Archive
Click Here for the Archive Sorted by Artist
The Curious Case of Cee-Lo Green
And the Year's Filthiest, Catchiest Hit
9/1/10
A Very Good Week
Four Winners and a Genuine Surprise
8/25/10
In My Life
My (Slightly Self-Indulgent) 500th Column
8/18/10
Deconstructing Indie
What the Hell Does That Word Mean, Anyway?
8/11/10
Arcade Fire For the Win
The Suburbs is Simply Great
8/4/10
Hey Ladies!
Why We Need More Women in Music
7/28/10
Bow Ties Are Cool
On Doctor Who and Some Other Stuff
7/21/10
Nothing's As Good As It Used to Be
Neil Finn and Trent Reznor Disappoint
7/14/10
Preaching 'Bout the Choir
Why Burning Like the Midnight Sun is a Classic
7/7/10
Pilgrimage to Bushnell
Thoughts on Cornerstone 2010
7/7/10
Spiritual Machines
Emotion Meets Electronics on Three New Albums
6/30/10
Devolution Working Man Blues
Devo Makes a Long-Overdue Return
6/23/10
Pop Goes the World
In Defense of Hanson's Shout It Out
6/16/10
All Alone
Steve Hogarth and Michael Roe Without a Net
6/2/10
By Popular Demand
Three New Records I've Been Asked About
5/26/10
Happiness is the Road
The Lost Dogs Hit Route 66 for Their Best Album Ever
5/19/10
Just Give Me 30 Minutes
Three Short Records From Three Big Artists
5/12/10
Music! Impress Me!
Some First Impressions from the First Wave
5/5/10
Coming Attractions
The Next Two Months Are Gonna Rock
4/28/10
88 Keys and the Truth
Great New Piano Albums from Aqualung and Rufus Wainwright
4/21/10
Side to Side
Three Artists Make the Case for Side Projects
4/14/10
All You Need is Love
Quiet Company Gets Romantic on Songs for Staying In
4/7/10
Trying to Turn the Page
The Remaining Barenaked Ladies Carry On
3/31/10
Last Prayer for a Man in Black
Johnny Cash Says His Final Goodbye
3/17/10
Pretty Persuasions
Peter Gabriel, Midlake and Shearwater Make Gorgeous Noise
3/10/10
How Long Is Too Long?
Diving Into Triple Albums From Joanna Newsom and Leyland Kirby
3/3/10
Defending My Indie Cred
Or, That's Hype We Can Believe In
2/24/10
Catching Up is Hard to Do
New Things From Spoon, Fair and Owen Pallett
2/17/10
Hope and Change
BT and Corinne Bailey Rae Both Dazzle on New Records
2/10/10
A Distorted Reality Is Now a Necessity
Stephin Merritt Makes Distortion's Twin With Realism
2/3/10
...But the Moment Has Been Prepared For
On the End of Conan, The End of Time and End Times
1/27/10
The 'I Pan Contra' Affair
Vampire Weekend's Second Effort is a Confusing Mess
1/20/10
Ten Years! Ten... YEARS!
A Look Back, A Look Forward and An Announcement
1/13/10
Fifty Second Week
And Farewell to 2009
12/30/09
The Wanting Comes in Waves
The 2009 Top 10 List
12/23/09
The Honor is All Theirs
2009's Honorable Mentions, and Final Two Releases
12/16/09
Three Live Crews
Two Toms and a Paul Take to the Stage
12/9/09
People I Know, 2009 Edition
You Should Know Lost on Liftoff and Andrea Dawn Too
12/2/09
2009's Last Gasp
Three New Records Ring Out the Year
11/25/09
Wait, What?
Tori Amos Does Christmas, Joy Electric Does Covers
11/18/09
I Am Musician, Hear Me Roar
In Which Our Hero Asks, How Complex Is Too Complex?
11/11/09
Uniform of Youth
Weezer and R.E.M. are Young at Heart
11/4/09
Strings Attached
Sufjan Stevens Goes Orchestral on Two New Projects
10/28/09
Freaked Out and Small
Loony Flaming Lips, Lovely Harper Simon
10/21/09
No Top 10 List for You
My Annual Look at Disqualified But Worthy Discs
10/14/09
Ode to Joy
In Which Phish Returns, And Three Other Records Get Their Due
10/7/09
Breaking Up With God
David Bazan and His Painful, Brilliant Curse Your Branches
9/30/09
Little, Big
Pearl Jam Goes Small, Muse Goes Huge
9/23/09
You Say You Want a Revelation
Hear the Beatles Again for the First Time
9/16/09
Back in Black
The Crowes Return with Two New Discs
9/9/09
Nothing In Common
Three Reviews of Three Very Different Records
9/2/09
Three to Get Ready
Preparing for a Podcast With Benson, Wolf and the Antlers
8/26/09
Armistice Day
Meeting Mutemath Again, For the First Time
8/19/09
My Lollapalooza Diary
Three Days of Heat, Rain and Music
8/12/09
Martin, Squared
Jason Brings It With Starflyer and Neon Horse
8/5/09
Struggling With Simplicity
Talking Dead Weather and Fiery Furnaces Blues
7/29/09
Roe Vs. Pritzl
New Albums from Two Men Named Mike
7/22/09
Wilco Will Love You, Baby
But I Don't Love Wilco (The Album)
7/15/09
Mellow is the New Prog
Three Metal Masters Grow Up and Calm Down
7/8/09
Hypecasting: 2009 Edition
Charting the Accolades with Dirty Projectors and Grizzly Bear
7/1/09
Giving In to Gimmicky Goodness
Novel Works From Ben Folds and British Sea Power
6/17/09
Brought to You by the Letter E
Enjoying Eels, Elvis, Enders
6/17/09
Hail the GrooGrux King
How a Tragic Death Brought Dave Matthews Band Back to Life
6/10/09
Nothing's Shocking
Eminem and Marilyn Manson Fail to Shock and Awe
6/3/09
Tori, Tori, Tori
Why I Am Abnormally Attracted to Disappointment
5/27/09
This is the 21st Century
Green Day Gives Us the Album of Their Lives
5/20/09
Kill Yr Idols
On the Pros and Cons of Peering Behind the Curtain
5/13/09
Tiny Music
Three EPs: Two New, One Not So New
5/6/09
Fizzy Pop Goodness
Escape with Tinted Windows and The Bird and the Bee
4/29/09
News to Me
Trying Out Bat for Lashes and Richard Swift
4/22/09
Three Sides Live
Concert Records From Marillion, Cockburn and the Hooters
4/15/09
Dis Con Nec Ted
Three Reviews, Nothing in Common
4/8/09
Tell Me a Story
Rocking the Opera With The Decemberists and Mastodon
4/1/09
The WTF Awards
Music That Makes You Go "Hmm..."
