Lulu, the new collaboration between Lou Reed and Metallica, opens with a sparsely strummed acoustic guitar, Reed’s distinct voice, and a question: Will this misaligned collaboration surprise with unexpected merit? Once James Hetfield enters with his amplified chin-rock croon over a wall of guitars turned up to eleven and Reed sings the charming lyric “I would cut my legs and tits off when I think of Boris Karloff,” you have your answer. No. No it cannot. Continue reading…
“Chicago,” the opening track on Tom Waits‘ first studio release in seven years, starts with a sense of urgency, thanks to a driving, train-track rhythm, accents of banjo, sharp saxophone stabs, and a contemplative yet assured howl. “Maybe things will be better in Chicago,” Waits sings in his inimitable rasp. Continue reading…
As the intermission song, Toto’s “Africa,” faded away, the members of The Head and The Heart jovially skipped and grooved onto the stage. Continue reading…
Wilco‘s eighth studio album, The Whole Love, greets you like a Mack truck driving slowly and unexpectedly through your front door. Continue reading…
As much as I’d like to say that I knew Odd Future Wolf Gang Kill Them All (a.k.a OFWGKTA or simply Odd Future) before the frenzy began, I must admit that I am a recent bandwagon jumper. Continue reading…