My Bloody Valentine Performs at Roseland, NYC - 9/22/08

Chapter One: Blown a Wish

I have resigned myself to my fate: I am a rock nerd born ten years too late. I had just started high school when Pavement broke up, I missed the best Built to Spill records by five years, the day of the fanzine had come and gone by the time I was old enough to care, blah blah blah. My greatest regret, though, is that I totally missed My Bloody Valentine. Loveless is one of my favorite albums of all time (which means I have a pulse) and their live show is one of the great legends of rock nerd-dom. [Author's note: I won't waste your time by trying to write about this record; instead, I'll refer you to Mike McGonigal's excellent 33 1/3 volume on the subject.] Read more

ENIGMA - Seven Lives Many Faces

As the driving force behind German band ENIGMA, Micheal Cretu has spent the majority of his 18 year long career as a recording artist creating some of the most culturally diverse music on the planet. But its not without avail. With more than 40 million albums sold worldwide, 50 number one chart positions, and 100 platinum sales around the world, ENIGMA is Germanys most successful export in the last 20 years. ENIGMA has always had a by the wayside reputation.

For music as spiritually diverse and unique, its almost a shame to see a flower growing up from proud and strong from the concrete, only to get ran over by a school of rush hour traffic. Read more

Weezer Performs at Madison Square Garden – NYC - 9/24/08

The crowd was buzzing last night as the last song fizzled out from the speakers of Angels and Airwaves and the vertical light stands made you feel you were in the Millennium Falcon, traveling through hyperspace. Afterwards, as the stagehands worked on adjusting the sound systems and tuning up the instruments, Weezer fans trickled in and out of the stands. Most of the fan regalia sported a red t-shirt that read “weezer” in white lettering, advertising their newest record. The fans were mostly in their early twenties, enjoying the cool fall air in NYC. Read more

The Mars Volta at the Hammerstein Ballroom - 9/17/08

The front men and masterminds of The Mars Volta, Cedric Bixler Zavala and Omar Rodriguez took the stage looking like a pair of leathery shamans. Immediately, they slammed into Goliath with an unadulterated, shameless groove, and I was refreshed. Read more

Lenny Kravitz - It’s Time For a Love Revolution

In case you didn’t know, Lenny Kravitz put an album out earlier this year. The theme of Kravitz’ latest It’s Time For a Love Revolution is - you guessed it - love; as evidenced by tracks with titles such as “I Love The Rain”, “Love, Love, Love”, and the title track “Love Revolution”, which was recently featured in an advertisement for the clothing brand Kohls (which is SO not rock ‘n roll). Read more

Metallica - Death Magnetic

The first notes of “That Was Just Your Life” snake in and out, making the new Middle Eastern influence upon Metallica immediately apparent, and then their sound hits - fast and heavy, frenetic and intense - and you know that Metallica is back. The recent bad albums and the mp3 fiasco should rightly be ignored, as Death Magnetic is all about the classic Metallica sound, albeit produced in 2008 rather than 1988. From start to finish this is a truly enjoyable metal album, and regardless of how much credit may need to go to producer Rick Rubin for shaking things up, it is quickly apparent that Metallica definitely didn’t phone this one in: the riffs and solos are powerful, the vocals and lyrics are passionate, and the rhythm section is appropriately intense. Read more

Chairlift - Does You Inspire You

One might find it difficult to accurately describe Chairlift’s vocalist Caroline Polachek’s voice. On the band’s debut album Does You Inspire You, it has the lilt of Leslie Feist’s; however in person it has the clarity, and superb range of Sinead O’Connor.

While Does You Inspire You, which is heavily inspired by Cocteau Twins is stellar, it fails to do her voice justice. Polachek does manage to hit quite a few high notes on the bouncy, eighties-inspired numbers “Evident Utensil”, and “Bruises”, which is currently being featured in a commercial for the new Ipod nano-chromatic. Read more

Ne-Yo – Year of the Gentleman

There is no better way to describe Ne-yo other than the title itself. The songwriter/singer/executive producer has turned up the heat on his latest album, “Year of the Gentleman.” Ne-Yo is a multitalented artist whose not afraid to be different, nor shy when expressing his sensitive side. He has written songs for many artists including “Take a Bow” for singer Rihanna whose also on Def Jam. Read more

Brooklyn Academy- Bored of Education

For those of you that are from the tri-state area and neighboring states, you are probably familiar with the catch phrase “Brooklyn’s the borough that keeps it thorough”, and indeed it is! Brooklyn has a well known reputation and one of those being known for its Hip-Hop. The 718 stays on radar and Brooklyn Ac is making damn sure of that. Brooklyn Academy consists of 3 native brooklyn-ites who are Block Mcloud, Mr. Metaphor and Pumpkinhead. Individually as well as together, each member has a track record dating back to 1995, consisting of single albums, mix tape releases, guest appearances as well as opening acts for renowned artists. Read more

My Bloody Valentine – Roseland, NYC - 9/22/08

“Earplugs?” seem to be the recurrent idea connected with My Bloody Valentine’s return to the U.S. in close to two decades. The band came full circle last night, at the first of two All Tomorrow’s Parties shows at Roseland in NYC, extending a 40 second noise interlude from the extremely rare 1988 title track EP, You Made Me Realise into a 15 minute sea of aural complexity; a complexity that has driven some people from show venues in an early nineties past. Read more

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