3/25/09
Take Them On, On Your Own
Solo Scenes from Two New Pornographers
3/18/09
Back for the Attack
U2 and Quiet Company Return From Exile
3/11/09
Watching Watchmen
How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love Zack Snyder's Film
3/11/09
Hey Mr. Wilson
Insurgentes Is a Fine Solo Debut
3/4/09
On The Horizon
An Early Look at U2's New One
2/25/09
Into the Fray
And I Don't Know Why
2/18/09
With Exactly No Help From My Friends
Putting the Solo Back in Solo Album
2/11/09
Wintertime is Duncantime
Sheik's Whisper House is a Bleak Delight
2/4/09
Hypecasting
Everyone Loves Animal Collective, But You Should Hear Them Anyway
1/28/09
Oh, The Places We'll Go
On Barack Obama and Kid, You'll Move Mountains (Among Other Things)
1/21/09
Nine Reasons to Love 2009
Why This Year is Going to Rock
1/14/09
Fifty Second Week
2008? Yer Outta Here!
12/31/08
Sun, It Will Rise Soon Enough
The 2008 Top 10 List, Part Two
12/24/08
30 Honorable Mentions? Really?
The 2008 Top 10 List, Part One
12/17/08
Faith, Doubt and Talking Gorillas
Daniel Amos' Darn Floor - Big Bite Gets a Reissue
12/10/08
2008's Last Gasp
McCartney, Weiland and West Close Out the Year
12/3/08
November Reign
Chinese Democracy is Finally, Finally Here
11/26/08
Beloved/Ignored
Snow Patrol Bores, Kip Winger Soars
11/19/08
No, You Eat Your Own Spaceship
The Flaming Lips Finally Unveil Christmas on Mars
11/12/08
The Long and Short of It
Why 30 Minutes is Sometimes Better Than 60
11/5/08
A Very Good Dream
The Cure's New One is Surprisingly Awesome
10/29/08
Happiness Is...
A Brilliant New Album From Marillion
10/22/08
Not Only But Also
Five More Reasons to Love 2008
10/22/08
Back to the Future
Keane's '80s Trip is Pretty Much Perfect
10/15/08
October Surprises
Four More Reasons to Love 2008
10/8/08
Way Too Normal
Ben Folds Delivers His First Disappointment
10/1/08
Anatomy of a Solo Album
Jenny, Lindsey and Amanda Do It On Their Own
9/24/08
Off to that Great Gig in the Sky
Pink Floyd's Rick Wright, 1943-2008
9/17/08
The Thing That Should Not Be
Against All Odds, Metallica's Death Magnetic is Amazing
9/10/08
Something to SMiLE About
Brian Wilson's That Lucky Old Sun is a Triumph
9/3/08
Four Records and a Concert
Intimacy, Lies, Letters and Live
8/27/08
It's a Bit Complicated
The Fiery Furnaces and Bryan Scary Get Difficult
8/20/08
A Token of My Extreme
The Unexpected Reunion of the Year
8/13/08
They Are Singers!! They Are Songwriters!!
They Have Come Back From the Dead!! Ahhhh!
8/6/08
The Collector Gene
Reasons to Buy Some Albums Twice (or Thrice)
7/30/08
Odds and Sods
Marillion, Watchmen, Ani Difranco, Ben Folds and More
7/23/08
Ain't That America?
The Hold Steady and John Mellencamp Transcend Americana
7/16/08
Guilty Pleasure?
Beck Downsizes and Delivers... Somewhat
7/9/08
Working on a Building
How the Seventy Sevens Got Their Groove Back
7/2/08
Baffling and Beautiful
Sigur Ros, Fleet Foxes and the Real Second Quarter Report
7/2/08
A Big Fat Cop-out
And the Second Quarter Report, Kind Of
6/25/08
Rhymin' and Stealin'
Or, the British Invasion, Day 15,350
6/18/08
The Good, The Bad and the Glorious, In That Order
New Ones From Sloan, Weezer and Aimee Mann
6/11/08
The New Adventures of Old Me Part 1
In Which Our Hero Sees Jandek in Ann Arbor
5/28/08
Don't Call It a Comeback
King's X Delivers a Mid-Tempo Grower With XV
5/21/08
Narrow Stairs, Wide Open Minds
Death Cab and Firewater Broaden Their Horizons
5/14/08
Momofuku!
