and daring audiences to call any of it snake oil.
Fortunately, there's never any need to do so. The Misfits have always been the real deal, and that's never been more evident than on their third live album,
Eels, ‘Wonderful, Glorious’ – Album Review
'Wonderful, Glorious,' the latest effort from Eels (aka 'E,' aka Mark Oliver Everett), is unsurprisingly solid, which isn't to say anything about the album is simply workmanlike. A true master of his craft, Everett is forever hanging out behind the curtain, creating, refining and fine-tuning what are the aural equivalent of gilded Fabergé eggs -- pieces of sonic and lyrical near-perfection.
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