Slug (aka Sean Daley) is the focal point of this Minneapolis hip-hop collective, dispensing his unique version of street wisdom and male bravado. Genuinely old school, Slug is definitely influenced by prime early rap movers such as Ice-T and Ice Cube. His anti-drug “Panic Attack” is a first cousin to…

It has been argued that without the Silos, there wouldn’t be an alt-country movement. So great is the admiration for their 1987 masterwork Cuba that many have forgotten that founder Walter Salas-Humera has kept some form of the band going for almost two decades. Sadly relegated to cult status, the…

This five-piece ensemble has its roots in Austin, but the local scene is no stranger to their brand of off-kilter, almost ambient country. After releasing two well-received but poorly distributed albums, the band came of age with this year’s The Blacklight Trap. Approaching country in the same way as Neil…

“I know you built something last night/Is it a cage? Is it a bridge?” With this question, sung on Blind Spot’s title track, Nashville’s Mack Starks doesn’t waste any time making his emotions known on this touching and attentive album. Straddling a line between classic singer-songwriters of the ’70s (Jackson…

Calla’s brooding front man, Aurelio Valle, possesses a deliciously menacing tone; part resignation, part betrayal. His melodramatic persona dominates Collisions, an appealing collection of dour post-punk with obvious nods to gloomy godfathers such as The Cure and Joy Division. Valle’s skill is in making the dynamic sound unhurried as his…

As much an art school collective as a proper group, the five New Yorkers who make up The Occasion create some of the quietest racket imaginable. Obvious connections with the more restrained efforts of the Velvet Underground and Ummagumma-era Pink Floyd are made clear on tracks such as the subtly…

Godfather of American punk, former Dead Kennedys’ front man Jello Biafra has been comfortable on the spoken word circuit for years, releasing an occasional musical collaboration with like-minded sorts such as D.O.A. and Mojo Nixon. Clearly inspired by the Iraq war and the debacle of Schwarzenegger, Biafra has returned to…

With events in Louisiana on folks’ minds these days, the delightfully outrageous Cajun rock of C.C. Adcock might well provide some needed respite. Last year’s Lafayette Marquis was only his third release in over a decade. Yet Adcock’s time was well spent as the disc features some blistering guitar work…

Even at age 69, legendary blues guitarist Buddy Guy, who Clapton himself called “the greatest guitar player alive,” can still burn up a fretboard. During the Chicago blues heyday, you couldn’t find classic recordings by the likes of Muddy Waters, Howlin’ Wolf or Junior Wells that didn’t predominately feature Guy’s…

Since reclaiming the moniker in 1997, mainstays Ian McCulloch and Will Sergeant have grappled with issues of age and relevance, but Siberia is their first effort since re-forming to actually embrace their classic sound. Yearning, thoughtful and poetic, the new cuts are just a notch below such early ’80s classics…

Despite such strong evidence as the likes of Bob Dylan and Jules Shears, a bad singer does not always equal a great songwriter. And make no mistake: Actor Billy Bob Thornton is one hell of a bad singer. He mumbles, whispers and moans throughout Hobo vainly searching for the suitable…

In the music biz, a family name is more often a curse than a blessing. After all, Tito Jackson never compared to Michael and Janet, and Lisa Marie pretty much puts the Presley name to shame. But the exception to this curse is Inara George, daughter of the late, legendary…

When in doubt, plunder the Stooges. On their quality new release, The Curious City, this Pittsburgh trio throws in some not-so-subtle nods to Nirvana and a few goofy, antiquated bleeps from a Moog, but it’s ultimately at the altar of Fun House-era Iggy Pop where they worship. Lead man Phil…

Back in 1982, when I first heard Run-DMC, I thought it was a joke. Really, two guys yelling over a beat box? And what exactly was this kind of music? When I heard their eponymous debut, I thought these guys were just fucking around, yelling about name-brand tennis shoes and…

Why is Merle always third in the list? When people talk about country legends, it’s always Johnny Cash, then Willie Nelson, then Merle Haggard. Hell, his body of work is just as impressive in historical scope and musical significance; his sly and wise hobo persona has never overshadowed ballads as…

With an instantly recognizable style and a body of work as substantial as any session guitarist, Adrian Belew makes a rare Dallas appearance. For three decades Belew has played and sung on some landmark recordings, from David Bowie’s “Lodger” and Talking Heads’ “Remain in Light” to the revamped King Crimson’s…

Influenced by, of all things, teenage death ballads of the ’50s, the Nebraskans in Mayday actually fly closer to alt-country than they may care to admit. “Booze and Pills” would have sounded at home on an ’80s Mekons release, while “Continental Grift” is a dead ringer for Cracker. Bushido Karaoke…

Llano Avenue, written and performed by Dallas resident Darryl Lee Rush, is the least hip country effort you are likely to stumble across this year. Starkly produced and raggedly played songs like “Truale” and “Miles to Memphis” mix humor and misfortune with nods to roots mavericks Terry Allen and Billy…

“Being Joan Crawford at 21 was easy,” sings John Vanderslice on “Letter to the East Coast,” one of many tantalizing obscurities collected on his fifth solo CD, Pixel Revolt. Once a member of the experimental pop collective MK Ultra, Vanderslice has been honing his song craft for nearly a decade,…

Buried beneath the found sounds and homemade instruments of the intriguing debut from London five piece Flotation Toy Warning are songs of quiet but epic remorse. Frontman Donald Drusky has one hell of a wail–a yearning, nearly operatic tone, not far removed from Roy Orbison–and behind him, FTW’s engineers and…

Three Brazilians record Latin hip-hop in Amsterdam with legendary Jamaican producer Lee “Scratch” Perry, and the results are released on a San Francisco label. As if to throw the globe-mashing in listeners’ faces, the phrase “Everything is closer than you think” is printed on the CD jacket. Zuco 103 are…

Last time I saw Hayes Carll, he could have easily been mistaken for a homeless guy who somehow wandered onstage. Even some of his most ardent female fans were heard wishing a shower and shave upon him. Yet a lack of decorum is exactly what makes Carll’s music so right…