For most Americans (especially the shiny, young generation which uses the films of Wes Anderson as gateways to the hidden world of art houses), Seu Jorge is primarily thought of as the Brazilian man who did those Bowie covers. And while several of those covers – especially “Rebel, Rebel” – are worth the hype and attention given to them, it’s still a shame that Jorge’s original music isn’t noticed as much as it should be. Perhaps it’s because most music listeners always gravitate …

This DVD made me throw up a little in my mouth when I watched it. I know. I know. Happy Mondays have this huge cult following; I’ve even done research on it to see how there could possibly be more than two people who admire this music and this “band” legitimately. But it’s true. They’re out there. I don’t understand the music, I don’t see any talent, or hear any for that matter, and I’m awestruck that these musicians can actually sell tickets to …

I love EPs, even though there are so many reasons to hate them. EPs are generally overpriced CDs which contain only one good track. They rarely include rare songs that will never be released again (hellllllooooo box sets). A lot of recent EPs just seem to be remixes, too, and for the most part, I despise remixes of rock songs. Yet lately I’ve gotten two excellent EPs, which remind me of just how exciting a good EP can be. The first one was from …

The trouble with talking about a discrete movement in pop music is that there’s only so much one can say; and more often than not, what one can say is probably a woeful generalization. Take, for example, Andy Cabic of Vetiver. Willfully nebulous though it may be, there’s probably no current movement more discrete than the quote-unquote “freak folk” Cabic and his more famous friend, Devendra Banhart, have been slowly and steadily bringing to the indie limelight since 2002 or so. It can be …

It’s a good time to be a music video fan with a DVD player. Seems like every time I look around, there’s a new video compilation to snatch, and for kids like me who have an ample amount of grainy little MPEGs on their computers, usually encoded by god knows who and probably obtained from a junk server of dubious legality, it’s nice to upgrade.
The present is also a wise time to release a DVD of definitive Wu-Tang Clan videos: ODB’s death has …

By 1955, Miles Davis had been recording on the Prestige label for four years. But as his career began to gain momentum, getting a group together was an inevitable career decision. The Miles Davis Quintet consisted of Paul Chambers on bass, John Coltrane on tenor, Red Garland on the keys, Philly Joe Jones on the sticks and Miles on the trumpet. With this group, Miles had more than a steady performance group – he had a vehicle. In the space of about a year, …