By David Kenney
Last year at the Seventh Note Club in San Francisco, Elliott Smith looked on the edge. After a rough show and year, he’s reached that edge. On Figure 8, Smith counters with a record that sounds bittersweet-but-getting-over-it. Here, he buys into a dawdling piano and clutching electric guitar melodies. Still sad as ever, Smith grieves… Continue reading Elliot Smith — Figure 8
The cover, a heart, half-submerged in the deep blue sea but still protruding into the starry night, introduces us to the imagery and poetry of Mare Vitalis Appleseed Cast, who on 1998’s The End of the Ring Wars were lost and confused in sorrow, have aged lifetimes in two years. Their path is clearer and… Continue reading Mare Vitalis — The Appleseed Cast
By Justin Lee
At a time where the music industry is churning out would-be R&B divas by the minute, 20-year-old Philly-native, Alecia "Pink" Moore, stands out amongst the pack. From her spine-tingling vocals to her short, fuchsia-dyed hair, Pink is in a league-of-her-own. Can’t Take Me Home is the brainchild of prominent producers Babyface, She’kspere and The Specialists,… Continue reading Can’t Take Me Home — Pink
The band is brought into the Roman Coliseum. The crowd chants for blood or glory, the emperor rises to pronounce judgement. To the lions or freedom? His thumb wavers, he cannot decide. So it is with the new self-titled album from Supergrass. The lyrics–not so cheesy as to offend, not so profound as to move–might… Continue reading Supergrass — Self-titled
Planes Mistaken for Stars, the emo-core quartet with one of the coolest band names going return to CD trays with a second all-too-short EP. Knife in the Marathon weighs in at an always-leave-them-wanting-more 18 minutes, but its unrelenting, powerful pace and vigour makes it a worthwhile to the Deep Elm Records library. After a slow,… Continue reading Knife in the Marathon — Planes Mistaken for Stars
By Justin Lee
common sense (n) 1: sound and prudent but often unsophisticated. judgement 2: the unreflective opinions of ordinary men. Webster’s definition of common sense is anything but when it comes to describing one of the most prolific lyricists of his time; Chicago’s Common, formerly Common Sense, is one of the few MCs in hip-hop today that… Continue reading Like Water for Chocolate — Common
Amidst the angst of love comes Comatised by Leona Naess. Though the perpetual love-and-relationship theme may be a little heart-wrenching for love-phobes, the album is a refreshing change from the many broken-hearted songs in existence. Songs such as "Anything," "All I Want," and "Paper Thin" are lyrically lovely, set in catchy tunes and mellow melodies… Continue reading Comatised
By Laura Glick
With a pleasant variety of tempos and styles, the latest Victory Records compilation is more accessible and overall more enjoyable than previous albums. Leading the way are New York’s Snapcase and Ontario’s Grade, dishing out tight, frenetic doses of crunchy, raw hardcore. However, the alternate version of Grade’s "A Year in the Past" lacks much… Continue reading Victory Style IV – Various Artists
By David Kenney
Ground control to Major Tom: Eels ready for lift-off. After the chaotic and disappointing Electro-Shock Blues, lead Eel E revamps his Beautiful Freak sound via an acoustic blender. Gone are the noisy guitars with E using hushed acoustics to balance his ballerina-box keyboards. Daisies of the Galaxy is where E gets even. E is one… Continue reading Daisies of the Galaxy – Eels
By Bo Rhodes
Oh my gawd! They are like, so dreamy! Mytown is yet another boy band in an oh-so long line of all-male groups. With their self-titled release, Mytown has accomplished something that few other boy-bands have yet to do. This Irish quartet has written the majority of the songs which appear on this disc. Although the… Continue reading Mytown – Self-titled