Led Zeppelin reunion - Robert Plant = ?????
Monday, Oct. 27, 2008
When Led Zeppelin reunited to perform in London for a one-night concert late last year, the reunion tour speculation began.
Guns N' Roses finally go "Chinese"Wednesday, Oct. 22, 2008
It's the album you thought would never come. Practically a decade in the making. Finally, Guns N' Roses will finally let the exhaustively anticipated album "Chinese Democracy" be heard by the masses.
Coldplay featuring...Jay-Z?Monday, Oct. 20, 2008
So, when I wrote a CD review of Coldplay's latest album "Viva La Vida," I said that the beat on the track "Violet Hill" was begging for a Jay-Z remix. Well, while I can say that Jay-Z was recently featured on a new Coldplay song, I hate to say it wasn't the one I predicted. Either way, check out the Jay-Z remix of Coldplay's track "Lost" and tell me what you think.
CD Review: Kings of Leon's "Only By The Night"Tuesday, Oct. 7, 2008
Nashville's biggest indie rock ambassadors Kings of Leon spent their first two albums creating libedo-driven, Southern-inflected garage rock equal parts Skynard and Gang of Four. But 2007's "Because of the Times" found the Followill boys injecting astral atmospherics into their bar-brawl riffage.
On their latest "Only By The Night," they continue to expand a sound that orbits even further away from the underground and their Music City zip code.
Wednesday, Oct. 1, 2008
If you are a fan of jam bands, Brit-pop or classic metal, get ready for good news.
CD Review: Metallica "Death Magnetic"Monday, Sept. 29, 2008
For Metallica's first album in five years "Death Magnetic," the first sound that you hear is not a distorted guitar or a double bass drum. It's the sound of a beating heart, slow and labored.
New Kanye West, whether you like it or notThursday, Sept. 11, 2008
Hip-hop superstar Kanye West may have started as a likeable new artist who helped bring hip-hop back to its roots with what have now become his signature soul samples. But now, he has become a love-him-or-hate-him kind of performer.
Want to hear some new Metallica?Wednesday, Aug. 27, 2008
After tons of hype and releasing dissatisfactory snippets of upcoming tracks, Metallica finally let's listeners hear a full-length song.
R.I.P.: LeRoi MooreWednesday, Aug. 20, 2008
I was saddened to learn that a member of one of the most well-known and well-loved bands of my generation passed away Tuesday. LeRoi Moore, saxophonist for the Dave Matthews Band, died of complications from a June ATV accident. He was 46.
In thinking about Moore's death, I couldn't help but reflect on the fact that he was such an important part of a band that opened ears and minds to an expansive musical landscape for myself and many others.
Thursday, July 10, 2008
Since the start of this decade, Coldplay have risen from next-big-thing mellow/melancoly Brit-rockers to the height of rock's pantheon, making the alternative digestable to the masses. While their first two albums, 2000's "Parachutes" and "A Rush of Blood to the Head" in 2002, were track-for-track some of the best albums since the start of the new millenium, something happend in the music of 2005's "X&Y."
Coldplay injected their winning combination of piano, hooks and heartache with arena-sized steroids, making their songs sound bigger but never sounding broader or more expansive. No risks were taken, but boy could that sound fill the space.
Thursday, June 26, 2008
Lil Wayne is now rap's big dog.
After two years of releasing online mixtapes, dozens of tracks and appearing in countless guest spots, Lil Wayne managed to capture the attention of the hip-hop masses. His new album "Tha Carter III" sold over one million copies in its first week of release, something unheard of in today's music industry. Many critics are ready to give the self-proclaimed best rapper alive that title after this release, debating the album's instant classic status. While "Tha Carter III" doesn't completely live up to that claim, it cements Lil Wayne as hip-hop's wildcard and most exciting MC.
Friday, May 16, 2008
This decade's most heralded Seattle band Death Cab For Cutie have built their following on two foundations: There's singer/songwriter Ben Gibbard, with his fragile, boyish tenor and his tales of dishevled love and nostalgiac longing. Then there's the rest of the band, with Chris Walla providing clashing guitar nirvana with bass and guitar shading in the lines.
The Metallica effectThursday, March 27, 2008
When I looked at the 2008 Bonnaroo lineup, I saw a band on the bill that made me have to blink a few times to make sure that my contacts weren't smudged. Right there, at the top of the bill.
Metallica. Kings of thrash metal. A legendary group in the minds and hearts of metalheads with an absolutely rabid fanbase.
But the more I talked to people, so many people thought they didn't belong on the bill. That they weren't appropriate headliners for the 4-day music and camping festival in Manchester, Tenn. The question is why?
Thursday, March 20, 2008
When the inductees for the 2008 Rock N' Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony were announced, I had to admit it was a head scratcher. Madonna in the Rock Hall? Leonard Cohen? John Mellencamp? Well, at least John Mellencamp put out a few good Midwest rockin' tunes and a Hall of Famers list of influences.
So, I tuned in to watch the ceremony on VH1 only to find out that it was going to be broadcast live on VH1 Classic. Instead, I was treated to an episode of one of VH1's many celebreality programs. Oh, how the coverage of rock royalty has fallen.
Thursday, Feb. 28, 2008
No longer are fans of today's biggest acts required to haggle ticket scalpers or wake up at 10 a.m. on a Saturday morning clicking refresh to get a chance to see their favorite bands live.
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