[via PHILADELPHIA INQUIRER] R.E.M. Accelerate (Warner ****) Just when I’d concluded that R.E.M.’s three-legged dog don’t hunt no more, they turn in their most powerful and cohesive work since 1992’s Automatic for the People, a record brimming with all the things that made them great in the first place: clangy autumnal melodies, droney proto-emo vocals, trippy nuance, the haunted poetics of regret, the routine eschewing of the obvious and the familiar in pursuit of the sublime and the unexpected. This one goes out to the long-suffering superfans, the kind of people whose faces light up when you say that the […]
BEANIE AGONISTES: Sigel Facing 3-Month Lock-Up
ALL HIP-HOP: Philadelphia rapper Beanie Sigel will spend the next three months in prison, after he was accused of violating his probation for a third time yesterday (March 28). Probation officials revealed that Sigel provided a false urine sample and tested positive for Xanax and Percocet five times over the past month. Sigel, who admitted to being addicted to the painkiller and muscle relaxer, was originally sentenced to six months house arrest in January, after a second probation violation. In that case, a federal judge found that Sigel took an unauthorized trip to Atlantic City, New Jersey, and had contact […]
All Of This Happened Whie You Were Sleeping
TURBO CHARGE: Turbo Station, Trocadero, Last Night, [Photos by TIFFANY YOON/CLICK TO ENLARGE]
We Know It’s Only Rock N’ Roll But We Like It
THE DIRTY SOUTH WILL RISE AGAIN: Drive-By Truckers, The Fillmore, Last Night BY JONATHAN VALANIA FOR THE INQUIRER The Drive-By Truckers write songs about the dirty South, where life is hard and folks die soft and squishy and often emphysemic, dirty deeds get done dirt cheap, and everyone goes to church but nobody really goes to heaven. These songs are like the weeds in the cracks of the trailer park, or the pile of broken beer bottles in the woods, or the lipstick traces on the stubbed-out Kools overflowing the ashtray. Oh, the things they have seen. It also bears […]
CHINESE DEM: Dr. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Man
NME: Axl Rose has responded to an offer by soft drink company Dr Pepper in which they promised a free can of their drink to every American — except Slash and Buckethead — if the band releases their ‘Chinese Democracy’ album this year. Rose said he was “surprised and very happy” about the offer, but denied the record label or himself were involved in the pledge. Posting on Guns N Roses‘ website, Rose stated: “We are surprised and very happy to have the support of Dr Pepper with our album ‘Chinese Democracy’, as for us, this came totally out of […]
HEAR YE: Brighter Than Creation’s Dark
Now playing on Phawker Radio! Why? Because love you, ya big dummy! BY ED KING ROCK EXPERT I dodged a bullet recently after having applied some of my tough love to the latest platter from The Raconteurs. Maybe you heard. A handful of Jack White’s biggest fans jumped me in a cubicle, took a red pencil to my draft — marking Roman at each instance of boldfaced text. “It’s my editor’s idea of a parody of a gossip column!” I pleaded, but that wouldn’t stop them. They called me names then shoved their iPods in my face, making me recite […]
MAILBAG: The Trouble With Ed King
To the Editors at Phawker, Let me first say, I enjoy many parts of your publication. You do an superb job of blending various elements of news into a Blog format. However, I honestly think you need to replace your “Rock Music” critic, the so-called King Ed. His recent review of the new Raconteurs album was shallow and condescending to say the least. While I realize it was an “insta-review” and he was purely commenting from his first listen; it is evident that he was going to hate the album from the outset. He took a sarcastic tone to the […]
THE EARLY WORD: Phreaknick
OKAYPLAYER: Another Friday closer to the release of The Roots – Rising Down (April 29th) is here. Keeping with our promise to unleash something new, this week’s entry does not pertain precisely to the album but instead to the Legendary’s first annual Roots Picnic festival in Philadelphia on June 7th. The band has been talking for years of curating their own all day event featuring their friends and favorite groups from across all genres and we are pleased to officially announce the line up of The Roots, Gnarls Barkley, Sharon Jones + The Dap Kings, Deerhoof, Santogold, J*Davey, Diplo, and […]
SHILLING: Tom Waits For Purina Butcher’s Blend
UPDATE: Last week we ran this YouTube with question a mark, and endeavored to determine if this was in fact the voice of Tom Waits, or just an incredible simulation. We have just heard back from Mr. Waits’ publicist — the lovely and capable Tresa Redburn — and she confirms that YES that is in fact the voice of Tom. It was done back in 1980-81, and it was the first and last commercial he would ever do. In fact, she says, he spoke disparagingly about the experience and vowed never again in THIS interview. Go figure.
HEAR YE: The Raconteurs Consolers Of The Lonely
Now playing on Phawker Radio! Why? Because we love you! BY ED KING ROCK EXPERT So The Raconteurs are back with a second album. Who woulda thought The Raconteurs would turn out to be a real band and not just a Jack White side project wank-off one-off? Not me, buddy boy. Not me. I tip my tricorn hat to the Raconteurs for kicking it old school, turning this thing around so quickly and releasing it without all the pomp and circumstance that usually precedes White Stripes release. But I just wish this album didn’t suck so bad. To wit: “Consoler […]
SHILLING: Tom Waits For Purina Butcher’s Blend?
Or an amazing simulation? Standby for word from the man himself.