Momo! Fuku! MOMOFUKU!
5/7/08
Portishead's Difficult Third Album
And a Bunch of Other Reviews
4/30/08
Cough Hack Wheeze
A Sick Excuse for a Column
4/23/08
Happy Record Store Day
Five New Reasons to Shop Your Local Music Store
4/16/08
The Doctor is In
Thoughts on Peter Davison's First Season
4/9/08
Beating the Sophomore Slump
Three Bands, Three Great Second Records
4/2/08
Back for the Attack
R.E.M. and Counting Crows Return With a Vengeance
3/26/08
Levee's Gonna Break
Catching Up Before the Deluge
3/19/08
Collecting the Collective
The Alarm Launches Their Counter Attack
3/12/08
Let's Stick Together
Reunion Albums from The Black Crowes and Bauhaus
3/5/08
Yesterday's Sound Today
The Feeling's Ultimate Throwback Masterwork, Join With Us
2/27/08
Surprises, Good and Bad
Mike Doughty Disappoints, Vampire Weekend Rules
2/20/08
Walking Backward
Kravitz, Crow, the Hooters and the Good Old Days
2/13/08
Lucky to Be Here
Nada Surf Delivers Another Winner
2/6/08
Right as Rain
Joe Jackson Makes 2008's First Great Record
1/30/08
Like Father, Like Son
Liam Finn Impresses With I'll Be Lightning
1/23/08
Loud and Proud
The Magnetic Fields Throw the Year's First Curve Ball
1/16/08
Back in the Saddle
An Early Look at 2008
1/9/08
Fifty Second Week
And Goodbye to 2007
12/26/07
Not Only Liked but Loved as Well
The 2007 Top 10 List
12/19/07
Last Minute Shopping
The Lost Dogs and the 77s Brighten the Holidays
12/12/07
The Next Best Thing to Being There
Four New Live Albums For Under the Tree
11/28/07
Leftoverture
Odds, Sods, Remixes and Rarities Round Out the Year
11/21/07
It'll Never Fly, Orville
Records That Shouldn't Work, But Do
11/14/07
We Interrupt This Programme
Thoughts on Tom Baker's First Doctor Who Season
11/7/07
Sad Sack Solo Acts
Dan Wilson and Justin Currie Wonder Why You're So Happy
10/31/07
October Surprises
Fall Rises With Three Great Albums
10/24/07
Also-Rans
Four Good Albums That Aren't Quite Good Enough
10/17/07
The Velvet Revolution
Radiohead's Remarkable In Rainbows
10/10/07
Dear Darkness
PJ Harvey's Haunting, Wondrous White Chalk
10/3/07
Blaze of Gory
Ministry Bows Out With The Last Sucker
9/26/07
Under the Radar
Three Bands, Three Unheralded Stunners
9/19/07
Open Water, Open Heart
Fish Lays it All Out There on 13th Star
9/12/07
Like Faith But Not Faith
Second Thoughts on Somewhere Else
9/5/07
The Slow Blunder
The New Pornographers' Snoozy Challengers
8/29/07
Let's Hear It For the Girls
Under the Blacklight and Over the Rhine
8/22/07
The Magnificent '07
Seven New Records Put the Year on an Upswing
8/15/07
The Great White North
Up I-95, Down Memory Lane
8/8/07
Let's Spin Again
The Swirling Eddies' Triumphant Return
8/1/07
In One Ear...
Seven Quick Takes on Seven New Albums
7/25/07
Young at Heart
On Doctor Who, the Alarm and Being 12 Years Old Again
7/18/07
Death By Nostalgia
Two Reunion Albums Miss the Mark
7/11/07
The Click Five is Dead
Long Live the Click Five
7/4/07
Spring of Our Discontent
Sicko, Ryan Adams and the Second Quarter Report
6/27/07
Together They're Heavy
Four Albums, Four Kinds of Heaviness
6/20/07
When He's Sixty-Four
Memory Almost Full Proves We Still Need Paul McCartney
6/13/07
Low Voltage
Bjork's New One is a Muddled Mess
5/30/07
Dear Dave Mustaine, Part Three
An Open Letter to a Metal God Reborn
5/23/07
Do I Disappoint You?
Wainwright and Wilco Diminish Their Returns
5/16/07
Frivolity and its Necessities
Some Things I've Been Meaning to Talk About
5/9/07
Write Your Last Paragraph
Posthumous Collections from Warren Zevon and Elliott Smith
5/9/07
Girl Reappearing
Tori Amos Makes Her Best Album in 10 Years
5/2/07
Fore!
One Hole-In-One, and Three Above Par
4/25/07
It's the End of the World As We Know It
NIN Welcomes You to Year Zero
4/18/07
Across the Sea
Marillion and Silverchair, Par Avion
4/11/07
This Better Be Good
Fountains of Wayne Returns with Traffic and Weather
4/4/07
Lee, Leo and Low
And the 1st Quarter Report
3/28/07
Fantastic Four
More Reasons to Love 2007
3/21/07
Still In Love With You
Boston's Third Stage: An Appreciation
3/14/07
The Butler Did It
Arcade Fire's Grand Neon Bible
3/7/07
Here Comes the Flood
The Calm Before the New Music Storm
2/28/07
More Than Words
Explosions in the Sky Make Instrumental Magic
2/21/07
Distant Early Warning
How the Internet Has Changed The Singles Market
2/14/07
Best Year Ever?
