The Best Albums of 2010 (so far)

Jun. 14, 2010
Everybody knows that rock critics are absolutely goofy about lists. This is, in part, because we all are super geeks.

Album review: Tom Petty, "Mojo," and a thoughtful critical take on "Glee"

Jun. 9, 2010
Tom Petty, "Mojo" (Reprise) Rating:1.5/4While his recorded output has slowed in the new millennium -- he hasn't released a studio album with his long-time band the Heartbreakers in eight years, though he did give us a strong solo disc in 2006 (&qu

Album review: Rhymefest, "El Che"; more evidence of BP's evil, and Jackson shrine in Gary--or maybe not

Jun. 7, 2010
Rhymefest, "El Che" (www.elchethemovement.com) Known to his mom as Che Smith and raised in the South Side neighborhood of Jeffrey Manor, Chicago rapper Rhymefest first grabbed the national spotlight in 2004 as co-author of Kanye West's mega-hit "Jesus Walks," a feat

ALBUM REVIEW: Sleigh Bells, and some thoughts on Tipper Gore

Jun. 3, 2010
 ALBUM REVIEW: Sleigh Bells, "Treats" (Mom + Pop/N.E.E.T.)The buzz has been building for the debut album by songwriter and producer Derek Miller and vocalist Alexis Krauss ever since the Brooklyn hipsters made their high-profile debut at the CMJ Festival in 2009.

ALBUM REVIEW: Blitzen Trapper, "Destroyer of the Void" (Sub Pop), and Lester Bangs memorialized

Jun. 2, 2010
One of the most impressive of a wave of bands the blogosphere has dubbed "beard-" or "forest-rock" -- often hirsute, sometimes precious back-to-nature boys dedicated to semi-acoustic Americana/folk-rock; see also: Grizzly Bear, Fleet Foxes, Midlake, and Animal Collective in its

Pages