Editorial Review

Laying waste to all the wink-wink irony, dubious material, and vocal mediocrity that frequently mires alt-country fringe dwellers, the second outing from this Virginia-born belter marries tough, twangy rock with wild, unguarded emotion. Neko's principal charm may be her voice--sometimes coming on with Dusty Springfield's indigo-eyed soul (the dreamlike "Porchlight"), Patsy Cline's aching slow burn (the slinky "No Need to Cry"), and Wanda Jackson's imperious sexuality (the rockabilly "Mood to Burn Bridges")--but her songwriting (she cowrote every tune) is surprisingly consistent and memorable. She celebrates the "passion for life" found in her abandoned home of Tacoma, Washington, or a strapped-on Telecaster, and on her best song, "Guided by Wire," she balances between "darkest recollection" and the freedom of music, the kind that matters most, all those voices "singing my life back to me." Read more

Reviews (61)

Guided by your electric wire's hum
Think of this as a relative endorsement - I've become such a fan of Neko Case in the past year that Furnace Room Lullaby, my first purchase of hers, now seems a fairly subpar Case record, something which is less a criticism than simply a high bar to live up to.There's a wealth of extraordinary songs on Furnace Room Lullaby - the cold echoes of the title track, the invigorating vocal heights of "Set Out Running," the haunted eloquence of "South Tacoma Way."What makes Case's songs so distinct is the way her melodies - as conventional as they'd ever be on this record - seem to invade with spare syllables, making each second of their short running time rattle around your head for days.What make's Furnace Room disappointing in light of the entire Case catalog is its lack of conceptual daring, its sidestepping of the passionate cohesion that elecrifies Blacklisted and Fox Confessor Brings The Flood.Certainly, she was just starting out with this record, but it falls short of her biggest accomplishments.Still, few artists can do what Case does - her powerful vocals and invasive lyrics are already in full swing, and on "Porchlight," she makes what may still be her finest and most singable song - a song whose longing is more memorable than its perfect melody.

Neko Case - Furnace Room Lullaby
This is the first CD of Neko Case I have bought.I can't believe I have never heard her on the radio.I heard the title song on a DVD movie and had to check her out.She is a very good singer, and her style is unique.If you like country, but want some variety from the mainstream stuff, this is the singer you should look for.

Forget Shania or Faith......
After I saw Neko on Breakfast with the Arts on A&E,I bought her newest cd,then bought this one.I haven't been disappointed yet and I doubt if I will be.Neko has the most beautiful and passionate voice out there and puts the Shanias and Faiths to shame..These songs should be radio and not the wannabes that make up most of country today...I mean,shouldn't Neko be more popular than the so- called country starlets that are out now?? In a perfect world,she would be...BUY THIS!!! ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Adult Alternative Pop/Rock    2. Alternative Country-Rock    3. Americana    4. Contemporary Singer/Songwriter    5. Country    6. Indie Rock    7. Pop    8. Popular Music    9. Rock    10. United States of America   

Editorial Review

The beauty of Read more

Reviews (30)

Nostalgia for Gen Xers
Sometimes, covers of old songs and attempts to modernize old childhood favorites just fall flat. This isn't one of those times.
I prefer the original artists
I bought this by mistake thinking the songs were performed by the original artists. I think you can only hear the originals by getting the dvd. I was pretty bummed at first but my child loves this. My only complaint is that you can't understand all of the words so some of the educational value of the songs is lost.

I laughed I cried, I give it four stars
Making a cover album is difficult, you'll almost never please the purists who loved the original. Putting together a compilation CD with various artists adds the problems of uneveness in style and talent. Do do all this with School House Rock songs seems really hard. To review this CD is almost as hard. Most of us of "age" loved these songs when our musical tastes ran more toward Sesame Street (or insert your tastes here, the point is our tastes have evolved). The fact that so many people still like these songs is a testament to the originals.
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Subjects:  1. 90's    2. Adult Alternative Pop/Rock    3. Alternative Pop/Rock    4. American Trad Rock    5. Indie Rock    6. Lo-Fi    7. Novelty    8. Pop    9. Pop-Rap    10. Rock    11. Rock/Pop Collections    12. Singer/Songwriter    13. V/a Compilations   

Reviews (11)