2007's Off to a Great Start
2/7/07
Struggling to Evolve
Pain of Salvation Does the Unexpected... Again
1/31/07
2007's First Great Album
The Shins Return With a Near-Perfect Record
1/24/07
Zombies, Robots, Giant Squids and Broken Hearts
The Wonderful World of Jonathan Coulton
1/17/07
Decemberists
Brightening the End-of-the-Year Doldrums
1/10/07
Coming Attractions
Reasons to Be Cheerful in 2007
1/3/07
Fifty Second Week
Farewell to 2006
12/27/06
Enough of This Terror, We Deserve to Know Light
The 2006 Top 10 List
12/20/06
Christmas Presence
The Yuletide Comes In
12/13/06
Disqualified
Or, "Ineligible" Doesn't Mean "Bad"
12/6/06
Minor Leagues
The Good, the Bad, and the Worse
11/29/06
Beautiful, Beautiful Noise
Bliss Out with Iona, Unwed Sailor and Hammock
11/22/06
In a Word, Ys
Joanna Newsom Lets Her Freak Folk Flag Fly
11/15/06
Don't Worry Yours
Nellie McKay Finally Rears Her Pretty Little Head
11/8/06
Brought to You By the Letter W
With the Who, the Walkmen and Woven Hand
11/1/06
Small World
Jeremy Enigk Returns With a Low-Key Winner
10/25/06
The Sacred and the Profane
A Tale of Twin Cities
10/25/06
One Up, Three Down
Weird Al Delights, Three Others Disappoint
10/11/06
International Pop Overthrow
Sloan and The Feeling: Worth the Import Price
10/4/06
The Rise and Fall of Tori Amos
A Piano Collects 15 Years in One Box
9/27/06
Fall Sounds
Five New Reviews, One Long Column
9/20/06
Extreme Ways, Part 2
Hard as Algebra
9/13/06
Extreme Ways, Part 1
Easy Like Sunday Morning
9/6/06
Emotional Technology, Indeed
BT's Brilliant, Beautiful Binary Universe
8/30/06
Back in the Game
Eric Matthews and his Foundation Sounds
8/23/06
The Soundtrack to My Movie
10 Records That Changed My Life
8/16/06
Whatever! I Do What I Want!
Ani Difranco and Matthew Friedberger Go Their Own Ways
8/9/06
Enders' Game
The Early November's Triple Threat
8/2/06
And That Makes Us Mighty
Joss Whedon Fans Get a Movie of Their Own
7/26/06
Let Down and Hanging Around
Four Albums, Four Shades of Disappointment
7/19/06
Plug In, Turn On, Burn it Up
The Lost Dogs Make Their Best Record in Years
7/12/06
Almost Goodbye
Johnny Cash's Penultimate Album
7/5/06
Melody Makers
New Ones From Guster and David Mead
6/28/06
Deeper, Darker, Better
Keane Outdoes Their Debut With Under the Iron Sea
6/21/06
Rather Good
Sonic Youth's 48690435th Great Album
6/14/06
The Manny Ramirez Effect
A Pair of Surprises From Out of Left Field
6/7/06
The Noise of Summer
What's to Come in the Next Three Months
5/31/06
No Beating Around the Bush
Neil Young and Ministry Take Aim at El Presidente
5/24/06
Surprises, Old and New
Paul Simon Returns, Quiet Company Arrives
5/17/06
Grandaddy's Grand Finale
And Three Other Records That Aren't As Good
5/10/06
It's Not You, It's Me
In Which I Finally Break Up with Pearl Jam
5/3/06
The Church of Bitter Tea
The Fiery Furnaces Start Another Religion
4/26/06
Quick and Dirty
Built to Spill Brightens My Vacation
4/12/06
I Remember Now
Queensryche's Long-Awaited Operation: Mindcrime II
4/5/06
Ladies and Gentlemen
Catching Up Before the Flood
3/29/06
Glory of the '80s
The Alarm and Prince Refuse to Get Old
3/22/06
V for Variation
Alan Moore's Work Gets Another Big Screen Drubbing
3/16/06
Too Young to Die?
The Arctic Monkeys and Their Swarm of Hype
3/16/06
Too Old to Rock 'n' Roll?
David Gilmour and Ray Davies Aren't Quite Dead
3/8/06
Strings Attached
Three New Live Albums Go Orchestral on Your Ass
3/1/06
Godsends
On Faith, Art, Mute Math and the Violet Burning
2/22/06
So, How Was Your Decade?
Ross Rice Gets the Nine-Year Itch
2/15/06
Great Scots
Belle and Sebastian and the First Great Record of 2006
2/8/06
Slow New Yorker
Richard Julian Makes his Quiet Return
2/1/06
Major Themes in Minor Keys
Duncan Sheik Returns with White Limousine
1/25/06
Without You I'm Nothing
Reader Recommendations from 2005
1/18/06
Sisters are Doin' It for Themselves
The Forgotten Females of 2005
1/11/06
Good First Impressions
The Strokes Kick Off the Year With a Bang
1/4/06
Fifty Second Week
And Farewell to 2005
12/28/05
Celebrate the Few, Celebrate the New
The 2005 Year-End Top 10 List
12/21/05
Ghettochip Malfunction
Beck Fails to Justify Guerolito
12/14/05
Please Mr. Postman
Mail-Order Marvels from Joy Electric and Marc Byrd
12/7/05
Sorry I Missed You
Three Records I Should Have Reviewed Already
11/30/05
Two Become One
System of a Down Doubles Up
11/23/05
Three Sides Live
Green Day, the Mars Volta and Wilco Take the Stage
11/16/05
We Become Panoramic
Kate Bush and Neal Morse Think Big
11/9/05
50/50
Robbie Williams Good, Trey Anastasio Bad
11/2/05
Does It Remind You of When?
