Music | Thursday, July 7,2005

sound patrol

Ying Yang’s misogynist harangue

It’s hard to hate the Ying Yang Twins as much as I should, but it’s equally hard to defend them. In the interest of full disclosure, I was ushered into puberty by

Music | Thursday, June 30,2005

sound patrol 6-30-05

A bumpy journey, in the Fog

By René Spencer Saller

Writing about Gertrude Stein’s long and difficult The Making of Americans, literary critic Richard Bridgman likened the author’s technique to that of a novice dri

Music | Thursday, June 23,2005

sound patrol 6-23-05

Meet the Redwalls

By René Spencer Saller

On De Nova, their second album (and major-label debut), the Redwalls deliver ’60s-era blues-based Brit rock with an audacity peculiar to the very young and the not-so-t

Music | Thursday, June 16,2005

sound patrol 6-16-05

An odd pairing and 10 stunning tracks

By René Spencer Saller

At first blush, the pairing seems odd: abrasive American indie-rock idol and whimsical French soundtrack doyen. Like horseradish and marzipan, they’re two

Music | Thursday, June 9,2005

sound patrol 6-9-05

Radical departure into the Woods

By René Spencer Saller

Being a feminist rock fan is a lot like being a gay Republican — theoretically possible but, in practice, often demeaning. If you insist on living out the oxymoron, be

Music | Thursday, June 2,2005

sound patrol 6-2-05

Gorgeous vocals, nearly naked

By René Spencer Saller

No singer/songwriter bums out more beautifully than Aimee Mann. Since her early days fronting ’Til Tuesday, she’s lanced every painful carbuncle on the dark side

Music | Thursday, May 26,2005

sound patrol 5-26-05

Silly, quirky, and breathtaking

By René Spencer Saller

For a band that hasn’t existed as long as the Dubya administration, Head of Femur has carved out quite a dominion. The founding members, vocalist/guitarist Matt Focht,

Music | Thursday, May 19,2005

sound patrol 5-19-05

Disciples of the difficult are back

By René Spencer Saller

Few things in life are certain, but it’s safe to say that the Kronos Quartet will never put out a bad album. It’s equally likely that you’d never hear

Music | Thursday, May 12,2005

sound patrol 5-12-05

Master mumbler makes magnificent music

By René Spencer Saller

Will Johnson is the indie-rock equivalent of Joyce Carol Oates, cranking out a seemingly endless supply of songs for his various musical personae: cerebral head-

Music | Thursday, May 5,2005

sound patrol 5-5-05

Moving from fear to forgiveness

By René Spencer Saller

Since releasing his first cassette in 1991, John Darnielle, a singer/songwriter who records as the Mountain Goats, has authored more than 400 songs, most of which are better than any nu