Recorded a year ago, this is Jarrett’s 13th solo recording and the latest chapter in a sustained volume of prominence that began in 1971 with Facing You but that was cemented with 1975’s The Köln Concert. Although internationally famous because of his solo material, Jarrett was a child prodigy who…
During the Tex Avery-style bacchanal that is the modern Flaming Lips stage show, there’s always one person who seems unmoved by the proceedings. One stoic individual spends most of the show seated, apparently oblivious to the sights of Wayne Coyne encased in a balloon, to the twin armies of anthropomorphic…
Just as Kinky Friedman the political candidate is often dismissed as a one-liner dispensing novelty, Kinky Friedman the songwriter is usually summarized as a humorist, remembered for such memorable song titles like “Get Your Biscuits in the Oven (and Your Buns in the Bed)” and his signature song “They Ain’t…
Landlords of garage rock The Deadly Snakes may have given up the lease this past August, but thankfully we still have front man André Ethier. With the Snakes, Ethier was known for his swagger, his “I know you know I’m a bad ass” style that resonated in lyrics such as…
“It’s a dream come true, period. ‘Cause I’m sober now…I’ve never been sober, you know.” Chan (pronounced Shaun) Marshall, the artist commonly known as Cat Power, is poolside in Los Angeles awaiting the start of her fall tour, a jaunt that will take her from New York to Mexico City,…
Though John Schmersal, the mercurial leader of Enon, has never been that interested in regular melodies, he has led this pesky quartet to calmer waters over the last half-decade. Last year’s odds and sods compilation, Lost Marbles and Exploded Evidence, is probably the band’s most coherent statement of purpose, as…
Hailing from Finland, Husky Rescue is a deliciously arty collision of folk and electronica that is masterminded by Marko Nyberg. Country Falls, the nifty debut, was recorded by Nyberg with the help of 20 musicians and singers and finally saw stateside release in 2005. Songs such as “Sweet Little Kitten”…
In a just world, a 23rd anniversary celebration in honor of EZ Eddie D would mark that many years that he’d been the highly paid Arbitron champ in his drive-time slot on a 100,000-watt hip-hop station. But this is Dallas. And for Dallas or anywhere else, lasting 23 years as…
Never one to drool over Meg White’s musical “talent,” I found Jack White’s switch to Brendan Benson a definite trade up. Go ahead, fillet me, but first, hear me out. With the White Stripes, Jack carries the duo, while Meg provides a writhing sexiness. But I ask–do her tribal gyrations…
Your hipster friends will never admit they watch American Idol–at least not without adding the disclaimer that they are watching it “ironically,” however that can be explained. You, however, know someone who not only knows the difference between Elliott Yamin and Bucky Covington but plans to cheer them on in…
“Life’s Little Ups and Downs,” a song made famous by Charlie Rich but actually written by his wife, Margaret, perfectly encapsulates the working class experience. It’s a song so closely associated with Rich that very few have covered it. Yet the song serves as the centerpiece of What’s Wrong With…
No matter what you thought of my good friend Sam Machkovech, many of you know by now that he’ll no longer be filling this column space. As you read this, he’s en route to Uganda (yes, Uganda) for an unexpected yet well-deserved vacation from the Dallas music scene, and we…
Modern Times? Hardly. Dylan’s third album in his current streak of artistic renewal harks back to such hoary old icons as Chuck Berry (“Thunder on the Mountain” is in melodic essence “Johnny B. Goode”), Muddy Waters (a recast of “Rollin’ and Tumblin'”) and Memphis Minnie (who earns more than a…
Although well-known for their remixes (Gustavo Santalaoralla’s “Wings,” the theme from Brokeback Mountain), San Francisco DJs Josh Gabriel and Dave Dresden have elevated their skills beyond the trendy and sweaty club scene with their eponymous debut. Alternating male and female vocals helps balance the effort as Gabriel and Dresden build…
Break-ups and breakdowns are excruciatingly popular fodder for song lyrics, especially in the more poignant corners of indie folk rock. The prolific and poetic John Darnielle (who’s been performing and recording as the Mountain Goats with an ever-changing cast of musicians since 1991) has exhibited a firm mastery of this…
In a spoken break early in the song “What Makes Bob Holler,” Bob Wills answers the question in the title in inimitable style. “Well, when some pretty chick says she loves my fiddle lick, well now then, that can do the trick–ahhhh, I holler,” he says, managing to sound lustful…
There are a lot of secret Destiny’s Child fans out there. Even your most jaded hipster can’t help but shake their white-belted rump a little bit when “Bootylicious” pops up on the radio. Beyoncé Knowles’ 2003 solo debut Dangerously in Love continued the winning streak, selling millions and spawning an…
From the first notes of “Mental Cabaret” on the Polyphonic Spree’s just-born EP, WAIT, it’s clear the militia of happiness has darkened the corners. The legion’s expected brightness has been dampened by gloomier keyboards and electronic elements that swirl around a choir/band that is obviously traversing a new emotional landscape…
Rotund rapscallion Dave Thomas (not the Wendy’s guy) continues Pere Ubu nearly three decades after he first set this pioneering avant-punk group in motion. Unlike any other band that has continued, in some form or another, for such a lengthy period, Pere Ubu has yet to cough up a bad…
Rock and roll supergroups are a tricky business. Too often, they consist of has-beens reaching the lowest common musical denominator of their former groups (see Velvet Revolver). Fortunately, Denton’s Spitfire Tumbleweeds transcends mere side-project status; their gritty, experimental country is just as good or better than the bands from which…
Odds are if you’ve picked up a music rag or shopped at Good Records in the past two years, you’ve heard of Sufjan Stevens and his ambitious 50 states project. The idea of recording a concept album for every state may have been a great PR move, but it’s surely…
Nashville-based singer-songwriter Dave Barnes excels at a funky take on light rock that recalls both John Mayer and Dave Matthews. His recent effort, Chasing Mississippi, is friendly pop/soul that’s guaranteed to annoy critics and thrill his growing number of (mostly female) admirers. Aided by Amy Grant and her husband Vince…