The Fiery Furnaces Tribute Their Grandma, and the Beatles
10/26/05
Elbow Blooms
The Record V2 Doesn't Want You to Hear
10/19/05
Play It Again, Franz
Second Verse, Same as the First
10/12/05
Better Version of Me
Reinventing the Ladies of the Lilith Fair
10/5/05
Fantastic Four
New ones from Ryan Adams, King's X, Rob Dickinson and Sigur Ros
9/28/05
Seth Cohen Was Right
Death Cab for Cutie Shines on Plans
9/21/05
The Beatles vs. the Stones
The Debate Rages On With Two Late-Career Albums
9/14/05
Think Different
Outside the Box with Kanye West and Joy Electric
9/7/05
When the Levee Breaks
Or, Don't Blame Me, I Voted for Kodos
9/7/05
Pop Rocks
New Ones From the New Pornographers and the Click Five
8/24/05
Dearly Beloved
In Which We Stretch a Lame Narrative Device to its Limit
8/17/05
Hail to the Queen
A Crazy Little Thing Called Tribute Albums
8/10/05
Diminishing Returns
Michael Penn and Bob Mould Come Back with a Whimper
8/3/05
Words of Mouth
How I Heard About the Best Album of the Year
7/27/05
L.A. Stories
Coast to Coast on Out-of-State Plates
7/20/05
A Quick One, While He's Away
A Review, a List, and a Flying Spaghetti Monster
7/13/05
Five Days of Dust and Music
Fear and Loathing at Cornerstone 2005
7/6/05
Garage Days Revisited
Taking Another Look at the White Stripes
6/29/05
Melancholy and the Infinite Badness
Billy Corgan Blows It, But Dave Grohl Delivers
6/22/05
On Girls and Girlymen
Indigo Rarities and a Little Star
6/15/05
Don't Believe the Hype Part Two
Coldplay Moves Sideways on X&Y
6/8/05
Over/Under
Rating the Hype with Spoon and the Levellers
6/1/05
Surviving the '90s
Get Out Alive with Audioslave and Mike Doughty
5/25/05
Double Your Pleasure
Ambition Rides with Ryan Adams, System and the Eels
5/18/05
The Sith Hits the Fans
And Star Wars is Complete
5/18/05
Make Believe This Never Happened
No Sugarcoating: Weezer's New Album Is Terrible
5/11/05
Remember Who You Are
Retrenching with Nine Inch Nails and Aimee Mann
5/4/05
Who the Hell is Silverman?
Ben Folds Grows Up, Slows Down and Makes Good
4/27/05
Mighty Good
The Choir Returns With a Winner
4/20/05
It's Not Just a Dokken Album Title
Tooth and Nail Presents Starflyer 59 and Mae
4/13/05
Simple Things
Little Records From Over the Rhine and Glen Phillips
4/6/05
Play That Funky Music, Guero
Beck Surprises (And Satisfies) Again
3/30/05
Moby Checks In
But Don't Bother Checking Out His Hotel
3/23/05
Three to Get Ready
New Ones by Ivy, Eric Matthews and TMBG
3/16/05
Picture This
Kino Makes the Case for Great Side Projects
3/9/05
They Might Be Giants
The Mars Volta Aim for Greatness With Frances the Mute
3/2/05
Great Expectations
Tori Amos Disappoints Again on The Beekeeper
2/23/05
Back in Black
Julian Cope's Trip Continues on Citizen Cain'd
2/16/05
I Think, Therefore I Am
Pain of Salvation Explores What it Means to Be
2/9/05
Eyes Without a Face
Conor Oberst Remains Restless and Bright
2/2/05
Taking One Breath at a Time
Ani DiFranco Knuckles Down
1/26/05
Don't Pass Me By, Don't Make Me Cry
Three Albums That Got Away in 2004
1/19/05
Point/Counterpoint
Mike Ferrier and I Discuss the Music Industry
1/19/05
Dr. Sellout
Or, How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the iPod
1/12/05
The Dance of Lifey Death
Goodbye to Will Eisner, Hello to Jeremiah Naos
1/5/05
Ah My My, What an Elation
The 2004 Year-End Top 10 List
12/22/04
Last Minute Marvel
Mike Roe's Year-Ending Winner Fun With Sound
12/15/04
The Marshall Plan
Eminem Falters With Encore
12/8/04
Love and Death
It's Better Than Fun, It's Blog!
12/8/04
This Is Not the Best Song in the World
My Last Rant of 2004, I Promise
12/1/04
Dreaming Out Loud
The Long-Awaited Rebirth of U2
11/24/04
Second Verse, Not Like the First
Rufus Wainwright's Brooding, Beautiful Want Two
11/17/04
Reunited And it Feels So Good
The '80s Are Back in Style
11/10/04
Ain't That America?
The Madness of King George
11/3/04
A Tale of Two Pictures
How I Want to Remember 2004
10/27/04
There Is a Light That Never Goes Out
A Fond Farewell to Elliott Smith
10/20/04
Begin the Begin Again
R.E.M. Starts Another Trip on Around the Sun
10/13/04
The Transformed Man
William Shatner Gets Serious on Has Been
10/6/04
SMiLE Time
Jesus Loves You, Brian Wilson
9/29/04
Elvis Costello's Diverging Roads
Not to Get All Robert Frost About It...
