Music | Thursday, February 17,2005

sound patrol 2-17-05

Intelligent, innovative, woefully underrated

Bettie ServeertAttagirl (Minty Fresh) Indie rock, like most cultural enterprises, is not a meritocracy. Consider Bettie Serveert, the Amsterdam-based outfit front

Music | Thursday, February 10,2005

sound patrol 2-10-05

Usher in the next Legend

By René Spencer Saller

John LegendGet Lifted Getting Out Our Dreams/Sony As a producer, rapper, and talent scout, Kanye West effected a kind of hip-hop hegemony in 2004, gobbling up all

Music | Thursday, February 3,2005

sound patrol 2-3-05

Faithfull finds her final Frankenstein

By René Spencer Saller

Marianne Faithfull has led a larger-than-life life, neatly divisible into iconic phases: aristocratic ingenue, folk/pop princess, Stones consort, street junkie,

Music | Thursday, January 27,2005

sound patrol 1-27-05

Remembering Junior Kimbrough

By René Spencer Saller

Various ArtistsSunday Nights: The Songs of Junior Kimbrough (Fat Possum) Few album concepts are as unappealing as a bunch of irony-fortified, eccentrically coifed white r

Music | Thursday, January 20,2005

sound patrol 1-20-05

The master of two idioms

By René Spencer Saller

Styrofoam Nothing's Lost (Morr Music) Guitars and computers have been cohabitating peacefully and profitably for years now. First there was New Order, then there was Radiohead, then there were

Music | Thursday, January 13,2005

sound patrol 1-13-05

Listen to his voice, and it all makes sense

By René Spencer Saller

Richard BucknerDents and Shells (Merge) A former acquaintance of mine -- pretty, intelligent, seemingly sane, and legally married -- used to be obsessed with Richard Buckner. She claimed tha

Music | Thursday, January 6,2005

sound patrol 1-6-05

Cool Beans keeps it jumpin’

By René Spencer Saller

Beans Shock City Maverick (Warp) Two years after the demise of his trio Antipop Consortium, hip-hop iconoclast Beans is keeping busy. In 2003, the New York-based MC and producer released his

Music | Thursday, December 30,2004

sound patrol 12-30-04

Swann’s way

By René Spencer Saller

Bettye Swann Bettye Swann Honest Jon's/Astralwerks You've probably never heard of Bettye Swann, which is sad for many reasons; on the bright side, though, it means you're in for a treat. Thanks

Music | Thursday, December 23,2004

sound patrol 12-23-04

If you get a Trojan horse, ride it

By René Spencer Saller

Le TigreThis Island (Strummer/Universal) After two full-lengths and a couple of EPs on the now-defunct indie label Mr. Lady, Le Tigre has apparently tired of preaching to the choir. Predictably

Music | Thursday, December 16,2004

sound patrol 12-16-04

Less sparkle, more art, and all Rufus

By René Spencer Saller

Rufus Wainwright Want Two (Geffen) What's the term for a male diva? Divo? Heva? There may not be a word for Rufus Wainwright, but there should be. After all, he's hardly the first boy singer