Music Reviews

33 Stories

Climate Reality Eludes the Business Press

By John Miller, Dollars and Sense. August 27, 2008.
Environment: For the Wall Street Journal's editors, fear of a bigger government outweighs the fear of a warmer planet.

Roots, Rock, Reggae

By Jamilah King, WireTap. August 10, 2006.
WireTap: The Rootz Underground plants its seeds as one of Jamaica's best and underrated Reggae bands.

Ise Lyfe Style

By Jamilah King, WireTap. July 13, 2006.
WireTap: Music Review: One of the country's most talented young poets takes his message from the stage to the studio with the release of two new albums.

By Richard Goldstein, The Nation. May 13, 2006.
Media and Technology: Bob Dylan is reaching a new generation of fans as a satellite radio DJ, but unlike his admirers from the '60s, they don't see him as a prophet.

Pick a Bigger Weapon

By Zoneil Maharaj, Pop and Politics. March 22, 2006.
WireTap: Interview: Politically-minded emcee, Boots Riley, from the Coup talks about why he became an activist, BET today, and his new album.

Watching Out for 'Little Brother'

By Dino-Ray Ramos, WireTap. March 17, 2006.
WireTap: Review: Despite their success, Little Brother goes against the ‘bling-bling’ grain of rap and stays in the waters of tongue-in-cheek wordplay and social commentary.

Rest in Peace, J Dilla

By ibrahim abdul-matin, WireTap. March 2, 2006.
WireTap: Friends and family are saying goodbye to one of the most prolific hip-hop and soul beat makers of our generation.

Bring on the Major Leagues

By Ryan Gillespie, PopMatters. January 31, 2006.
Media and Technology: In a world where the mainstream sounds like the underground, and the underground acts like the mainstream, what happens to truly indie music?

Beck, the Scientologist

By Jesse Jarnow, PopMatters. December 19, 2005.
Critically acclaimed, publicly adored musician Beck is out of the closet as a longtime Scientologist. Could this be what's made him so interesting all along?

The Language of Resistance

By Zinnia Faruque, BlackElectorate.com. December 16, 2005.
WireTap: Polish hip hop talks about familiar themes -- unemployment, poor schools and an unsympathetic, underpaid police.

System v. The System

By Anthony Lappé, Guerrilla News Network. December 10, 2005.
System of a Down has a #1 album and a new campaign to recognize the Armenian Genocide.

Empathy is the First Ingredient

By Robert Jensen, The Progressive. October 1, 2005.
Acclaimed Texas folk singer Eliza Gilkyson is a unique combination of heart, soul and progressive political vision.

It's Simple, I Don't Want to Kill

By Josh Berquist, PopMatters. September 23, 2005.
WireTap: In his new album, singer-songwriter Devendra Banhart refuses to give up hope. In these dire times, he makes his criticisms within the larger context of affirming life and its endless potential.

The Music and the Message

By Rebecca Ruiz, AlterNet. September 19, 2005.
WireTap: Singer-songwriter Tori Amos managed to develop a business strategy that allows her the independence she needs while presenting challenging ideas to her listeners.

The High Lonesome Gospel of Al Green

By Jeff Sharlet, Oxford American. August 22, 2005.
Media and Technology: Al Green's revelatory turn from makeout icon to reverend may have saved him from the fate that befell a number of his contemporaries.

A Different Take on Hip-hop

By Zoneil Maharaj, Pop and Politics. August 22, 2005.
WireTap: Independent hip-hop success story Lyrics Born talks about getting to the top without the help of major labels.

Rhythm and Bullshit? The Slow Decline of R&B

By Mark Anthony Neal, PopMatters. July 8, 2005.
Media and Technology: Has R&B lost its soul? Or have Clear Channel, Radio One, AOL Time Warner and Viacom ripped its heart out?

Mainstream and Conscious

By Zoneil Maharaj, WireTap. June 17, 2005.
WireTap: Common is one of the few conscious rap artists that successfully manages to keep one foot in underground hip hop, and the other on the banks of the mainstream.

Tiger Beat

By Robert Wheaton, PopMatters. May 9, 2005.
Media and Technology: M.I.A. uses the aesthetic template of hip hop to pull together her range of influences and interests, combining strident political stances alongside made-for-ringtone hooks.

Eluding the Corporate 'Ogre'

By Joseph Pompeo, PopMatters. May 3, 2005.
Media and Technology: Behind the nearly quarter century success of seminal indie label 'K Records' is a commitment to community and, well, independence.

21st-Century Cassandra

By Scott Thill, AlterNet. February 1, 2005.
Media and Technology: Art-punk poetess Lydia Lunch tells you things you don't want to hear. She lays it on the line with her new album.

From Monument to Masses

By Mac Barreto, WireTap. January 10, 2005.
WireTap: The post-rock band From Monument to Masses wants to do more than just make great music; they also hope to remind their audience to care and, better yet, to act.

Other Voices, Other Countries

By Devin McKinney, The American Prospect. December 22, 2004.
Media and Technology: A variety of recent releases in which pop travels the globe and comes back as ... something it wasn't before.

Thinking Inside the Box

By Stephen M. Deusner, AlterNet. December 21, 2004.
During the decade of Reagan and Thatcher, musicians found a way to rise above by going underground. A new box set gathers them together.

White Muslim

By Brendan Bernhard, LA Weekly. December 7, 2004.
Rights and Liberties: He was a blond, blue-eyed Californian obsessed with a female rocker and going nowhere fast. Then he moved to New York, watched the horror of 9/11 – and became a Muslim.

Wave of Adoration

By Scott Thill, AlterNet. November 19, 2004.
Media and Technology: Pop-punk progenitors the Pixies cast a long shadow over modern rock's past – and future.

Songs for the Dumped

By Elisabeth Donelly, PopMatters. November 12, 2004.
Media and Technology: Instead of being in love with love, now every song with misery, angst, and pain becomes a secret code into my inner life.

I Went to Ozzfest So You Don't Have To

By Stephen Haag, PopMatters. November 10, 2004.
Every pre-conceived notion you've ever had about Ozzfest is true: Skulls, black leather, tattoos, nudity, sweat, the wall of death. And some music.

Vacation to a Different Land

By Scott Thill, AlterNet. November 9, 2004.
With their new album, the indie-rock impresarios of Pinback have crafted their most exquisite offering, a release equally packed with dark, foreboding lyrics and meticulous sonic structures.

The Real Slim Shady Stands Up

By Sam Graham-Felsen, The Nation. October 28, 2004.
Election 2004: Eminem's 'Mosh' could be one of the most overtly political pop music videos ever produced – and though the album's full release isn't until after the election, the early-release video is sure to get a lot of attention.