Interpol, Turn On The Bright Lights (Matador)

September 20th, 2002 · No Comments

Interpol Turn On The Bright Lights Matador By: Eric Greenwood
From the first notes of Turn On The Bright Lights I knew that all of my preconceived notions about Interpol were wrong. I imagined a fey, new wave throwback similar to The Faint based on photographs of these guys in conjunction with all [...]

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Superdrag, Last Call For Vitriol (Arena Rock)

September 19th, 2002 · No Comments

Superdrag Last Call For Vitriol Arena Rock By: Eric Greenwood
I saw Superdrag on Conan O'Brien the other night, and I couldn't believe how much they rocked. It was sweet relief witnessing such a raucous performance after having to listen to Al Franken wax unfunny with a bored Conan about the Bush [...]

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Mull Historical Society, Loss (Blanco Y Negro/xl/baggars Banquet)

September 18th, 2002 · No Comments

Mull Historical Society Loss Blanco Y Negro/xl/baggars Banquet By: Eric Greenwood
Flirting with that ever-so-English world of whimsical pop, the Mull Historical Society dresses itself in a cloak of many colors, each one representing a different musical flavor. Like its Welsh counterpart, Super Furry Animals, Mull Historical Society relishes its offbeat fancy [...]

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Enon, High Society (Touch And Go)

September 16th, 2002 · No Comments

Enon High Society Touch And Go By: Eric Greenwood
I found out that I'd been pronouncing Enon incorrectly when John Schmersal introduced his band at a live show recently. "Hi, we're 'E-nun'", he said- emphasis on the long 'e' with no attention paid to the second syllable whatsoever. I found his [...]

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Shiner, The Egg (De Soto)

September 11th, 2002 · No Comments

Shiner The Egg De Soto By: Eric Greenwood
I met this guy at a party recently who absolutely freaked out because I had never heard of Shiner. Bands slip through the cracks. It happens. You can’t know about every good band all of the time; otherwise, life would be boring. [...]

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The Natural History, S/T (Star Time)

September 11th, 2002 · No Comments

The Natural History S/T Star Time By: Eric Greenwood
The Natural History's raw, angular rock might seem suspect amidst the flurry of Strokes and White Stripes copycats popping up out of nowhere these days, but just chalk it up to coincidence because, apart from the band's recording aesthetic, there's truly little in the [...]

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Mclusky, Mclusky Do Dallas (Too Pure)

September 10th, 2002 · No Comments

Mclusky Mclusky Do Dallas Too Pure By: Eric Greenwood
What year is it again? 2002. Hrm. Looks like Mclusky missed the Chicago noise rock boat by about a decade, but they're English, so it's ok, right? Rudeness and shock value have little effect these days unless you're a white [...]

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Idlewild, The Remote Part (Parlophone)

August 22nd, 2002 · No Comments

Idlewild The Remote Part Parlophone By: Eric Greenwood
On its second album, 100 Broken Windows, Idlewild burst out of British rock's middling indie community and demanded your attention with an arsenal of anthematic choruses and rip-roaring dynamics. Granted its weapons had R.E.M. and Nirvana spray-painted on them in giant block letters, but [...]

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Gogogo Airheart, Exitheuxa (GSL)

July 25th, 2002 · No Comments

Gogogo Airheart Exitheuxa GSL By: Eric Greenwood
Bands whose ideas tend to outweigh their talents typically lose any semblance of charm after two records or so, but GoGoGo Airheart has somehow managed to buck that trend over the course of four albums and remain fascinating, despite its seemingly limited means of expression. [...]

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Sonic Youth, Murray Street (DGC)

July 24th, 2002 · No Comments

Sonic Youth Murray Street DGC By: Eric Greenwood
Oh, where have you been, Sonic Youth? For a full decade you've languished in the shadow of your own glory, spitting out half-assed records every few years that magnified your flaws while pushing the memory of your swollen greatness ever further away. Finally, [...]