I heard you're back in a bar band...
and this bar band is goooood!
The Unsolved Mystery
There are certain unsolved mysteries in life.The existence of the Loch Ness Monster.Jimmy Hoffa's whereabouts.The popularity of the Hold Steady.I bought this album after various media outlets from NPR to the New York Times fell all over themselves to proclaim these guys the New Saviours of Rock.I don't get it.If these guys are the Next Big Thing, then maybe rock and roll really is dead.
"The Perfect Debut"
Some of the best lyrics I have heard in quite sometime.Oh, and also...This album ROCKS! Get it NOW! ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Dance Music    2. Indie Rock    3. Pop    4. Punk    5. Rock   

Editorial Review

Every now and again a band capable of not just capturing the spirit of a bygone era but portraying it with uncanny authenticity and accuracy arrives, and in an era where music lovers seem increasingly ravenous for psychedelic-inflected rock, Austin's the Black Angels are precisely that act. Following on the heels of their recent Read more

Reviews (13)

Turn On, Tune In, Drone Out
Psychadelic indie rockers The Black Angels drop an intense, mind-numbing work of sixties-tinged hard rock in the critically acclaimed "Passover". The cover art can be described as a visualization of the madness within, with it's op-art facade apparently inspired by the posters for the '68 Mexico City Olympics and reminiscent of the outsider art of Martin Ramirez. It's droning repetion is a harbinger of their sound, inspired by the Velvet Underground, they share a love of the blues with the Doors, and are even blacker than Black Rebel Motorcycle Club on hallucinogens. Lyrically, they pull no punches; they recognize that history is once again repeating itself, referencing the folly of Vietnam, it's similarity only too obvious to the carnage in Iraq today. Check out "Young Men Dead" and "Black Grease". The only negative is that the songs' similarity, which can occasionally cause them to be confused with one another. But as a whole, Passover is a modern gem of psych rock. Highly recommended.

awesome
this is powerful, high music. it moves steady, strong and heavy like a train going west, pushing on in the hot desert sun out in the middle of nowhere.buy in and zone out, its worth the money.

Don't Pass This One Over - A Detailed Look At "Passover"
From note one, "Young Men Dead" begins softly with a simple reverberated guitar riff that opens up to an explosion of repititious drone, fuzzy haze, and primal beats. Direct from Texas, Austin's Black Angels passenger with the city's late 1960's garage psych predocessors The 13th Floor Elevators. Darker and more blunt than The Elevators, The Black Angels drill on the rich grounds of the underbelly of psychedelia and social/political commentary. Singer Alex Maas spouts war-themed lyrics with a robotic Jim Morrison/Nico delivery that reminds of General Patton's speech to rally his troops (see the opening movie scene in "Patton" 1970). There are legitimate comparrisons to The Doors and The Velvet Underground found through the singing and music respectively, although The Black Angels do offer more musical diversity to eliminate the pigeon hole fate as "Passover" charges on.
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Subjects:  1. Indie Rock    2. Neo-Psychedelia    3. Pop    4. Rock    5. Rock/Pop   

Editorial Review

Canada's Godspeed You Black Emperor raise the ante on their already ambitious orchestral rock by releasing a double CD of material as their second full-length album. The group combines the drums and guitar of typical rock-band instrumentation with horns and strings to create a music built around drones and slowly evolving melodic figures. It rises and falls from delicate introductory passages to unabashed grand climaxes. Their juxtaposition of drums with violins and lush romantic tonality brings to mind Rachel's, but their compositional scale and the pounding repetitive intensity of their dynamic peaks evoke Glenn Branca's Read more

Reviews (175)

the salvador dali of bands
Well first things first this is the one of the most experimental albums/bands I have heard, and yeah I've heard a good few in my time but no one does it as well as this band. You cannot simply listen to a track of this album individually you have to sit there and listen to it all. To me it's an instrumental audio book of pure intellect and genius. Songs like static that use sound clips ranging from tannoy announcements to philosophical, biblical babble with beautiful soundscapes being played over the top. Not one song on this album sounds the same as the rest and to me that shows an adventurous listen that keeps your ears glued to the music. This album makes me think a million things about life and existence at once and is in no way to be used as background music. The simplistic casing is all that is needed for this album, nothing fancy but in no way un-interesting. The inside illustrations are bizarre and have a very primitive style but can be interpreted into many different things. I suggest if you're thinking of buying this album then you are thinking wisely, buy it and take it home and sit there buy yourself, clear your mind of everything and listen to these discs and nothing else. Listen intently and take in every note that surrounds you. One of the most impressive and cleaver albums out there.