9/22/04
Closest Thing to Heaven
Is Great Albums by Tears for Fears and the Autumns
9/15/04
Lift up Your Voices
To Praise Bjork's A Cappella Medulla
9/8/04
Brothers Gonna Work It Out
Family Style With the Robinsons and the Finns
9/1/04
Goodbyes Are Sad
Glenn McDonald and Ben Folds Wrap Things Up
8/25/04
Joy Electric Land
Ronnie Martin's Pocket Universe
8/18/04
Holding On for Dear Life
Bill Mallonee Goes Back in Time
8/11/04
Revenge of the Filler Column
George Lucas and a List
8/4/04
Puttin' the Backbone Back
They Might Be Giants Rock Out on The Spine
7/21/04
Should I Stay Or Should I Go?
The Cure and Phish Wear Out Their Welcomes
7/14/04
Like They Said
The Lost Dogs Cover Themselves on Mutt
7/7/04
Burning Sensation
Michael Moore Lights a Fire With Fahrenheit 9/11
6/30/04
A Ghost is Bored
Wilco's New Album is Less Than You Think
6/23/04
Old Is the New Young
Growing Up With the Beastie Boys and Sonic Youth
6/16/04
Bored Now
Mediocre New Ones From Lenny Kravitz and Bad Religion
6/9/04
Peachy Keane
On Hopes and Fears and 30 Years
6/2/04
Fallen Angel
Joss Whedon Signs Off, Just When TV Needs Him Most
5/26/04
Catching Up Is Hard to Do
Some Albums I Really Should Have Reviewed By Now
5/19/04
A Man of Letters
Stephin Merritt's Magnetic Fields Return With i
5/12/04
Two For Tuesday
Come Back to Prince and Discover Spymob
5/5/04
The Marbles Revolution
A Brief History of Marillion Part Three
4/28/04
Brought to You by the Letter H
A Brief History of Marillion Part Two
4/21/04
A Fish Tale
A Brief History of Marillion Part One
4/14/04
The Truth Hurts
Todd Rundgren Takes Sweet, Sweet Aim at All the Liars
4/7/04
Mommy, What's a B-Side?
Join the Dots With The Cure
3/24/04
Men, Men, Men! A Column Filled With Men!
It's The Man Show With Peter, Brian and Grant-Lee
3/17/04
See, There's This Talking Aardvark...
After 26 Years and 6,000 Pages, A Farewell to Cerebus
3/10/04
Jesus and Jonatha
Thoughts on Gibson's Passion and Brooke's Circus
3/3/04
We Believe in the Three Rs
A Rant, a Retraction, and a Review
2/25/04
Round Round Round the Bend
The Indigo Girls Fill It Up Again
2/18/04
Who Do You Think You Are?
Three New Albums Beg an Identity From Harry Connick, Jr.
2/11/04
Raised on Radiohead
Britpop Needs a New Revolution
2/4/04
Playing Hard to Get
What Moby and Matthew Sweet Don't Want You to Hear
1/28/04
One Woman Show
Ani Difranco Goes It Alone On Educated Guess
1/21/04
Phantom Planet Is Missing
Or, Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Band
1/7/04
Don't Forget About Delight
The 2003 Year-End Top 10 List
12/31/03
Who's Gonna Cry When Old John Dies?
One Last Grand Visit With the Man in Black
12/17/03
Not As Good As Gold
Ryan Adams and the Art of Mythmaking
12/10/03
Progressive Or Regressive?
A Look At Some Recent Prog-Metal
12/3/03
No Z'Nuff, Just Enough
Donnie Vie Makes His Winning Solo Bow
11/26/03
It's Sacrilege, For Christ's Sake
Why McCartney Should Have Let It Be
11/19/03
Tuesday Mourning
What a Year It's Been
11/19/03
Long Distance Dedication
Travis, Meshell, Sting and My Former Roommate
11/5/03
It's All About Choice
Barenaked Ladies Try to Be Everything to Everyone
10/29/03
I Didn't Understand
An Angry Goodbye to Elliott Smith
10/22/03
The Decapitation of Spock's Beard
New Eras for Neal Morse and his Former Band
10/15/03
Randomania
Four Albums, A Movie and a Bunch of Tangents
10/8/03
Someone Saved My Life Tonight
Jeff Buckley's Live at Sin-e Just Makes Life Better
9/24/03
For Those About to Rock
Sloan Salutes You With Action Pact
9/17/03
I Hang My Head and Cry
Three Goodbyes in One Week
9/10/03
The Battle of Project Greenlight
Thoughts on Kyle and Efram's Movie
9/3/03
Gone With The Wind
Warren Zevon Makes the Record of His Life
8/27/03
Re-Introduce Yourself (Right On)
Reinventing Ben Folds, BT, Prince and Mark Eitzel
8/20/03
Maine Events
New Ones From Northerners 6gig and Cerberus Shoal
8/13/03
Parts Is Parts
Ween's Whacked-Out, Disjointed Quebec
8/6/03
This One's For All the Marbles
Marillion's Independence Day
7/30/03
Return of the Kings
Jane's Addiction Shows Us How It's Done
7/23/03
Proclaim Your Joy
Pop Rocks with Fountains of Wayne and Enuff Znuff
7/16/03
The Normal Rules Do Not Apply
On Glenn McDonald and the Alarm
7/9/03
You've Never Heard Everything
Bruce Cockburn vs. the Mass Marketing Machine
7/2/03
Anatomy of a Sellout
Dumbing Down with Jewel and Liz Phair
6/25/03
Another Big, Long...Um...Sorry...
