Music
2006 music preview
On Tour in Philly: February 10-11: Wu-Tang Clan at the Electric Factory February 16: Common at the House of Blues, Atlantic City March 4: Belle & Sebastian and the New Pornographers at the Electric Factory April 6: Coldplay at the Wachovia Center Albums to be Released: Belle & Sebastian -- The Life Pursuit, February 7 After having teamed up with producer Trevor Horn (Tatu) for 2003's Dear Catastrophe Waitress, the band returns to its usual producer, Tony Hoffer, for this much-anticipated album, which is said to have a '70s influence.
Don't stroke their ego
In 2001, with the release of the Strokes' first album, Is This It, critics predicted that they would be the leaders of a new era of rock and roll, and for a while, they were right.
Best Albums of 2005
And you thought music was dead. It's been a pretty good year for music, with some disappointments along the way, but if anything, 2005 indicated that good bands just keep getting better.
Albums
Vlad and Joe Who Let the Kulaks Out? Everyone says that neo-Russian folk duo Vlad and Joe is just a novelty act.
Fomenting the groove
When Marxist revolutionary Ernesto "Che" Guevara was captured in Bolivia and summarily executed by the Bolivian army, he never dreamed that a Penn a cappella group would name themselves in his honor.
New Rules of the road
Labeled by some as the second-coming of supergroup the Wu-Tang Clan, Harlem rap group the Diplomats have garnered the attention of the masses with their "pink movement." The group's leadoff man, Juelz Santana, has returned with his second solo album, What the Game's Been Missing!, backed by platinum plaque producing powerhouse Def Jam.
Spreading the gospel of rock
On most days the First Unitarian Church seems like any of Philadelphia's religious congregational centers.
Seth Cohen's ipod, you've done it again
When a show loses its edge, there's no reason for its soundtrack to suffer as well. By consistently bringing relatively unknown yet talented artists into the spotlight, "The O.C." enriches the musical horizons of many a viewer.
Guilty Pleasure
Andrew Thompson and his genius found me when I least expected it, and I'm not surprised. It was serendipity, or karma, or something Eastern or something.
A Composer Comes of Age
I almost feel as if I'm channeling music when I improvise," says jazz saxophonist Ron Kerber. Performing at Chris's Jazz Cafe in Philadelphia on a warm November night, his eyes are shut, and at the climactic moments his countenance becomes mangled.
Black and Blues
On their way to the bathroom on a flight to Seattle, the Black Keys spotted the lead singer from Train in first class.
The Super Furries Move on
We killed them. We cut them up, and we had one last show where we had little children dressed up as yetis.
Television killed the indie-radio stars
While their shows have always been received favorably by fans, Wilco has not built its reputation as a live band.
Tangled up in Jew David Berman turns focus inward
Four years after Bright Flight, David Berman returns to his post as the poet laureate of indie rock.
Hanson: The 'Street' Interview
Street Music: How is your latest album Underneath different from you older stuff? What were you trying to achieve? Isaac Hanson: I would say Underneath is probably the most mellow record we've done over the years.
Of Mouse and men
MF Doom and DJ Danger Mouse are so hung up on gimmickry that to call The Mouse and the Mask a "concept album" comes almost as an afterthought.
Hopping on the Band Wagon
Death Cab for Cutie isn't just [Ben] Gibbard's band," drummer Jason McGerr says, speaking about the group's lauded lead man.
Boys Falling in
During last year's Vans Warped Tour, a hand-held radio was stolen. After being threatened and even bribed by tour security, the culprit demanded only one thing in return for the over-expensive piece of equipment -- to meet Fall Out Boy.