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The Please, Never Complete (Self-released)

July 23rd, 2002 · No Comments

The Please Never Complete Self-released By: Eric Greenwood
The Please couldn't have worse timing for its retro-new wave guitar pop, considering that the quintet sounds shockingly, disturbingly like The Strokes. If The Strokes hadn't just created a firestorm of polarizing press last year with its reinterpretation of The Velvet Underground and The [...]

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Ugly Casanova, Sharpen Your Teeth (Sub Pop)

July 22nd, 2002 · 1 Comment

Ugly Casanova Sharpen Your Teeth Sub Pop By: Eric Greenwood
It's a fine line separating envelope-pushing experimentation and gratuitous self-indulgence. Isaac Brock has had so much smoke blown up his ass in the past two years that I doubt he could tell you which side he is on right now. As [...]

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The Vines, Highly Evolved (Capitol)

July 22nd, 2002 · No Comments

The Vines Highly Evolved Capitol By: Eric Greenwood
The Vines are currently experiencing a dangerous wave of hype. As The Strokes and The White Stripes know very well, this can only lead to that polarizing "love it or hate it" status amongst the music literati. Consequently, The Vines will [...]

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The Bourne Identity, Directed By Doug Liman (Universal)

July 22nd, 2002 · No Comments

The Bourne Identity Directed By Doug Liman Universal By: Eric Greenwood
It's been a very slow summer for movies so far. After the early peak of the Spider-Man and Star Wars double whammy in May, the studios have been shoveling out a mound of manure that is de rigeur for this time [...]

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Benett, Welcome To The Jungle (March)

July 15th, 2002 · No Comments

Benett Welcome To The Jungle March By: Eric Greenwood
Benett's syrupy, girlish voice has garnered her a small legion of fans in the twee-pop world since her work with Charles Brown Superstar in the mid-1990's. Her solo output is still just as sickly sweet but, perhaps, more adventurous than her former indie [...]

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Pixies, S/T (Spinart)

July 14th, 2002 · No Comments

Pixies S/T Spinart By: Eric Greenwood
The Pixies' legendary "purple tape" consisted of seventeen songs recorded by Gary Smith at Boston's famous Fort Apache studios in March of 1987. Bankrolled by Black Francis' father, these seventeen songs were strong enough to land the band its recording contract with lauded English label, 4AD. [...]

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Jucifer, I Name You Destroyer (Velocette)

July 11th, 2002 · No Comments

Jucifer I Name You Destroyer Velocette By: Eric Greenwood
Jucifer's Melvins-style sludge rock has evolved into a slicker, more melodic beast since I saw them live a few years ago. To compensate for being a drums and guitar duo, the band cranks the volume to an ear-splitting level, so that it sounds [...]

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Cinerama, Torino (Scopitones)

July 11th, 2002 · No Comments

Cinerama Torino Scopitones By: Kerry Mitchell- Special London Correspondent
While Cinerama’s debut Va Va Voom and, to some extent, the follow-up, Disco Volante, saw David Gedge shedding his frenetic strumming, angular rhythms, and frantic time changes in an attempt to distance himself from his previous band, his current band's new long player, Torino, [...]

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Silkworm, Italian Platinum (Touch And Go)

July 9th, 2002 · No Comments

Silkworm Italian Platinum Touch And Go By: Eric Greenwood
Who'd have believed that Silkworm would outlast practically every single one if its peers from the DIY explosion of the early 1990's? Silkworm - the perpetual underdog and label castaway - has always produced solid records for the uppity indie rock echelon [...]

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Marion, S/T (Kflr)

July 3rd, 2002 · No Comments

Marion S/T Kflr By: Eric Greenwood
Taking its name from rap mogul Marion Suge Knight as a tongue in cheek gesture, this South Carolina trio has made a name for itself with a completely spastic and over the top brand of hardcore punk. When you see these guys live, the focus is [...]

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