We Used Up All the Good Puns Two Columns Ago
6/18/03
Metallica's St. Anger Rules
On The Other Hand, It Also Sucks
6/11/03
Size Does Matter
Six Reviews, One Long, Hard Column
5/28/03
Slayed to Rest
Goodbye to Buffy the Vampire Slayer
5/21/03
Nothing To Be Scared Of
Blur's Think Tank is Better Than You've Heard
5/14/03
Too Much of a Good Thing
Fleetwood Mac's Reeeeeeealllly Long Say You Will
5/7/03
American Life
I Used to Be Disgusted, Now I Try to Be Amused
4/30/03
My Head Hurts
Big List! New Music! Go!
4/23/03
The World's Most Handsome Man?
Why Robbie Williams Will Never Conquer America
4/16/03
The Really Big Small
Ester Drang's Impressive Infinite Keys
4/9/03
Hail to the (Online) Thief
A Sneak Peek at Radiohead's New Disc
4/2/03
Searching for Simplicity
God, Faith, Religion and the Lost Dogs
3/26/03
Angry Old Men
The Joe Jackson Band Rocks on Volume 4
3/19/03
Change Is Good
Ani Difranco Encourages Us to Evolve
3/12/03
Sorting It Out
Scenes From My Worst Job Ever
3/5/03
My Collected Life
Why It's Worth It to Bring Everything
2/26/03
Ah, The Past
Supergrass Finds Life in Other Eras
2/19/03
Oscar Predictions Galore
You Guessed It - I'm Still Broke
2/12/03
A Name By Any Other Band
Ruminations on the New Cerberus Shoal
2/5/03
Corgan, Star of the Band?
Thoughts on Zwan's Debut, Two Rants and a List
1/29/03
In a New York Minute
Everything Can Turn to Crap
1/22/03
Spend One Nite Alone with Prince
Um...I Mean, Listening To His New Live Album...
1/15/03
Don't Call It a Comeback
Post-Hiatus Phish Disappoints With Round Room
1/8/03
Three is a Magic Number
Welcome to Two Thousand and...
1/1/03
The 2002 Year-End Top 10 List
No Alarms and No Surprises
12/18/02
I Don't Know Why You Say Goodbye, I Say Hello
On Beginnings, Endings, Dead Beatles and God
12/11/02
All You Need is Live
Ben Folds and the Bedheads Rock Your Face Off
12/4/02
2002: The Year of the Shrug
Four More Records You May Sorta Like
11/27/02
My So-Called 100th Column
Why Jason Rosenfeld Is My Hero
11/20/02
Nothing to Riot About
Pearl Jam Gives Us the Same Old Act
11/13/02
Pop Is Not a Four-Letter Word
Two of the Year's Best from Sixpence and the Elms
11/6/02
Frankly, Scarlet, Your Record Sucks
Tori Amos Takes a Bad Trip on Scarlet's Walk
10/30/02
Got Live If You Want It
Concert Albums by Ben Folds and the Lost Dogs
10/16/02
Tell Him What He's Won, Bob
In Which Our Hero Gets New Wheels and Talks About Honesty
10/9/02
Ch-Ch-Ch-Changes
Or, Smile When You Say "Podunk Local Newspaper"
10/2/02
Don't Get Up
Peter Gabriel Shows Us How to Waste 10 Years
9/25/02
Just Who Do You Think You Are?
Ambition Marks Three Recent Releases
9/18/02
One Year Later: How Truthful Is "Self Evident"?
Ani DiFranco Leads the Response to 9/11/01
9/11/02
Joining a Fan Club? Best Be Warned
The Jellyfish Box Set Is For the Fans
9/4/02
From Humble Beginnings...
Luminous New Albums From Duncan Sheik and Aimee Mann
8/28/02
A Voice to Launch a Thousand Adjectives
Beth Orton's Maddening, Marvelous Daybreaker
7/31/02
When Are You Going to Grow Up?
Trying On Maturity with the Chili Peppers and Oasis
7/24/02
Return to Form and More of the Same
New Ones from Dave Matthews Band and Counting Crows
7/17/02
We Used to Play the Big Rooms
Cornerstone Festival 2002
7/10/02
Air Guitar Should Be an Olympic Event
Play Along With Joe Satriani and Michael Roe
7/03/02
Nothing to See Here
Just Three More Rave Reviews
6/26/02
...And Four to Go
A Rousing Roundup of Recent Releases
6/19/02
Two For the Price of One
New Ones by Meshell Ndegeocello and Warren Zevon
6/12/02
Em the Gweat and Tewwible
Behind the Curtain of The Eminem Show
6/5/02
Dave Rankin 1970-2002
6gig's Drummer Passes Away
5/29/02
STAR MOTHERFUCKING WARS!!!
Attack of the Clones Rocks
5/15/02
Step Right Up
Both Sides of Mad Ringmaster Tom Waits
5/8/02
Elvis' Comeback Special
Costello's Uneven When I Was Cruel
5/1/02
Stupid, Stupid Record Company People
Wilco's Yankee Hotel Foxtrot is a Masterpiece
4/24/02
Looking For a Perfect Pop Record?
Be Phantom Planet's Guest
4/17/02
Life and 'Deth
After 10 Years of Shit, Megadeth Calls it Quits
4/10/02
Music Good, Snow Bad
New Releases to Keep You Warm This Spring
4/3/02
Meeting People is Easy
Three Reasons to Get to Know Peter Calo
3/27/02
There Are No Frontiers
The Alarm 2000 Box Set
3/20/02
Girls, Eels and Jars - Oh My!
