Dr. Dog - Fate
Artist: Dr. Dog Review: "Let go of the old ones/We've got some new ones," sings Scott McMicken on "The Old Days," a woozy parlor-room piano-rock reverie. The Philadelphia band's albums have always sounded like they should be filed alongside "old ones" like the Band, the Beach Boys, the Beatles and the Bonzo Dog Band, but Fate feels less like a straight tribute to Dr. Dog's elders and more like a finely tuned collage. "The Breeze" begins as a trembling folkie ballad for acoustic guitar, piano and harmonica, then... Rating: 3 Stars
Tricky - Knowle West Boy
Artist: Tricky Review: 2008 is shaping up as the Year Bristol Bounced Back. Earlier this year, the city's trip-hop lords Portishead released the superb album Third. Now comes the first record in five years from Tricky, who helped codify the foreboding Bristol sound along with Portishead and Massive Attack in the mid-Nineties. Tricky's hometown is much on his mind: The album title refers to the hardscrabble hood where he grew up, and he has called the album a homage to the Brit pop of his youth. You can hear the... Rating: 3.5 Stars
The Clash - Live at Shea Stadium
Artist: The Clash Review: In late 1982, the greatest punk band of all time was in the midst of a swift, sad decline: Though the Clash had just released their most commercially successful album, Combat Rock, they had also just booted longtime drummer and then-smack addict Topper Headon — a move that, according to late, great frontman Joe Strummer, sent the band "limping to its death." The f0llowing year would see the departure of singer-guitarist Mick Jones, and the classic Clash lineup would never cut another... Rating: 4 Stars
The Zutons, You Can Do Anything
The Zutons are, you'll be relieved to know, on fine form.
David Archuleta - David Archuleta
Artist: David Archuleta Review: On he most recent season of American Idol, David Archuleta was a golden-voiced koala, too sweet to be sexy. His debut is similarly flavorless: Beautifully sung but snoozy tunes like "My Hands" never achieve takeoff, and his chaste voice is a poor match for lovey-dovey lyrics. He only sounds like he's having a blast on "Don't Let Go," co-written with JC Chasez, which digs into an edgier melody and trades vocal gymnastics for pure power. At least the disc ends with a reminder of how Archuleta got... Rating: 2.5 Stars
Living Colour
Czwórka czarnoskórych Amerykanów nigdy nie okupowała pierwszych miejsc list przebojów. Nie sprzedali porażającej liczby albumów. Mimo to są grupą kultową, mają sporą grupę oddanych fanów....
Herbaliser, The
Twórczość Herbalisera pokazuje, jak elastyczna może być hiphopowa formuła. Dokonania londyńskiego duetu niewiele mają wspólnego z kojarzonymi z tym gatunkiem stereotypami....
Big Blue Ball (Peter Gabriel) - Big Blue Ball
Artist: Big Blue Ball (Peter Gabriel) Review: Gabriel fans hoping for a follow-up to 2002's Up will have to keep waiting. Big Blue Ball is neither new nor is it strictly Gabriel, although the pioneering art rocker's aesthetic stamp (and, on four songs, his voice) is all over this global-music mosaic. In the early Nineties, Gabriel staged a series of jam sessions at his Real World Studios in the English countryside, where musicians ranging from Sinéad O'Connor to Living Colour guitarist Vernon Reid to soukous legend Papa Wemba sang or played... Rating: 3 Stars
Guillemots, Red
Red is a frustrating record; for every moment of brilliance you find yourself tearing your hair out at their deliberate obtuesness.
Cage The Elephant, Cage The Elephant
If you want to release some good time rock 'n' roll, listen to this album.
Luciano, Jah Is My Navigator
Jah Is My Navigator is a return to form, and a good indication of what the fuss is about.
Buena Vista Social Club - Buena Vista Social Club at Carnegie Hall
Artist: Buena Vista Social Club Review: In 1998, the aging members of this Cuban collective realized a lifelong dream: playing to a sold-out audience at Carnegie Hall. That show, captured on this two-disc set, is even more emotionally engaging than the group's eponymous album, which triggered a worldwide Latin-jazz revival. Highlights include a fiery vocal workout on "El Cuarto de Tula"; the intoxicating folk of "Orgullecida," featuring Ry Cooder's Hawaiian-style slide guitar; the wistful bolero "Dos Gardenias," sung with delicate nua... Rating: 4.5 Stars
Maleńczuk Maciej
Niepokończone szkoły, niepozaczynane zawody, pobyt w więzieniu, granie na ulicach, przygody z narkotykami i parę kultowych płyt w dorobku to tylko kilka z punktów rock?n?rollowego CV Macieja Maleńczuka....
Mystery Jets, Twenty One
At times this makes for rather surreal, though tantalizingly marvelous listening.
My Morning Jacket, Evil Urges
The sheer amount of choice is befuddling, but somehow, in a strange way, it all works. And it works well.
Bajm
11 czerwca 2008 r. Trwa drugi dzień 45. Krajowego Festiwalu Piosenki Polskiej w Opolu. Jedną z jego gwiazd jest zespół Bajm, który gości tu regularnie od lat. I ciągle powraca. Ma do kogo - publiczność kocha Bajm, a Bajm kocha występować w Opolu....
David Migden And The Dirty Words, Second Hand Tattoo
Listen to this now. See him when you can.
The Fratellis, Here We Stand
Here We Stand is a baffling album... really, it's hard to see the point.
Elbow, Seldom Seen Kid
For the most part it's brilliant business as usual.
ZZ Top - Eliminator
Artist: ZZ Top Review: Mention dance rock and people think of Franz Ferdinand or Duran Duran. But when it comes to the American edition, nothing matches the ferocity or success of ZZ Top's 1983 Eliminator, a landmark blend of traditional Texan boogie blues, New Wave synths and disco-steady beats that sold over 10 million U.S. units. Yielding the band's sleek pop breakthrough, "Legs," and a slew of similarly strutting rock-radio staples, Eliminator announced a major studio reinvention from a hairy Houston threesome... Rating: 4.5 Stars
Lady Pank
Debiutancka płyta "Lady Pank", wydana w 1983 przez Tonpress, zrobiła w kraju furorę. Zespół dał w tym roku 360 koncertów, nieraz występując dwa, a nawet trzy razy dziennie....