January 2008

Event Reviews

Aaron Lewis of Staind

Lead singer of Staind, Aaron Lewis, played an intimate acoustic show in Times Square, New York City with the support of Lo-Pro. Mark Fredrickson was there.

Editors remind Orlando audiences that it was the UK that birthed their brand of darkly deep indie rock. Jen Cray couldn't help but wonder if they were ripping off Joy Division, or Interpol's interpretation of Joy Division.

Fall Out Boy

Chicago quartet, Fall Out Boy, brought their Young Wild Things Tour to Philadelphia, but Brittany Sturges found it rather tame.

Gallows

Gallows breathe new life into the choking corpse of hardcore punk, and while the rest of America may not yet have caught on to the chaotic phenomena from England, Jen Cray- and a few hundred Orlando kids- sure the hell have.

Joan Jett & the Blackhearts

WMMO 98.9, Orlando's soft rock radio station, puts on free concerts a few times a year as a "thanks for listening" for its listeners. To close out 2007, Joan Jett & the Blackhearts took over the grassy knoll in front of city hall much to the excitement of Jen Cray.

The Draft

With a trio of Hot Water Music reunion shows coming up later in the month, the 3/4 of the band who moonlight as The Draft played an off-tour warmup gig in Orlando. Jen Cray was there.

Features

Studio One Reissues Series

Trying to put the sprawling creative mess that is Jamaican music into order is a daunting task... until you realize that a lot of it sprang from Studio One. Scott Adams recaps several reissues from C.S. "Coxsone" Dodd's pivotal recording studio.

Interviews

Del Boy - the Return of Justin Currie

Del Amitri frontman Justin Currie is back in the spotlight with his debut solo album. Andrew Ellis finds out why the Scottish singer-songwriter won't be joining any protest marches anytime soon...

Say Anything

Say Anything defends a genre and makes it as a headliner on the MySpace tour. Autumn Thatcher chats with drummer Coby Linder about it all.

Music Reviews

Carole King

Love Makes the World - Deluxe Edition (Rockingale). Review by Carl F Gauze.

Phunk Junkeez

Hydro Phonic (DMAFT). Review by Chris Catania.

The Residents

The River of Crime (Cordless). Review by Bob Ham.

Music A

Kasey Anderson

The Reckoning (Terra Soul Music/ In Music We Trust). Review by Tim Wardyn.

Angels & Airwaves

I-Empire (Suretone/Geffen). Review by Jen Cray.

ASG

Win Us Over (Volcom). Review by Jen Cray.

Music B

Black Moth Super Rainbow

Dandelion Gum (Graveface). Review by Aaron Shaul.

Blackie and the Rodeo Kings

Let's Frolic (Redeye). Review by Chris Catania.

Blanche Davidian

Orange Sunshine (Vodka Tonic Media). Review by Carl F Gauze.

Richard Buckner

Meadow (Merge). Review by Tim Wardyn.

Music C

Cokiyu

Mirror Flake (Flau). Review by Aaron Shaul.

Rivers Cuomo

Alone: The Home Recordings (Geffen). Review by Jen Cray.

Music D

Dub Trio

Cool Out and Coexist (RIOR). Review by Chris Catania.

Music E

Emily Easterly

Heart Comma Heart (Self-Released). Review by Ben Varkentine.

The Eat

It's Not The Eat, It's The Humidity (Alternative Tentacles Records). Review by Scott Adams.

Music F

For Against

In the Marshes (Words on Music). Review by Aaron Shaul.

Music G

Devin Garza

Every Reason (Foreverything). Review by Andrew Ellis.

God or Julie

This Road Before (Trash Box Records). Review by Andrew Ellis.

Grace Potter and The Nocturnals

This is Somewhere (Hollywood). Review by Chris Catania.

Music H

HUSH

Bulletproof (Geffen). Review by Chris Catania.

Music I

If I Could Write Poetry

A Tribute to Television Personalities (Beautiful Music). Review by Aaron Shaul.

Ilad

National Flags (SYJIP). Review by Chris Catania.

Music K

Kiss the Anus of a Black Cat

An Interlude to the Outermost (Kraak). Review by Aaron Shaul.

Music L

Ben Lee

Ripe (New West). Review by Sean Slone.

Mike Ladd

Father Divine (RIOR). Review by Chris Catania.

Rory Lake

Cooler by the Lake (Rory Lake Presents). Review by Carl F Gauze.

The Lucksmiths

Spring a Leak (Matinee). Review by Aaron Shaul.

Music M

Magnet School

Tonight We Drink...Tomorrow We Battle the Evil at Hand (Arclight). Review by Jen Cray.

Metamatics & Norken

My Favorite Kind of Irrelevance - The Best of Metamatics and Norken (Hydrogen Dukebox Records). Review by Al Pergande.

The Mojomatics

Songs For Faraway Lovers (Alien Snatch Records). Review by Carl F Gauze.

