There aren’t many true chameleons in popular music. I point this out in response to the recent Maxim magazine non-review of the new Black Crowes release, Warpaint, and the faulty logic behind reviewing music you haven’t bothered to listen to. Beyond the dishonesty, and lunacy, of attempting pull such a thing off I sincerely believe that the writer, like most of us, was spoiled by the Beatles ability to reinvent themselves with each release and in doing so change the face and course of music. Sure, Dylan did it too. Think about how he went from folkie to rocker to countrified songster. And maybe we can throw in Prince during that ‘80s period where he morphed from naughty funkster to Hendrix rocker to acid-pop king. And Neil Young always. But the truth is that, beyond a very small handful, even ...

  I’m all for new any new distribution model in music. Whether it’s DIY or MySpace or whatever I’m happy to support artists who are creating music they believe in and trying to get it out into the public to be heard. I also believe the massive shift that’s necessary in the music biz is very late coming into the station. It may be getting close, but people still don’t know which platform or where it’s headed.  The different aspects of the music business are now fully interconnected and it’s much easier for an artist to be totally self-contained. Although it still isn’t easy for a kid with a batch of cool songs to pay for a colorful billboard on Sunset Blvd, her music can actually reach many more people. And, unlike a billboard crying out to thousands of motorists who ...

  Why am I struggling so hard to write about a release I really really like? Is it my state of mind? No, it’s pretty good. Could it be a deep sense of ennui, brought about as the result of wading through a stream of corporate music crapola? Maybe. But, upon serious reflection, I think it’s because there’re a million things I can say about Liam Finn’s “I’ll Be Lightning” and all of them are good. It just doesn’t feel normal. Have I lapsed into dreaded hyperbole? I’ve basically stopped listening to the radio because it’s all starting to sound the same. Every once in awhile I’ll give in to my “I just need something new” demons and flip on the car radio, but I find I’m always (and this isn’t hyperbole) disappointed. No matter what station or genre of music, there’s ...

  Everything that was horrible about this month's listening experience (think Duran Duran's new pile on the carpet) was suddenly washed clean. I put on The Black and White Album by the Hives, turned it up (in this instance “up” means really, really, really loud), and 30 seconds into the opener, “Tick Tick Boom,” all that awfulness was forgotten. I was jumping around the living room and wishing my legs were still skinny enough for a pair of black stove pipe pants. The Black and White Album is so good, in that fuzz-drenched guitar, pounding caveman drums, “the cops are here” garage anthem way, I've forgiven the friends who recommended Red Carpet Mess. This is the way it's supposed to be. This is rock music. It's as loud and snotty as your sister's best friend. It's cruising in dad's car with only a learner's permit. It's singing in front of your friends even ...

  Here's the deal, about 15 minutes prior to a show Eddie Vedder scans the audience, gets a vibe and goes back and writes a set list. I imagine it wasn't too difficult to work up a winning set for this show, after all it's a huge outdoor festival and people are there to RAWK, but what he gives the audience at Live at Lollapalooza 2007 puts on full display what the hardcore fans of the band already know. Pearl Jam is one of the greatest live bands ever. It's not just that they come out and jackhammer you into a sweet rock 'n roll frenzy by opening with “Why Go,” “Corduroy,” “Save You” and “Do the Evolution” (any two of which, when played consecutively, threaten to set the sky on fire), but they follow that spine-shifting onslaught with the largely acoustic “Elderly Woman Behind a Counter in a Small Town” and make ...