Music
The Dirty South Rocks Out
"I don't hate you at all, really." Phew! Jason Isbell, guitarist and vocalist of the Drive-By Truckers has just reassured Street that Northern upbringings do not, after all, provoke hate in him.
Editor's Picks
Jim Newell Bjork Medulla Bjork is one of the few artists I feel perfectly comfortable sacrificing my masculinity to promote.
Quick Spins
Badly Drawn Boy One Plus One is One Damon Gough, better known as Badly Drawn Boy, doesn't seem to know what he wants to be.
In the Zone
Charlotte Martin recently finished driving across the country. She also managed to squeeze in a little singing along the way, since the drive was for a spring concert tour.
Technicolor Spree
24 smiling white-robed musicians belting sunny verses and playing instruments like guitars and French horns.
Hear That Buzz?
Tyrannosaurus Hives is misleading after an inital spin. Compared to the garage band's second album, 2000's Veni Vidi Vicious, this album is cold and slick, very different from the raw Vicious, which had a basic live sound.
Tipping The Scales
The Roots know they're on the cusp of entering the upper echelon of rap popularity. Forever championed by critics and underground hip-hop fans, the group has scored hits on their past two albums: "You Got Me" from 1999's Things Fall Apart and "The Seed (2.0)" from 2002's Phrenology. The Tipping Point means many things to the band, including that this album may very well decide if this band is accepted by the general hip-hop populace, or left to be appreciated by those who look hard enough for good hip-hop. Thus, it's rather ballsy that The Tipping Point's first single is "Don't Say Nuthin'," a track in which lead emcee Black Thought rips the bland hip-hop community that isn't saying anything.
Heavy Lifting
The titles on Together We're Heavy, the second album from The Polyphonic Spree, are numbered from 11 to 20, continuing from the first ten sections of the band's debut, The Beginning Stages of... Despite the titling, however, things couldn't be more different on this sophomore effort. The Spree's debut was originally recorded as a demo, and didn't feature many of the current 21 group members.
The Rising
There is one piece of advice that Dave Bielanko -- lead singer of Marah -- has for people who bash his band: "Whatever you wanna do is good with us.
Back To The Streets
"What's Ramones?" Mike Skinner, the one-man act of The Streets, asks from his cell phone, en route to Utah.
Pop Rocks
Former Weezer bassist Matt Sharp told Street last week that he didn't understand distorting guitars these days.
He's Come Undone
Matt Sharp has been in the music business for over a decade, but with the release of his self-titled solo debut, he finds himself back where he started, when he was Weezer's falsetto-singing bassist. "There were no expectations for that Weezer record," Sharp explains.
To Heaven Through Hell
"Heavy punk rock is the best way to describe it," explains Ben Perri, lead singer of From Autumn to Ashes.
Keeping it Simple?
Once a near-popstar, jaded by his brush with "careerist music," Simple Kid is now a one-man act who writes and composes.
Clearly Canadian
She's the same old Alanis. She's been a victim. She's been a bitch. She's gotten better. If there is a reason for So-Called Chaos, it's pain.
Sign of the Cross
Despite the too-easy, self-deprecating title, David Cross' latest comedy CD -- It's Not Funny -- is a hilarious, diverse look at his life, at politics, and at the world.
Albums
Aerosmith Honkin' on Bobo 2 stars On Aerosmith's new album Honkin' on Bobo, the five rockers take a positive new step -- the album doesn't sound exactly like the band's last few.
Not artsy fartsy
Cursive is sick of hearing about Omaha. "It's kind of hard to have any feeling if you read press that mentions Omaha.
Cutting-Edge Traditionalism
The shape-shifting world of entertainment requires new musicians to bend borders and break with stale conventions.