Oh, my heavens...
While this is probably the most inconsistent musical piece I've ever trophied with a five star rating, it ultimately becomes nonsensical and painstakingly difficult to refuse its power, and every time I find myself expressing a genuine 'thank you'. 'Lift Your Skinny Fists...' is a gift.
Never wears out
So many CDs I've bought lose their luster with time or repeated listenings.I consistently look forward to playing this work, just a great soundtrack forliving. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Canada    2. Experimental Rock    3. Indie Rock    4. Pop    5. Post-Rock/Experimental    6. Rock    7. Rock/Pop    8. Space Rock   

Editorial Review

On their third long player, Seattle's Long Winters are as literate as ever, but there's added power to their pop. In other words: more Nada Surf, less Death Cab for Cutie. Now a quartet after previous incarnations as a trio and two-keyboard player quintet (drummer Nabil Ayers and multi-instrumentalist Jonathan Rothman are the new additions), John Roderick still sings as if he's sitting across from you. It starts with frequent use of the second person and ends with a tone as conversational and familiar as that an old friend. As he observes in "Honest," "Everything is different when he's singing right to you" (before warning, "But don't you love a singer whatever you do"). To quote Nick Lowe, Read more

Reviews (7)

Best "pop" record of the year
Don't buy all that "it's a death cab rip off" garbage. This is the best odd pop record of the year. Wildly imaginative and thouroughly original. Roderick's writes great lyrics and hooks and over emotes in all the right places. Death Cab is OK, but this here is the real deal.

Somebody call a Death Cab
Indie pop minstrel John Roderick is back at it with the Long Winters on this their 4th album in as many years.The production is a bit shiny, and on the whole the record feels overwhelmingly uninspired and more than a little derivative (much like a Death Cab for Cutie album as a matter of fact), but some of this stuff is pretty fun, especially "Fire Island, Ak."Recommended for those of you who enjoyed 2003's When I Pretend to Fall and are inclined to regard Death Cab for Cutie as the bee`s knees.For the rest us, this might offend sensibilities.
One of 2006's best
"Putting the Days to Bed" is like the sun: it shines and burns in equal measure and it's necessary to sustain life.
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Subjects:  1. Indie Pop    2. Indie Rock    3. Pop    4. Rock    5. Rock/Pop   

Editorial Review

He is erratic, moody, adolescent, and unsettling, just as he is strikingly brilliant, and all depictions entwine on this collection that plucks from Daniel Johnston's most memorable work throughout a quarter-century of bare-bones recording. While his helium-pitched voice can often border on acquired taste territory, Johnston, who suffers from bipolar disorder, writes both gripping melodies and cutting, cunning lyrics--often about failed love, life's ambiguity and his passion for the Beatles and comic book heroes. Any Johnston follower might choose 21 different selections to represent such a catalog, but this package--culled mostly from his '80s songbook--is both symbolic and inclusive, including a pair of chord organ grinders that are among his most familiar: the childlike "Casper the Friendly Ghost" and the wistful "Speeding Motorcycle." Johnston's raw vulnerability shines most on "Never Before Never Again," on which he howls about a former girlfriend, and the fragmented and demented "Funeral Home," where he contemplates his last car ride (to the tune of Bruce Springsteen's "Cadillac Ranch"). Read more

Reviews (2)

Perfect entry for the genius of Daniel
Almost every song from this compiliation is present as soundtrack to The Devil and Daniel Johnston. If you want to enter in thsi strange but beautiful world, a schizo Dylan that someday took LSD from the devilish [....] Surfers, this is the one to get. Then, if you become a fan (it happens, eheh), you should try his masterpiece - Songs of Pain 80-83.

