Interpol Antics Matador By: Eric Greenwood For a band that is so self-consciously meticulous about every aspect of its public persona, Interpol sure did whore itself around generously in support of its 2002 debut, Turn on the Bright Lights. From commercial fluff like Pepsi Smash to episodes of Six Feet Under to relentless touring, Interpol […]

[Read more →]

Funeral For A Friend Casually Dressed Ferret By: Eric Greenwood There are few shticks in rock that I despise more than the oxymoronic sensitive tough guy; it’s just so contrived and played out. (Alex may be on fire and everything, but he’s still a total wuss.) Funeral for a Friend is the Welsh answer to […]

[Read more →]

Talking Heads The Name Of This Band Is The Talking Heads Rhino By: Eric Greenwood Despite the accolades for Jonathan Demme’s artsy live document of the Talking Heads’ 1984 tour, Stop Making Sense, this New York quartet has never really been given its due as a live powerhouse. This under-appreciated 1982 live album should rewrite […]

[Read more →]

Mike Watt The Secondman's Middle Stand Epic By: Eric Greenwood Whether you agree with his outspoken politics or not, it's hard to begrudge much about anyone as affable as Mike Watt. As the bassist of one of America's most revered punk bands from the early '80s, The Minutemen, Watt will carry the weight of being […]

[Read more →]

The High Water Marks Songs About The Ocean Eenie Meenie By: Eric Greenwood Just barely too fuzzy to be called twee, The High Water Marks straddle the line between light Elephant 6 psychedelia and the preciousness of pretty much any band on Darla. With The Apples In Stereo drummer Hilarie Sidney moving from behind the […]

[Read more →]

Bjork Medulla Elektra By: Eric Greenwood Bjork’s phenomenal trajectory has been utterly uncompromising and truly visionary. There's no debating that. On paper, it may look as though Bjork is shunning commerciality and moving forward musically with her gimmicky new album, Medulla, which purports to eschew the use of traditional instrumentation in favor of using the […]

[Read more →]

The Cardigans Long Gone Before Daylight Stockholm / Koch By: Eric Greenwood After the inexplicably lukewarm reception to The Cardigans' 1998 detour into dark, atmospheric trip-hop the band all but disappeared. Vocalist Nina Persson released the country-tinged collaboration with her husband, ex-Shudder To Think guitarist, Nathan Larson, and Sparklehorse's Mark Linkous, entitled, A Camp, while […]

[Read more →]