The last time these two oddball music pioneers made a record together, David Byrne was still a Talking Head and Brian Eno had yet to hook up with U2. My Life in the Bush of Ghosts, released in 1981, was an ahead-of-its-time aural collage of African rhythms, radio evangelists, and…
Kevin Rudolf is an adorable young man. The Cash Money Record’s pop-star took me out to lunch, drove me around in his Lambo, introduced me to his model girlfriends, and at around 3 a.m., took me to Cash Money’s studio in North Miami, where he introduced me to Lil Wayne,…
If there’s one thing Americans can agree on in these divisive political times, it’s this: Work sucks. It’s a 9-to-5 daily grind, with its eagle-eyed bosses, snooze-inducing tasks, and yappy co-workers who can’t possibly know how much you really don’t care about their daughter’s birthday party. Luckily, there are support…
Halloween is one of Elijah Rentas’ favorite holidays. The inside of his two-bedroom Margate apartment is lined with skulls and crossbones and looks ready for trick-or-treaters to show up at any minute. The 1978 cult film Zombi is blaring through his television set and intermittent blood-curdling screams fill the air…
We have a sound?” laughs Maria Christopher, guitarist/frontwoman for the Cambridge, Massachusetts, trio 27. Well… yes and no. The band, which includes Christopher’s sister Terri on drums and Ayal Naor on guitars and samplers, certainly conjures up a distinct brand of swirling atmospherics. But main songwriters Maria Christopher and Naor…
On their latest release, this Tennessee-based sextet takes on several old-time jazz standards and adds a new dimension to the a cappella gospel ballads that have made the group famous for the past 15 years. A spirited rendition of “Sweet Georgia Brown” opens the disc impressively, and an exciting take…
When Elzhi appeared on the late J Dilla’s 2001 album, Welcome to Detroit, jaws dropped over his flowing lyricism and unconventional rhyme patterns on “Come and Get It.” Deep into his seemingly never-ending second verse, Elzhi casually yet boldly declared, “I mean business.” Seven years later, after reestablishing himself as…
When considering the work of the Jesus and Mary Chain, most conversations begin and end with the Scottish band’s stunning 1985 debut, Psychocandy. Fair enough. With its simple, melodic pop songs dipped in battery-acid guitar feedback, the album is widely regarded as a landmark of the era. Had songwriters Jim…
Reality BV is like that brand new hip-hop LP or cassette you would grab off the top shelf at your local music shop in the ’90s. It’s always blaring through your speakers or headphones until the lyrics are committed to memory and your pulse matches the beats almost perfectly. Now…
Even if we lose love, we’ve got to try to love again,” says Jojo Garza, bassist and middle brother of Chicano blues-rock trio Los Lonely Boys. “If you’re having rough times, you gotta get up because you have to — you have to.” With that, Garza pretty much sums up…
While other top MCs have had to create their own bogeymen to battle — Kanye has his ego, Eminem had Kim, Lil Wayne has those cough-syrup Martians — T.I.’s got real problems. Released from house arrest and in the midst of 1,500 hours of community service, he still has to…
Michna’s meticulously prepared latest album, Magic Monday, is a weave of erratic sampled snippets, live instruments, and programmed beats folded into one continuous track list. The Secret Frequency Crew member and active New York DJ (alias: Egg Foo Young) is hardly green when it comes to set organization, and Michna’s…
Many music fans salivate at the mention of those who presaged the concept of roots-consciousness. Gram Parsons, one of Americana’s forefathers, envisioned “cosmic American music” (his words), a holy blend of country, rhythm & blues, rock ‘n’ roll, and gospel. Why Taj Mahal is not more often mentioned as a…
We ‘R’ Us is a lot better album than its self-serving title might imply… so much better, in fact, that it could be one of the best local rock albums released in recent memory. Chock-full of effusive grooves, resilient melodies, and supple hooks, it finds the New Planets in a…
Monkeys have always made me happy. They can be eating ripe bananas, puckering their lips at zoo visitors, or swinging from trees in a National Geographic documentary. Whatever — total joy. As I kid, I played Monkey in the Middle, Barrel o’ Monkeys, and plenty of Donkey Kong. And every…
Stuntin Like My Daddy – Birdman & Lil Wayne So Lil Wayne is back in the news today (as if he ever leaves) and it’s related to his arrest last year on gun charges in Manhattan. Last July, the rapper, whose real name is Dwayne Carter, was arrested and charged…
Early this morning, Opa-Locka-based rapper Toro, was shot and killed in Miami. The artist, whose real name is Derek Johnson, 23, was killed in a drive-by shooting while leaving Coco’s Strip Club at around 4 am. Toro, who was signed to Iconz Music, was a popular local rapper that didn’t…
By the ripe old age of 7, Opeth leader Mikael Åkerfeldt already considered himself a metalhead. So his disappointment when his grandmother gave him a classical guitar as a gift that year seems only natural. Like many an aspiring headbanger, Åkerfeldt longed for a way to rock out with the…
Although the Radio crew’s talent is well-established, the band’s music has always raised user-friendliness questions: Sure, 2006’s Return to Cookie Mountain was excellent, but did anyone other than rock critics listen to it? Dear Science tackles this conundrum head on, upping the accessibility quotient without smacking of sell-out desperation. “Crying,”…
After years of working behind the scenes as a composer and producer with many of Brazil’s new names in the pop scene (Zélia Duncan, CéU, and Pato Fu among them), São Paulo-based Beto Villares emerges with his first solo project, a sonic summary of the various genres he’s worked around…
Music lovers who enjoy sounds of the African continent often hit a wall when trying to delve accurately into Ethiopian compositions. Much of it dates back to Abyssinian tribal music from the early part of the 20th Century that, when fused with American jazz and rock influences of the ’60s…
Both as a music addict and “critic,” I hear lots of music that slips into cult status and/or obscurity while less talented musicians reap the big rewards. Take South Floridian Charlie Pickett. Throughout the1980s, he was a road warrior of roots rock long before the term became common in America…
