Drake Baer
Flea, ‘Helen Burns’ – Album Review
Is Flea the most excellent dude is rock? Probably. Is the Red Hot Chili Peppers bassist’s debut EP ‘Helen Burns’ the most delightful surprise of the year? Certainly.
Blur, ‘Under the Westway’ – Song Review
Blur return to their soft side with new song ‘Under the Westway.’ The ballad is one of two tracks they released online yesterday — the other being the energetic and electronic ‘The Puritan.’ In contrast, ‘Under the Westway’ is thoroughly and intimately analog, to the point that frontman Damon Albarn says that he’s “praying for the day that we turn off the machines.”
Blur, ‘The Puritan’ – Song Review
Britpop icons Blur are back with a pair of new songs. One of those is the searing, electronic ‘The Puritan.’
Flaming Lips, ‘The Flaming Lips and Heady Fwends’ – Album Review
Wayne Coyne’s got pull. He and his Flaming Lips, already masters of reinvention, find themselves again in the most unexpected of manners: by way of collaboration. The Lips have assembled a roster of playmates equally rogue’s gallery and who’s who, ranging from the top of the pops to the furthest avant garde
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311, ‘Time Bomb’ – Song Review
Remember when you and your buddies would stay up all night drinking Mountain Dew, eating pizza and playing ‘Tony Hawk’? The soundtrack of choice for such an age adolescent nerd revelry was obviously the tones of 311, for whom the basement trend continues in new single ‘Time Bomb.’
Smashing Pumpkins, ‘Oceania’ – Album Review
So the Smashing Pumpkins have become a prog rock band. Who could have known 20 years ago that Billy Corgan’s nasal sneer would float over the guitars of ‘The Celestials’ (yes, that’s the actual name of one of these songs), or that the Chicago band would release an album-within-an-album as their ninth release. ‘Oceania’ is a long player that longs for cosmic grandeur — and at times reaches those st
Red Hot Chili Peppers, ‘Brendan’s Death Song’ – Song Review
The newest single from the Red Hot Chili Peppers is an anthem dedicated to a dearly departed friend. It’s half funeral march and half rock ’n’ roll wake.
Chris Robinson Brotherhood, ‘Big Moon Ritual’ – Album Review
The onetime frontman of the Black Crowes has come back to lead a new tribe in ‘Big Moon Ritual,’ a down-home take on cosmic consciousness, the mellow stuff of rainbow gatherings and classic rock festivals. Long story short: The Chris Robinson Brotherhood is groovy, man, real groovy.
Radiohead’s ‘OK Computer’ And ‘Kid A’ Get 8-Bit Video Game Music Treatment
In a bout of pixelated perfection, a YouTube user has uploaded 8-bit versions of two of contemporary rock’s most landmark albums: Radiohead‘s ‘OK Computer’ and ‘Kid A.’
Chris Robinson Brotherhood, ‘Rosalee’ – Song Review
The lead singer of the Black Crowes is back with a new band — the Chris Robinson Brotherhood — and a new song, ‘Rosalee.’ Certifiably groovy, the iconoclastic frontman refits a classic jam form. The result bursts out with thick bass lines and choruses.
Dave Matthews Band Soundcheck New Songs for 2012 Tour Kickoff
The much-beloved Dave Matthews Band begin their summer 2012 tour, their first in nearly two years, tonight in Texas. An eager fan grabbed video of two new songs during a soundcheck that took place last night — see them (and the tour dates) below.
New York Senate Declares May 4 ‘MCA Day’ in Honor of Beastie Boys’ Adam Yauch
Because they probably shouldn’t pour a Brass Monkey out for him, New York state senators have adopted a resolution to pause their proceedings in honor of Brooklyn’s own Adam “MCA” Yauch. The Beastie Boy passed away on May 4, and the representatives are repping him and the Beasties by way of legislation. One line observes, “They can’t, they don’t, they won’t stop changing the face of hip-hop, of mu