Jonathan Richman I'm So Confused Vapor By: Eric G. Having made appearances in two Farrelly brothers films, Kingpin and There’s Something About Mary, Jonathan Richman’s hokey-pop-folkie shtick is reaching a far greater audience, but that has done nothing to change Richman’s simple outlook on life. Acoustic guitar, bass and drums still accompany his over-intellectualized, everyday […]

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Einsturzende Neubauten Ende Neu Nothing By: Eric G. When a band like Einsturzende Neubauten (Collapsing New Buildings) puts out a new record it evokes a conflicting string of emotions similar to when a legendary director has a new film. The excitement for the new product is overshadowed by a sense of dread that it may […]

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R. Chartier Direct, Incidental, Consequential Intransitive By: Kerry M. A few years back Markus Popp (Oval) and Jan St Werner (Mouse on Mars) got together and released their second album as Microstoria entitled _SND. _SND, with it’s bleeps and hums and drones sounded like the soundtrack to an empty computer lab full of machines communicating […]

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Duran Duran Greatest EMI / Capital By: Eric G. This nineteen-track career retrospective is a better representation of Duran Duran's output compared to 1989's premature greatest hits package, Decade. Duran Duran has endured the status of fey, make-up wearing poseurs long enough. The band's self-proclaimed mix of Chic, Roxy Music, and the Sex Pistols started […]

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Takako Minekawa Cloudy Cloud Calculator Emperor Norton By: Eric G. Takako Minekawa is a star in Japan where she has been in the public eye since she was a child actress. She currently stars in Sony Playstation commercials, writes a column for Keyboard Magazine, and creates bizarre electro-pop based on clouds, color, and light, using […]

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Kristin Hersh Murder, Misery And Then Goodnight 4ad By: Eric G. The new Kristin Hersh album is available only through on-line ordering, partly because it's an album of covers and partly to explore a new method of reaching fans. Hersh also has an on-line subscription available at her site (http://www.throwingmusic.com), which allows the listeners to […]

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Wagon Christ Tally Ho! Astralwerks By: Eric G. This is Luke Vibert's third effort under the Robert Crumb inspired moniker Wagon Christ, and it explores an unpretentious blend of laid back dancefloor beats and samplings. His other pseudonym, Plug, which just got signed to Trent Reznor's Nothing label, presents an almost purist breed of drum […]

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