Perfect Companion for "The Devil and Daniel Johnston"
It should first be noted that the music of Daniel Johnston is not for everyone -- you will either love him or hate him, most will feel the latter.His voice sounds like a 14 year old who got into the parents' liquor cabinet, but like Bob Dylan, it's the perfect vehicle for his material.I recommend the excellent documentary currently playing in art movie theaters to learn about this unique singer songwriter's incredible life --you couldn't make up a story as sadly surreal.His music is best appreciated if you understand his history and are familiar with his artwork (his pen and ink cartoon-like drawings go for thousands of dollars).His songs, like his artwork, are replete with symbols and references to his internal mythology, a conglomeration of cartoons, comic books and fire and brimstone religion.
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Subjects:  1. Indie Rock    2. Lo-Fi    3. Pop    4. Rock    5. Rock/Pop    6. United States of America   

Reviews (98)

Discovering Flogging Molly is better than falling in love.
I have long been a big fan of traditional Celtic music and never thought I would find myself liking music that is often classified as Punk.I got turned onto Flogging Molly accidentally on the internet and was instantly addicted to the driving beat mixed with awsome lyrics and more than one surprise per song.I immediatly bought this album and have never regreted it.
Flogging Molly a great live band? Indeed, However I liked it better when it was called The Pogues.
Ahh!!, the genre of Celtic punk has really now just become a real cash cow comodity, thanks to bands like Flogging Molly, The Tossers, and to a lesser extent Dropkick Murphy's.First off Irish music is something that I hold sacred to my heart, I'm third-generation Irish-American, so bands like The Dubliners, The Chieftains, and the Clancy Brothers, are the godfathers of the genre.However, when I first heard the Pogues, I was completely blown away, it sounded like The Sex Pistols setting fire to The Chieftains, sure Irish tradition music had been around for a long time, but when the Pogues got a hold of it their sound was really pioneering."Red Roses For Me," "Rum, Sodomy and the Lash," "If I Should Fall From Grace With God," I'll even throw in "Peace and Love," still to this day rule my life.Which brings me to the question, who is the best band in the genre of Irish punk, after the Pogues.Well, none of the new bands have the fire, energy, and spirit of the Pogues, but Flogging Molly is pretty close, with The Tossers coming in at a close second, every other bands needs to get their own thing and stop looking up to granndad.
THE FIRST FROM THE FLOG!

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Subjects:  1. Alternative Pop/Rock    2. Indie Rock    3. Pop    4. Punk Revival    5. Rock    6. Rock/Pop    7. Traditional Irish Folk   

Editorial Review

Recorded in the same casual manner as 2005's Read more

Reviews (19)

It's softer...
....than previous FB releases, but still enjoyable. Most of the
you can't stop the music
frank has done it again... more great songwriting, more great music from him..the latter part of the second disc i have heard from an earlier source,but the rest was fresh and new..great cover of "dirty ol town".i wonder who sings that with him?Anyway i hope he keeps this up.and maybe one day the world will wake up and discover a truly gifted artist...Also , i could use another Pixies tour as well!!!

The Warbling Master
Don't try to compare it with what's come before; and give it time to persuade your hidden, inner music critic - you know, the little flamboyant man in your subconscious with better taste than you.The man who plays the music he likes over and over so loudly - in his little glass-walled room where he lays and watches the activities of strange archetypes all day - that you can actually hear it in your head.And sometimes, if you've angered the little man, you can't get it out.The little man will be persuaded by this music.
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Subjects:  1. Adult Alternative Pop/Rock    2. Indie Rock    3. Pop    4. Rock    5. Rock/Pop    6. Singer/Songwriter   

Editorial Review

Lest you think HBO's magnificent mortuary "dramedy" has no more cards to play after its Golden Globe coup, the fine folks at Read more

Features

• Soundtrack

Reviews (28)

wonderful
if you love the show, you'll love this soundtrack...and if you don't love the show......what's wrong with you?

Album Review
To match all its quirkiness, the show "Six Feet Under" found the perfect pairing of music to go hand-in-hand with its woven tapestry of the continuing saga of the family-run funeral home business. Whomever was responsible for selecting the particular bands and musical cuts they used, and the ones that made the album, worked as much magic as those who wrote the witty scripts!

