Email Author Andrew Marcus

2006 Stories by Andrew Marcus

• The Thermals

  published August 31, 2006

  If we're all caught under the penny loafer of Christian fascism sometime soon, the Thermals' vision of a hectic dash for the Canadian border,... More >>

• Jihad Jerry

  published August 17, 2006

  If our culture survives long enough for Devo to get its due, the HBO biopic will open with a hectic re-creation of the May 4, 1970, Kent State... More >>

• Hey, Paisano!

  published June 29, 2006

  Melody, heart and--for lack of a term as concise--balls; together, these qualities mark the best Midwestern bands, from Rockford's Cheap Trick, to... More >>

• Legendary Pink Dots

  published June 29, 2006

  Faux spookiness of the Count Floyd/Count Chocula variety is everywhere; just turn on MTV2, or head to your local counterculture shlock shop for a... More >>

• The Futureheads

  published June 22, 2006

  On their eponymous debut, the Futureheads played like there was no future. Everything they had they threw into that recording studio and, as a... More >>

• Going Too Far

  published June 15, 2006

  With the MySpace revolution under way, an MP3 can land a record deal, but touring remains rock's baptism by fire. It can make you an alcoholic,... More >>

• James Luther Dickinson

  published June 15, 2006

  As a producer, Jim Dickinson has worked with such monuments--the Stones, Aretha, Big Star and, hell, probably Mozart--that you can't blame him for... More >>

• Naked and Androgynous

  published May 18, 2006

  In case you haven't figured it out after all these years, Joan Jett is still the "tough girl." When her name is mentioned in print, that phrase... More >>

• Pete Knows Best

  published May 4, 2006

  When I picked up The Pete Best Band's Live at the Adelphi, the hipster at the cash register smirked behind his foggy glasses. Having once... More >>

• Irving

  published April 20, 2006

  Rumor has it that the major label bigshot who took aside the boys of Irving and told them to choose a "frontman" ended up in critical condition at... More >>

• Soul Position

  published April 13, 2006

  Here's an MC boast so frank it's hilarious: "In this corner, the undisputed champs of hip-hop--RJD2 on the beats, Blueprint on the rhymes--versus... More >>

• Apb

  published March 23, 2006

  It's easier to dance without Foucault looming over your shoulder. If only the bands of the recent dance-punk scare had reached for Scottish... More >>

• Richard Thompson

  published March 23, 2006

  Even though they're meant to celebrate songs, let's face it--most musical boxed sets wind up becoming coffee-table books. Thankfully, the... More >>

• Mudhoney

  published March 16, 2006

  Something is wrong with society when the most impish bands of the '90s start making resonant social statements. But on Under a Billion... More >>

• Saturday Looks Good to Me

  published March 16, 2006

  While retro dilettantes remain stuck in the vintage boutiques, modeling anything that looks cute, Saturday Looks Good to Me has more than fashion... More >>

• Test Icicles

  published February 16, 2006

  If the theme of 2006's party is art damage, then Test Icicles--originally called Balls, in case you've missed the sketchy wordplay--provide the... More >>

• Belle and Sebastian

  published February 9, 2006

  With delicate tunes and referential album titles like The Boy With the Arab Strap, Belle and Sebastian main man Stuart Murdoch has more or... More >>

• Hamell on Trial

  published February 9, 2006

  Were Ed Hamell just a transgressive punk with an acoustic guitar, who'd pay attention? But like the late comedian Bill Hicks, Hamell doses out his... More >>

• Prong

  published February 9, 2006

  Lots of acts staged their first gigs at Manhattan's CBGB, but Prong is one of the few that the club actually birthed, when the soundman approached... More >>

• Anthony Hamilton

  published January 12, 2006

  Some soul singers have sung their joy--Sam Cooke and Stevie Wonder not least--and made their best art. But Anthony Hamilton comes from a bluesier... More >>

• Year of the Concept

  published January 5, 2006

  Not since the escapist early '70s has the narrative "concept album" been so hip. In American Idiot's vaguely political wake, Ryan... More >>