Monster Bobby

Gaps (Hypnote). Review by Aaron Shaul.

Music N

Kate Nash

Made of Bricks (Fictions/Geffen). Review by Jen Cray.

Music O

One Small Step For Landmines

One Small Step For Landmines (Civil Defense League). Review by Jen Cray.

Over Kill

Immortalis (Bodog Music). Review by Jen Cray.

Music P

Dave Pahanish

Nashvillian. Review by Andrew Ellis.

The Pine Hill Haints

Ghost Dance (K). Review by Aaron Shaul.

Pomegranates

Two Eyes EP (Lujo). Review by Jen Cray.

Pride Tiger

The Lucky Ones (Caroline). Review by Jen Cray.

Reid Paley Trio

Approximate Hellhound (Metaphor Rhythms). Review by Sean Slone.

Robert Plant/Alison Krauss

Raising Sand (Rounder). Review by Jen Cray.

Music R

Rodrigo y Gabriela

Rodrigo y Gabriela (ATO Records). Review by Tim Wardyn.

Music S

The Selmanaires

The Air Salesman (International Hits). Review by Jen Cray.

Mindy Smith

My Holiday (Vanguard Records). Review by Tim Wardyn.

Music T

Greg Tannen

Rocket (Self-released). Review by Andrew Ellis.

Teargas & Plateglass

Black Triage (Waxploitation). Review by Jen Cray.

Pam Tillis

Just In Time For Christmas (Stellar Cat Records). Review by Matthew Moyer.

Ronnie Tom

Ronnie Tom. Review by Tim Wardyn.

The Touques

Mustard Pickle Gun. Review by Jen Cray.

Music V

John Vanderslice

Emerald City (Barsuk Records). Review by Tim Wardyn.

Music W

Wattstax

Wattstax Soundtrack (Stax). Review by Chris Catania.

Wisely

Wisely (Oglio Records). Review by Linda Tate.

Willie Wisely

Wisely (Oglio/Fontana ). Review by Bryan Tilford.

Print Reviews

Belle and Sebastian: If You�re Feeling Sinister

Pitchfork writer Scott Plagenhoef has written an appreciation of B&S's groundbreaking album as part of Continuum Books' 33 1/3rd series. Andrew Coulon has a few bones to pick.

Eiji Tsuburaya: Master of Monsters

The definitive coffee table book on Godzilla and his creator, Eiji Tsuburaya. Carl F. Gauze is torn on whether to stifle a giggle at the rubber suits or flee in terror through the streets of Tokyo.

Dreaming of Gwen Stefani

What is in a name? Well, Mortimer Taylor Coleridge, Professor Fillmore Skinny, and Bertrand Fuddle suggest oddly mannered eccentrics contrived to knee-jerk the reader into a fantastical parallel world where it�s all evolutionary biology, hot dogs and Gwen Stefani. S D Green explores whether or not it's a world worth visiting.

Mathematicians in Love

Recreational conotoxins, multi-dimensional manifolds and hard rawk -- what the? Rudy Rucker must have a book out, and Ian Koss enjoys it.

Punk House

Photographer Abby Banks went on a 25-city tour of "punk houses" across the U.S. to create this unique coffeetable book that pays tribute to this artistic underground of "hippie punks." Jen Cray is ready to crash.

Silent Pictures

Pat Graham brings the DC-centric goods in this new collection of over a decade's worth of his music photos. Matthew Moyer feels like he has an all-access pass.

Screen Reviews

Linda Linda Linda

Our Tokyo correspondent, Heather Lorusso, finds much to recommend in this charming story of a group of Japanese schoolgirls trying to get a band together for the big end-of-year festival. Rock!

Ping Pong

Tokyoite Heather Lorusso, no stranger to a game or two of ping pong herself, falls for Fumihiko Sori's film adaptation of this popular manga series. What I want to know is, how does it stack up against Balls of Fury?

Solitude Aeternus: Hour of Despair

Take Matthew Moyer's advice - When the singer in a doom metal band is wearing priest's vestments and rolling his eyes in the back of his head, you know you're in for a quality concert. Solitude Aeternus brings the celluloid goods.

The Boy In The Striped Pajamas

A young boy discovers the horrors of the concentration camp through his father, the camp commandant. Carl F Gauze sees the darkness descend.

The Diving Bell and the Butterfly

Julian Schnabel directs this true story of a successful French magazine editor, Jean-Dominque Bauby, who was struck with a paralyzing condition that leaves the afflicted with all his mental faculties, but unable to talk or move. Through the use of one good eye, a brilliant therapist, and patient transcriptionist, Bauby was able to create the book upon which the film is based. S D Green is suitably awed.

Ercole Su'l Termodonte

A live presentation of Antonio Vivaldi's long lost opera about Hercules and the Amazons. Carl F Gauze is entranced by the Amazons.