No Better Songs To Die To
"Six Feet Under" was a TV rarity - consisently funny, but still emotionally involving, with stunning acting, brilliant visuals, a unique and odd subject, clearly defined characters, and excellent writing. Now, we can add "amazing soundtrack" to that list.
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Subjects:  1. Adult Alternative Pop/Rock    2. Indie Pop    3. Indie Rock    4. Pop    5. Soundtrack    6. Soundtracks    7. Soundtracks & Film Scores    8. TV Soundtrack    9. TV Soundtracks    10. Television Music    11. Television Soundtrack   

Editorial Review

With their interstellar (really!) lyrics and angular song structures, Modest Mouse tend to defy their self-deprecating band name. In truth, the trio's got some lofty ambitions, and The Moon and Antarctica indulges their grand dreams with pristine production and a vivid sonic backdrop. It also dives deeply into their geographical obsessions--always with the same subjective twists that made Read more

Features

• Original recording remastered

Reviews (61)

Excellent Album
Modest Mouse made the transition to major label artist very well with this record.An expertly crafted collection of music, with pristine production quality (a first for the band) and a handful of excellent songs.In my opinion, the album is front-loaded, with the best songs being sequenced at the first half.Towards the middle of the album the songs begin to meander a bit, but don't weigh the other songs down much as they are able to maintain the overall atmosphere and mood of the album very well.The last few songs on the album are great, and make up for the forementioned spacy, mildly uninteresting songs of the album's midsection.
This is why...
...I consider Modest Mouse to be one of my favorite bands. While I enjoy their previous work and their latest release 'Good News For People Who Love Bad News', none of those albums can touch 'Moon'.
Tripping with Modest Mouse
These three guys are obsessed with space and distances, guess that's what the North West does to you. It is spacy, meandering, but also vibrant. If they were aboriginals, they would sing their surroundings while driving through America.
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Subjects:  1. Alternative Pop/Rock    2. Emo    3. Indie Rock    4. Lo-Fi    5. Noise Pop    6. Pop    7. Rock    8. Rock/Pop    9. United States of America   

Editorial Review

On their debut album, 1999's Read more

Reviews (67)

reviewed by a devoted death cab fan
while i love transatlanticism and plans. i feel they are great for a band that is evolving musically. we have the facts however is by far my favorite release from the immortal death cab for cutie. songs like For What Reason and Title Track leave me with a twinkle in my eye its the two Company Calls songs that bring this album home. i see far too many reviews from people that are comparing this album to plans and the truth is that while plans is a great album. we have the facts makes that album look like top 40 garbage

it's too bad this is receiving less than 5 stars
This band continues to impress and amaze me even though I have already listened to all of their albums. When I first listened to this album, I could have agreed with the somewhat negative reviews, but now I wouldn't have anything to do with them. The more you listen to Death Cabs CDs the more you will come to understand and respect the group and their work.

Really Good Background Music, But Not Much More
This was my second Death Cab cd after Transatlanticism (third if you count Give Up). After those two masterpieces (Transatlanticism especially), I was expecting great things from We Have the Facts. As you can tell from my 3 star rating, I was somewhat disappointed.
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Subjects:  1. Indie Pop    2. Indie Rock    3. Pop    4. Rock    5. Rock/Pop   

Editorial Review

If it's tempting to characterize this delightfully dizzy collaboration between Nashville's masked surf-rock acolytes Los Straightjackets and hip-swiveling Brooklyn burlesque revivalists The World Famous Pontani Sisters as postmodern, perhaps one should lie down until the feeling passes. As ambitious fusion of vintage instrumental rock, video dance lessons, lucha libre couture, Chubby Checker, Merseybeat, and rhinestone-chic this CD/DVD set can't be denied--or rivaled, for that matter. With Scottish choreographer/Freddie Garrity lookalike Kaiser George handling vocal chores and occasional channeling of Fred Schneider, the Straitjackets rip through a tightly executed set of twist 'n' groove originals and covers of Fats Domino's "Domino Twist," Robert Parker's "Twistin' in Space," and Joey Dee's "Peppermint Twist." The band takes a faithful left-turn into Liverpool '63, with KG paying affectionate homage to Gerry Marsden and Wayne Fontana on "Isn't Love Grand" before serving up a couple of Halloween-ready slices of loop-rock via "All Back to Drac's" and the infectious "Mad Scientwist." The equally kitsch-cool DVD contains lovingly cheeseball videos for the latter and "Twistin' Gorilla," as well as the Pontanis teaching the steps for the "Kitty Cat" and "Daddy-O" dances. It's a party package that's as musically accomplished as it is culturally ditzy, one that may leave listeners wondering just what decade--or century--they're in. Read more

