Though some believe Lupe Fiasco is too smart for mainstream rap, that’s not exactly true. Most of the lyrics on his sophomore release, Lupe Fiasco’s The Cool, are pretty basic, clichéd stuff, right down to the CD’s opening monologue, “They thought it was cool to tear down the projects and…
It’s difficult enough to master the pop music idiom, let alone to do so in a second language. Frenchman Xavier Boyer has managed the impressive feat, singing in English through three strong albums with Parisian indie popsters Tahiti 80, and he continues apace with Tutu to Tango. As Axe Riverboy…
Y’know, it’s pretty remarkable how many ancient hardcore bands — ones most of us thought were long gone — are still crisscrossing this great land of ours with Econoline vans and U-Haul trailers, playing shows for the faithful: Agent Orange, Agnostic Front, Sick of It All, Suicidal Tendencies, and Circle…
If the term “butt-shake” isn’t part of your musical vernacular, you’d better get hip ASAP and have a listen to Phoenix’s own Acapulco-Five-O. Inspired by ’50s and ’60s spy music, go-go, Latin exotica, and, of course, butt-shake, Acapulco-Five-O was designed to infect the masses with the rockin’ pneumonia and the…
Great gods of gravy, where would the hep world be without the subtle machinations of the Cramps and Stray Cats? Why, there wouldn’t hardly be any rock-a-billy music ’round at all! Not to trash those combos (who’ve had their moments, especially their earliest singles), but there were (and are) truer,…
There’s a slew of reasons we dig Al Page. Not only does the laid-back DJ and promoter have one of the most fly Afros in all of P-Town, but he also busts much ass on both the record decks and behind the scenes at the Hidden House, 607 West Osborn…
It’s finally winter, and I’m feeling like that damn coyote in the cartoons, hungry for something good to put in my facehole. I’m tired as hell of chasing that elusive euphoric high by gulping beer and wine — a compromise I’ve been trying since my doctor ungraciously told me to…
It’s an excessively rainy Friday night in late November, and Johnette Napolitano has just finished playing a solo acoustic set at Martini Ranch in Scottsdale. We are alone together in the “green room” (which is actually a soft-maize color), surrounded by comfy brown couches, big-screen plasma TVs, and mirrors. Napolitano…
In the 1950s, along with Ray Charles, singer Napoleon “Nappy” Brown was one of the transitional performers between blues and rhythm & blues (the latter in the ’60s transmuted to “soul music”). Proceeding from a blues foundation, Brown worked gospel, pop, and jump-blues (i.e., Louis Jordan) into the mix. That,…
Eagles Don Henley, Glenn Frey, Joe Walsh, and Timothy B. Schmit may all love music, but they don’t make it collectively unless there’s a mammoth payday involved. Maybe that’s why this set, which is being released through a profit-maximizing deal with Wal-Mart, seems inspired more by commerce than art. The…
A cross between the melodic punk of Lawrence Arms and the churning hardcore of Rise Against, AWS combine a high quotient of both heft and hooks. Original drummer Nicholas Pasquale Angelini is the beast’s backbone, driving tempo like Jeff Gordon, and keying a thick bottom end worthy of J.Lo. Atop…
Dutch DJ Tom Holkenborg, better known as Junkie XL or JXL, provides the equivalent of an audio aphrodisiac with his latest album, Booming Back at You, a collection of electro-sexy songs filled with throbbing bass, swooning synths, pumping drums, and hormonal harmonies — suggestive, yes, but not as direct as…
Conjuring up a cool-sounding name for your record-spinning gig ain’t the easiest thing. It’s gotta be catchy and clever enough to draw in the hipsters, without seeming too hokey. Such is the struggle for Fatigo vocalist/guitarist Mike Montoya and Shizz scenester DJ mig50, who’ve yet to create a moniker for…
After more than 25 years in the music business, Johnette Napolitano has made her masterpiece. From the haunting synth programming on “Amazing” to the poignant ballad “The Scientist” to her deep ‘n’ doomy cover of Lou Reed’s “All Tomorrow’s Parties,” Scarred is a sonic portrait of an artist who has…
Christmas cheer can be found in the oddest of places. We stumbled upon it in the midst of clothing and knick-knacks (most likely acquired from the dead) at Retro Redux’s Kitschy Christmas Party on Saturday, December 8. As with any vintage clothing and antique shop, the 7th Avenue store was…
There’s nothing new going on here, just straight-up, raging metal. We didn’t bother to read Body of Scars’ list of influences (if they have one), because we can clearly hear them. The dual guitars churn out the high-pitched, racing-scale solos mastered by Iron Maiden and — more prominently for BoS…
There can be little question that Stanley Clarke is one of the greatest jazz-fusion bassists alive today. He continues to make inspirational work both live and in the studio, as heard on this new disc. He opens the proceedings with the four-part suite that gives the CD its title. The…
Wu-Tang Clan’s fifth album comes at a time of strife within the group. Ghostface Killah and Raekwon have laid into Wu ringleader and beat maker RZA for the album’s creative direction. Calling Wu a sinking ship and RZA a “hip-hop hippie,” Raekwon says the beats on 8 Diagrams are too…
When we heard about Yacht Rock Sundays, we just about had a heart attack from sheer joy. On Sunday, December 2, we boarded at the Ruby Room Lounge for an evening of smooth sounds — for our second time around — and will definitely make it for the third journey,…
Bob Ravenscroft’s latest, Intersections I, finds the accomplished pianist resting comfortably in what intimidates so many jazz cats: space. This modern-jazz album begins with “Dreams,” a 14-minute tune that sets the moody formula for the Ravenscroft originals and rests between the stretched-out grooves of Keith Jarrett’s famed trio and free-jazz…
You ever have one of those days that just drip self-loathing and want? Since the doc told me to quit drinking, I’ve had many days — and nights — when I realized, “Hey, I think I really fucked up my life.” Phoenix seems to breed many of those dreaded evenings,…
At the ripe old age of 19, Adam Panic (né Kootman) has accumulated quite a discography, starting with his impressive one-man pop debut, The Vamp, in 2002. Since then, he’s released two EPs, both produced by Phoenix engineer (and Breakup Society drummer) Bob Hoag. Hoag’s back onboard for Panic’s second…
