Although he hasn’t made much of a splash on this side of the pond, Paul Weller’s British career marks him as one of the most successful artists to emerge from the punk/new-wave scene. This CD sampler culls 23 tunes from the four-CD, 67-track Hit Parade retrospective box, and although it’s…
Established in 1996 by producer Chris “Peanut Butter Wolf” Manak, Stones Throw serves as a benchmark for innovative hip-hop music. This compilation, originally released last year as an in-store exclusive through Guitar Center, arrives at the height of the L.A.-based imprint’s popularity. It collects underground hits (Lootpack’s “Whenimondamic” and Aloe…
It’s good finally to hear an LP from Cali-via-Detroit hip-hop darling Ta’Raach, who has been stuck in “next to blow up” status for, well, the bulk of his life. While rapping under the name Lacks in the late ’90s, he helped start a makeshift group called the Breakfast Club with…
Fall Out Boy is its own best friend and its own worst enemy. But subpar live shows, photos of bassist Pete Wentz’s penis, and Internet fights with ex-friends (see askheychris.livejournal.com/93593.html) can’t seem to stop the pop-punk juggernaut. The Chicago quartet addresses criticism head-on in this release, slyly incorporating a response…
Queens-bred, Broward-based lyricist Dynas has put out an impressive limited-edition mixtape, Street Skriptures, that unabashedly “borrows” beats and vocals from other producers. Corporate attorneys would call such an act theft, but hey, this is hip-hop. Jacking beats is a 25-year-old habit within the genre, and on Street Skriptures, Dynas does…
St. John of the Cross, a 16th-century Spanish mystic, described something called “the dark night of the soul,” which he defined as that necessary descent on the way to salvation. His visions in the abyss of self-reflection were weird, beautiful, and (in hindsight) all the redemption he needed. Fast-forward to…
There aren’t too many bands in South Florida that pride themselves on making truck-driving music. The sweaty-armpit-style, four-to-the-floor country rock that’s almost nonexistent around these parts, might have a sizable audience — but there aren’t that many venues where you can still relax and hear it. So it’s no wonder…
Black Milk is becoming the hip-hop junkie’s newest fix. Born Curtis Cross, he’s been creeping toward brand-name status since his 2005 debut album, Sound of the City. Until then, Black Milk was known strictly as a producer, so his pinpoint lyricism caught critics by surprise. His ability as an MC…
Although he never achieved the same fame as his peers — a group that includes Augustus Pablo and Tommy McCook — the late Jackie Mittoo (1948-1990) was a major player in the history of reggae, rock steady, and ska. Mittoo was an ace on the keyboards, a charter member of…
Like Public Enemy and the Wu-Tang Clan, the five pioneering group members of N.W.A were a revolutionary bunch that changed music with unabated street rhymes composed within the framework of gangster rap. However, no rappers were oppressed like Dr. Dre, Ice Cube, MC Ren, Yella, and the late Eazy-E —…
The Postmarks make music that, at times, is part Burt Bacharach, part Beach Boys, and part folk rock. That’s an odd blend in 2007, but this emo-pop trio knows how to bring it together. The Postmarks have appeared in this rag before and have raised their profile since we last…
It’s visualization time, folks. So go ahead, close your eyes, and imagine an endless stretch of cliffs overlooking a slate-gray ocean, with cold waves crashing like reverberating feedback. A thick, moist fog clings to everything save a constellation of volcanoes dotting the landscape; each one sporadically shoots clouds of television…
Jazz and hip-hop once constituted a popular combination thanks to the likes of Gang Starr and A Tribe Called Quest. And while the mainstream has seemingly lost its taste for the blend, there’s plenty of flavor left in it — at least when Future Jazz Project is plugged in. The…
“Oh, cool! A Curious George doll!” Dears frontman Murray Lightburn exclaims. “I’ve been wanting one of these for my kid for ages.” He pauses. “Sorry about that — I got sidetracked. I’m in a pharmacy right now in Winnipeg.” These are not exactly the first words you expect to hear…
Musicians have faced adversity on the road to success since time immemorial. Hell, the Polish hunted down and killed thousands of musicians called bandurists for four centuries before they got over that nasty habit. In other words, a lot of forces have always conspired to keep musicians from achieving their…
A year ago, Paul McCartney opened the vaults to the Freelance Hellraiser, who smashed the back catalog all to, well, hell by mashing up mediocre Macca till it sounded brighter than the solo Beatle ever did all by his lonesome. Now comes the old pro himself, Sir George Martin, attempting…
Filled with invigorating takes on classic rock warhorses, 2002’s Sucking the 70’s just might be the best tribute compilation ever produced. And while its sequel, Sucking the 70’s, Back in the Saddle Again, returns many of the same stoner-rock all-stars, Empire Strikes Back it ain’t. Like the first Sucking, the…
Singer/songwriter Cayce Lindner sports a thick gray beard, calls Northern California home, and plucks an acoustic guitar. This means a lot of people will describe his new project, Flying Canyon, as a symptom of this whole freak-folk, indie-hippie fad. And while Glenn Donaldson’s production — transforming doom-metal grooves into woodland…
“Fetti Profoun” is a horrible hip-hop handle, but the hooks here are hot as hell. The CD opens with audio clips from news stations, spliced together to sound like a big, controversial story about the Phoenix-based Fetti, then busts into the title track with hydraulic-bumpin’ beats and suspenseful synths, where…
“I’m waist-deep in alligators,” Bill “Watermelon Slim” Homans sings on his latest album, Watermelon Slim & the Workers, “and sometimes I’m neck-deep in bullshit.” The Oklahoma-based blues singer, slide guitarist, and harmonica player has definitely seen his share of… well, trouble and contention in his day. But that’s because he…
“Hellektro” group Combichrist has long been a favorite of the fetish community. Led by Norwegian-born Andy LaPlegua, Combichrist blends dark techno, aggro beats, and synth noise to produce a wicked, hawkish soundscape that’s equally diabolical and danceable. The title track drowns in pulsating synths, while LaPlegua’s fuzzed-over voice floats to…
Ever since Buena Vista Social Club, Afro-Cuban music has been on the radar of mainstream trendspotters both old and young. Yet the majority of new releases and rereleases since BVSC have concentrated on the Caribbean side of the equation (with the possible exception of Senegal’s Orchestre Baobab), to the detriment…