Reviews (1)

Time Warp
The first thing I noticed about this release is that the drummer is gone.Jimmy Lester was a fabulous percussionist.He is now the second band member to depart (Pete Curry was not the original bassist).
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Subjects:  1. Alternative Pop/Rock    2. Garage Rock Revival    3. Indie Rock    4. Pop    5. Rock    6. Rock/Pop    7. Surf Revival   

Features

• Explicit Lyrics

Reviews (13)

Freshest sound I've heard in a long time
This band doesn't compare to anyone else I've heard.His voice sounds like a plethora of other artists all fused into one distinct and beautiful sound.The instrumentation is gorgeous, the arrangements impeccable, and the lyrics are haunting and heart-wrenching.BUY THIS RECORD.You won't be able to take it out of your stereo.

NMH - NO WAY
I like the cd but definately agree with what he said below
I love this album.
My initial thought was that a band with such long of a name couldn't be any good.I was completely wrong.I accidentally saw them live and bought the album the next day.
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Subjects:  1. Indie Rock    2. Pop    3. Rock    4. Rock/Pop   

Editorial Review

It all starts with a cowbell, so at least you know it's not going to suck. This is important because, at times, the Sounds' 2003 debut, Read more

Features

• Enhanced

Reviews (20)

Don't believe in what they say and what you've always been told
The Sounds have caught a bad rap due in part to Maja, which I don't get, and due to their unoriginality. Few bands are 100% original nowadays, at least The Sounds are fun and easy to listen to. I bought this on a hunch. I had heard all the trash talked and I heard some good things, so in the end, like everything else, it comes down to what your preferences are. The Sounds are probably an acquired taste, which I can understand, and as much as I hate pushing a band on someone, The Sounds seems to have a lot going for them on this release and I think many people will find a lot to appreciate about it.
AMAZING
I went to warped tour this year on August 4th 2006. I had the awesome opportunity to watch The sounds perform live! They did an incredible job. Maja's voice goes so well with the beat and its just amazing. They are an extremely talented band and the cd is a m a z i n g. I recommend it to everyone =)

pretty darn fun
fun, talented people.not 100% my style, but totally worth the $ and effort. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Alternative Pop/Rock    2. Dance-Pop    3. Indie Rock    4. Pop    5. Rock    6. Rock/Pop    7. Sweden    8. Synth Pop   

Editorial Review

Finally, the world is treated to Mike Doughty's first "full-band" album since Soul Coughing disbanded in 1998. Doughty has clearly morphed from hyperactive ironic hipster to a world-class songwriter with lyrics that are funny ("I want to run away and join the office") and self-deprecating but never emo ("All my life I've been slow and senseless/Not struck dumb I'm just dumb that's all"). If you're looking for faults you can always find them, and to be sure some of the playing is overly "pro" and not as funky as M.D. live. The perfect pedal steel touches throughout are actually icing on this cake, and the drummer dude from N.E.R.D.'s metronomic bashing's hardly a bummer. The songs on the album will be familiar to fans who've seen him live, and thanks to Read more

Reviews (37)

Quirky and pleasing
The cd is eminently listenable.I pefer Doughty's solo vibe to the older Soul Coughing gig with which he ran.Check out the laughable lyrics (most noteworthy of which: "keep the wrong hands from the biscuit fortune" in Sunken-Eyed Girl).Also, the song "His Truth is Marching On" is really an interesting and deep song.This person has clearly dealt with some big issues in his life, and the listener will feel the better for sharing it with him.I have listened to the cd really alot and do not tire of it.Well done.

Melodic, But not Haughty
This album is pretty much fantastic, in my opinion.Mike Doughty's skill as a lyricist is phenomenal, and he brought everything to the table with Haughty Melodic.I'm pretty sure he is vying for the first track on a love story's soundtrack with "Madeline", and "Tremendous Brunettes pretty much summed up most of the lives of white american males ages 14-18 in 4 lines.