Plus Two Live Discs From Across the Pond
3/13/02
No Sweeter Sound in the World
Cerberus Shoal's Artistic Triumph, Mr. Boy Dog
3/6/02
It's No Bull
But Say Zuzu's Every Mile Ain't Bad
2/20/02
A Guitar, a Voice and a Heartbreak
The Sad, Sweet, Unchanging World of Chris Isaak
2/13/02
Let Me Take You Down 'Cause I'm Going Soon
The Chemical Brothers Invite You to Come With Us
2/6/02
Cover This - We Dare You
Dream Theater Keeps Prog Alive
1/30/02
Pretty Regret Machine
NIN's Live Album, And All That Could Have Been
1/23/02
Hip Hop Nation
Four New Rap Albums Bring the Diversity
1/16/02
On Death and Rebirth
And Changing to a Butterfly Jones
1/9/02
I May Have Killed Bambi
Oh, and Here's the Next Two Months of New Music
1/2/02
The 2001 Year-End Top 10 list
Magic and Loss and 10 Works of Art
12/19/01
It's a Very Good Life
Richard Julian Makes a Grand Comeback
12/12/01
And the People Sing...Cush! Cush!
A Revolution in the Making
12/5/01
For My Birthday, I Want...PAIN!!
Metal Madness With System of a Down and Slipknot
11/28/01
King of Pop or King of Poop
Let the Debate Commence...
11/21/01
David Hayter Must Die
Before He Ruins Everything
11/14/01
Lenny Happy Returns
Karvitz' Latest Nostalgiarama Sounds All His Own
11/7/01
The Original Superfreak
Aphex Twin's Sprawling, Stunning Drukqs
10/31/01
Oh, Canada
Halifax's Sloan Offers Up Another Winner
10/24/01
Longest...Column...EVER
Catching Up on Five New Releases
10/17/01
Angst Is the New Pop
Garbage Is as Beautiful as Ever
10/10/01
Remember to Laugh
Breaking the Silnece, Facing the Tragedy
10/3/01
Hey Gene, We Remember You
The Lost Dogs Carry On With Real Men Cry
9/26/01
Words Like Violence
Tori Amos' Powerful Strange Little Girls
9/19/01
Rockin' the Suburbs Indeed
Ben Folds Makes His Wining Solo Debut
9/12/01
I've Got Nothing
Except, That Is, a Weekly Deadline
9/5/01
Two Bjorks are Better Than One
But One Vespertine is Better Than the Other
8/29/01
Happiness is a Short Record
Built to Spill Strike Back
8/22/01
We interrupt This Column for a Big Fat List
Two Months of Musical Excitement
8/15/01
George Lucas In Love...
With Awful Movie Titles
8/8/01
Czech Your Head
Oh, I've Been to Prague
8/1/01
Spiritual Pop Overload Part Two
Daniel Amos' Instant Classic Mr. Buechner's Dream
7/18/01
Spiritual Pop Overload Part One
The Choir's Never Say Never
7/11/01
Resistance of Memory
STP and the Importance of Being Unforgettable
6/27/01
All New England, All the Time
New Ones by Motorplant and Rustic Overtones
6/20/01
My Fingers Hurt From Typing
Six Reviews, 3600 Words
6/13/01
Forget Amnesiac
Radiohead Spaces Out on Us Again
6/6/01
Hang On to Your Depression
Mark Eitzel's Gloriously Sad The Invisible Man
5/30/01
Five Years is a Long, Long Time
Tool and Weezer Remind Us That They're Alive
5/23/01
Just Like Brian Wilson Did
R.E.M.'s Pure Pop Excursion Reveal
5/16/01
The Best Rock 'n' Roll Band in the World
The Black Crowes Strike Back with Lions
5/9/01
Open Skies, Electric Miles and a Guy Named Glen
Three Good Reasons to Like 2001
5/2/01
Mark Your Calendars
New Releases Through the Summer
4/25/01
Why Is Shawn Colvin So Bored?
Whole New You Sounds Neither Whole Nor New
4/11/01
On Elves, Stags and Not Putting Your Hand Down
What Amy Ray and Drew Hayes Have in Common
4/4/01
Michael Roe's Acoustic Live Album
Trust Me, It's For You
3/28/01
40 Years in 50 Minutes
All About Chemistry is Semisonic's Homage to Pop
3/21/01
Our Lady Typical
Our Lady Peace's Spiritual Machines Doesn't Rise to its Own Challenge
3/14/01
Beyond Beautiful
Duncan Sheik's Phantom Moon is a Quiet Wonder
3/7/01
Isn't He Famous Enough?
Dave Matthews Sells Out With Everyday
2/28/01
Jonatha Brooke's Steady Pull
Independence Never Sounded So Sweet
2/21/01
Piss and Moan
Death to Corporate Record Stores
2/14/01
Miscellaneous
I Refuse to Use the Word "Miscellaney"
2/7/01
Nevermind? Bollocks! Where's the Beatles?
The Dangers of Doing a Top 100 Anything
1/31/01
Napster Rant
Don't Blame Me, I Was Sick
1/17/01
Grammys Suck
But This Year They Suck Less
1/10/01
Phil Keaggy Has Two New Albums
And You Still Don't Know Who He Is
1/3/01
The 2000 Top 10 List
And Why I Hate Myself For It
12/20/00
Rage Against the Machine's Renegades
Leading the Zeitgeist By the Nose
12/13/00
Marilyn Manson's Holy Wood
Censors, Start Your Engines
12/6/00
Everclear's Songs From an American Movie
The Only Modern Rock Album You'll Ever Need
11/29/00