Hitmen of HarlemThe Diplomats’ do-it-yourself street rap wows fans—and label execs.
Influences: Brian WilsonThe lost Beach Boy’s favorite things—Phil Spector, Arthur Koestler, and Celine Dion’s legs.
Influences: Joni MitchellThe folky songsmith discusses
great artists and synchronicity.
Just don’t call her a poet.
Montreal, CanadaUp-and-coming bands, hot parties, and a refreshingly friendly club scene.
Newer OrderThe band that invented moody
eighties dance-rock makes
fresh contact with its inner loveliness.
Influences: Al GreenWhat music did you listen to as a kid growing up in Arkansas? Mahalia Jackson, all the great gospel singers. But the most important music to me […]
Songwriter: Martha WainwrightRufus and I were totally trying to kill each other at all times. We’d also have these competitions to see who could outsing the other person at […]
Intelligencer: February 14–21, 2005Damon Dash goes Harvey Weinstein-hunting, final skirmish in ‘DisneyWar’, Christopher Guest’s latest ensemble satire, and more.
James MurphyDFA Records Co-Owner, Producer, Bandleader
The Prince Paul PlanNew York’s hip-hop auteur wants to move beyond the gangsta doldrums.
FabolousOn party anthems like “Young’n,” New York rapper Fabolous had a raucous delivery and a lust for the good life. But his new single, “Breathe,” is […]
Eminem’s Anti-Bush VideoIt’s entirely possible that the strident Bush-bashing video for his single, “Mosh,” might affect the election.
Abbatoir Blues/The Lyre Of OrpheusAbbatoir Blues, the first entry in Nick Cave’s ambitious new two-disc set, begins with a rush of noise: the sound of drumsticks striking a snare […]
Beats, With a Touch of BluesRaphael Saadiq isn’t as celebrated as Timbaland or
the Neptunes, but as a producer he has a lot more depth;
a reggae singer who lets loose.
Fighting MadFormer U.N. weapons inspector Scott Ritter wants Bush gone, but says Kerry’s “a liar.”
Woe Is ThemInterpol’s second album isn’t as gloomily monochromatic as the band’s first, but it still feels removed from the world;
what has happened to E […]
Top of the VoxFor pure vocal wizardry, you can’t beat the new
albums by Dizzee Rascal, the British rapper, and Björk,
the Icelandic chanteuse.
Revolution RockClash co-founder Mick Jones talks about the 25th-anniversary boxed
set of London Calling—and the rediscovered Vanilla Tapes.
Heart and SocaRupee hopes to follow in the footsteps of fellow soca sensation Kevin Lyttle when he releases his U.S.-debut CD, 1 on 1.
HookmasterNas seeks out hip-hop supremacy with his double CD
Street’s Disciple.
Better Late Than NeverThe Afghan Whigs and the Screaming Trees are hardly worth remembering, but their former front men have reemerged with the best work of their careers.
Sibling RevelryIn a rock world bogged down in retro-chic
uniformity, the brother-sister duo Fiery Furnaces
blaze their own trail.
Back in BlackThe Elvis: ’68 Comeback Special DVD restores the King to his throne—with startling footage of Presley wrestling with his reputation, and […]
In Brief: The CureThanks to tepid records like Wild Mood Swings and Bloodflowers, the Cure haven’t mattered to anyone beyond their devoted fans for more than a decade.
Dull RoarPJ Harvey is back to her old angry self, but she can’t quite hold our attention like she once could. Plus, the loner-loser roots of electronic music.
Straight TalkThe British rapper Mike Skinner, a.k.a. the Streets, lets us back into his weird, obsessive life on his surprisingly powerful sophomore record.
Morrissey Loves CompanyThe ex-Smiths singer has made a startling comeback by reminding old fans how sad and lonely they used to be.
A New ReignPrince has been disappointing for a decade. But just when expectations could hardly scrape any lower, he has made a great record.
Out of TouchWhile other eighties pop stars are redefining themselves as entertainers and sexual icons, Janet Jackson seems oddly stuck in time.
Booked ClubWhat really takes place after hours? A close reading of the Sound Factory indictment.
Key WestProducer Kanye West makes his rapping debut with an album suffused with emotion; disco auteur Arthur Russell gets his due, posthumously.
Closing Time?A proposed after-hours license looms like an apocalyptic last call over everyone from Lotus to Schiller’s. Club owners’ alternative: Let us have cops!
In Brief: Norah JonesNorah Jones
Feels Like Home (Blue Note)
Comfy and cozy but never challenging, Feels Like Home is the perfect title for Norah Jones’s new CD. […]
Get LostEscape into Kylie Minogue’s warm and cozy electro; Courtney Love goes solo; the Walkmen need to get out some more.
Pop StarsRecording artists working everywhere from Brooklyn to Berlin made it a surprisingly rich year—despite fears that piracy would kill the ind […]
Soul on IceOne of rock’s greatest ever, R&B-loving Talking Heads deserve a better retrospective; Kelis’s second album stays her oddly endearing […]
Get BackStripping the Beatles’ final album of Phil Spector’s Wall of Sound, Paul McCartney exposes “The Long and Winding Road”&# […]
Got Beef?The hip-hop world is at war. Vicious rhymes are flying
between 50 Cent and Ja Rule, both products of the mean
streets of southeast Queens. Bul […]
