r.e.m.'s murmur

Murmur just received the deluxe reissue treatment. It makes an excellent holiday present for the R.E.M. fan in your life who doesn't own...

ac/dc: the last rock band

AC/DC are back on the road promoting their new album Black Ice . For the Phoenix New Times , I propose that these Aussies are the last true ...

guns n' roses: chinese democracy

I didn't think I would ever write these words: Here is my review of Guns N' Roses' Chinese Democracy .

elf power

While I try to find my copy of Creatures , which I still think is their best record, enjoy my write-up on Elf Power , who are touring Americ...

noah and the whale

Noah & the Whale are an English group whose debut album, Peaceful, the World Lays Me Down , is full of twee indie rock that's severa...

plants and animals

Plants and Animals are a Montreal trio whose debut full-length album, Parc Avenue , came out earlier this year. As they tour the United Stat...

the express

The Express will be comfort food for lots of guys who love sports movies, no matter how generic. Elsewhere in Consumables , I review Blindn...

oasis - dig out your soul

Oasis return with Dig Out Your Soul . It's another solid but unspectacular set from the Manchester group. But it does have its moments.

margot & the nuclear so and so’s

Margot & the Nuclear So and So's is an Indianapolis indie rock group that has just released two new albums, Not Animal (which was ap...

loudon wainwright III: recovery

Loudon Wainwright III looks back on his career on Recovery , a collection of remakes of his '70s material. In its modest, imperfect way,...

plain white t's: big bad world

The “Hey There Delilah” pop-rockers return with Big Bad World . My review of the latest from the Plain White T's is up at Blender .

the replacements: remastered and reconsidered

The Replacements' Warner Bros. albums are being reissued today. History remembers those records as the era when Paul Westerberg imploded...

kanye west goes into a love lockdown

I liked the original version of Kanye West's "Love Lockdown," and I like the new version, too. I write about it in Consumables...

metallica: death magnetic

Metallica's new album, Death Magnetic , will remind older fans of some of the band's earliest records. For my money, it comes closes...

buckcherry: black butterfly

The L.A. bad boys of hard rock return with Black Butterfly . Is it just me, or are they mellowing?

trouble the water

Trouble the Water leads my biweekly Consumables column , but its equal is the also-wonderful Shotgun Stories , which I finally caught up wi...

staind: the illusion of progress

Staind were huge back in 2001 thanks to their monster ballad "It's Been Awhile." Not surprisingly, their latest album, The Ill...

one day as a lion

If you haven't heard One Day as a Lion yet, and you're a fan of Zack de La Rocha's vocal stylings from Rage Against the Machine...

randy newman's so-so new album

I love Randy Newman, but even he can make a mediocre record on occasion. Harps and Angels , his latest, has plenty of nice touches, but it...

trapt - only through the pain

Only Through the Pain is the third album from the rock band Trapt. How is it? About the same as their last two.