Music
O welcome back, karen O
With the wild success of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs's debut album Fever to Tell, the musical trio from New York set a remarkably high standard for itself.
The Grateful Dead meets Picasso
Originally J. Leto and his brother's side project, 30 Seconds to Mars has recently gained a reputation in its own right.
Indie rock that you can happily gyrate to
It is not often that a band produces something truly unique. Almost every successful indie group today somehow derives its sound from Morrissey or Bowie or even Byrne.
A Penn band you actually want to hear
Penn's very own the Pale Nimbus knows something is missing from this university's campus. And so do their fans.
Turn the stereo up
Since their 1991 debut, Stereolab has functioned as one of the most influential -- if under the radar -- bands of the pseudo-pop electronica circuit.
Philly Rockers Fight for Visibility
"The last time we were out on tour was two or three years ago. We've actually just been recording this album, and watching the children.
Not all british rock stars are created equal
Hopping the pond makes for strange bedfellows. Though the Subways had an early U.S. breakthrough this fall on that great cultural arbiter, The O.C., a February release date has lumped their debut with the latest wave of British musical exports.
Processed cheese
Richard Cheese The Sunny Side of the Moon: The Best of Richard Cheese If this is your first listen to Richard Cheese, be forewarned: too much Cheese may result in massive indigestion, and upchuck reflexes may ensue.
Almost Stars
Several years ago, three members of the orchestral pop band Stars smoked pot in New York's Central Park and were arrested by an undercover cop.
Battle of the Music Fests
This past week, the line-ups for two important music festivals were announced. Hippie Bonnarooites cursed its indie line-up, while Coachella fans were equally disappointed by its list of bands.
Texas rockers drift onto the scene
Straddling the state line between Texas and Arkansas is a little city called Texarkana, home of the only U.S.
Ring My Belle... and sebastian
Belle and Sebastian The Life Pursuit What happened to the old Stuart Murdoch? Where did he go?
Hip-Hop meets hardcore
Two years ago, P.O.S. was pulling water-shutoff notices from his door. One year later, he was touring the U.S.
Jada Pinkett Smith gets jiggy with wicked wisdom
You may know her as Will Smith's wife, or as the actress in such films as the Matrix Reloaded and Madagascar, but Jada Pinkett Smith is reinventing herself as the frontwoman of the new, aggressive rock band Wicked Wisdom.
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.
