X is the Y of Z
By
Mark Peters
April 29th, 2009
Many bands have a cultural impact, but the Grateful Dead spawned an actual culture, one that was as unruly, varied, noisy, and colorful as anything you’d find in a forest or stem-cell smoothie. The remnants of that culture—plus the band’s kabillion recordings and periodic Jerry-less reunions—keep the Grateful Dead’s name firmly planted in our vocabulary.
Song List
By
Douglas Newman
April 28th, 2009
Along with bands like The Eagles and ABBA, Cat Stevens is a megastar that is known largely for his greatest hits. It’s a shame, really, because a closer look shows that the seventies troubadour had a string of great albums – nine in the years between 1970-1978.
Album Review
By
Lauren Maas
April 27th, 2009
Yusuf (formerly Cat Stevens) returns with only his second album in nearly 30 years. My gamut of emotions while listening to the self-deprecatingly lowercase-titled album, roadsinger, ranged from joy to fury.
Vinyl Vault
By
Douglas Newman
April 27th, 2009
Although best known for yielding three top 40 hits, Teaser and the Firecat hides some lesser known treasures among its ten songs. It’s also the pinnacle of Cat Stevens’ chart and artistic successes, capping off an incredible three album run that includes Mona Bone Jakon and Tea for the Tillerman.
Brass Trax
By
Rick Sawyer
April 26th, 2009
Better known by his on-air moniker Mikey Dread, Michael Campbell created the rules for broadcasting reggae from scratch, and his innovations—non-sequitur samples, exclusive remixes, and freaky sound effects—would become the template for the mix show, a new radio format became commonplace in the urban U.S. and U.K. by the mid-eighties.
Album Review
By
Brian Castleberry
April 26th, 2009
Already one of the more anticipated albums of 2009, Veckatimest sees Grizzly Bear at their most mature. Combining both the inverted low-fi iconoclasm of 2004’s Horn of Plenty with 2006’s more austere and folkish Yellow House into a more complete sound.
Vinyl Vault
By
Douglas Newman
April 22nd, 2009
The elder Buckley dazzles with 1969’s Happy Sad, a collection of jazz-inflected songs featuring octave leaping vocal flights and stellar contributions from guitarist Lee Underwood and vibraphonist David Friedman.
X is the Y of Z
By
Mark Peters
April 21st, 2009
Yoko Ono is to bands as Raid is to bugs — or so the story goes. Guess that’s why she’s such a common comparison, especially when the very foundation of the mob, the atom, or the Bush administration has been shaken to its foundations.
|
|
