Pat Metheny – One Quiet Night (2003)purchase this album Not that I ever have what could rightly be described as a “rough day” — I mean, I make stuff look…
Jeff Giles
1 Min Read
When I was a kid, The Cars were a good, but majorly overplayed, pop band. Think “You Might Think.” Or “Magic.” Or “Drive.” Or (shudder) “Tonight She Comes.” So take…
Jeff Giles
1 Min Read
Does anybody else remember this guy? It’s Fatlip, formerly of the Pharcyde, and his solo debut is finally coming out in a few weeks. It’s called The Loneliest Punk (or,…
Jeff Giles
1 Min Read
My Morning Jacket – Z (2005)purchase this album Before listening to Z, everything I knew about My Morning Jacket had nothing to do with their music. They’re Southern! They have…
Jeff Giles
2 Min Read
John Cale – Black Acetate (2005)purchase this album Aside from one time when I listened to a Velvet Underground album (and I don’t remember which one), I have no experience…
Jeff Giles
17 Min Read
How you feel about Jackson Browne probably depends largely on your level of appreciation for songcraft in general; if you’re the type of person who thinks that, say, the Sex…
Jeff Giles
1 Min Read
If you’ve been searching for this week’s Guide, not to worry: It’s been written. Actually, it’s been written for hours now. It’s just that I’m apparently hosting with Our Lady…
Jeff Giles
1 Min Read
The Shout Out Louds – Howl Howl Gaff Gaff (2005)purchase this album I know, I know, I’m way behind the times on this; it was originally issued overseas in 2003,…
Jeff Giles
1 Min Read
Various Artists – I Believe to My Soul (2005) purchase this album I’ve done it with increasing regularity this year, but I always feel a little uneasy when I buy…
John C. Hughes
1 Min Read
Here’s a first – a pre-emptive Lost in the ’80s post to make up for a set of reissues that, while nice, will be missing something… November 15th will see…
Jeff Giles
1 Min Read
Charlie Sexton – Cruel and Gentle Things (2005)purchase this album Charlie Sexton has been kicking around the business since 1985, when — at the tender age of sixteen — he…
Jeff Giles
2 Min Read
Depeche Mode – Playing the Angel (2005)purchase this album I think songwriters do an important job. By taking the multitude of life’s experiences and rephrasing them in ways that strike…
Jeff Giles
1 Min Read
Today’s detour into Bootleg City takes us to One Jellyfish Lane, the deserted doorstep of a band I dearly miss. The shifting crew of Bay Area pop fiends who called…
Jeff Giles
13 Min Read
Beach Boys, “You Still Believe in Me” — from Pet Sounds (1966)purchase the album I just had a conversation about this album, and this song, a few days ago, the…
Jeff Giles
1 Min Read
Tracy Chapman – Where You Live (2005)purchase this album My first reaction on seeing this was “Tracy Chapman still has a record deal?” My second was “Huh. Sounds like a…
John C. Hughes
3 Min Read
IÁ¢€â„¢m not scared Á¢€” IÁ¢€â„¢ll come right out and say it. Rick Springfield is one of power popÁ¢€â„¢s unsung heroes and should be held up right next to your Eric…
Jeff Giles
1 Min Read
The Click Five – Greetings from Imrie House (2005)purchase this album A few seconds into this album’s opening track, “Good Day” (download), and I almost started to believe that the…
Jeff Giles
1 Min Read
Ryan Shupe & the Rubberband – Dream Big (2005)purchase this album “PostHeeHawFunkadelicHipHopNewGrass.” That’s the type of music Ryan Shupe & the Rubberband play, at least according to them; this description,…
Jeff Giles
1 Min Read
Jack’s Mannequin – Everything in Transit (2005)purchase this album A few frightening phrases which could be used to accurately describe Everything in Transit: 1. “Something Corporate side project” 2. “features…
Jeff Giles
1 Min Read
According to SiteMeter (which hasn’t been running as long as the site’s been up, but whatever), this place registered its 20,000th visitor today. This makes me feel like having a…
Jeff Giles
14 Min Read
[Here it is, at long last: The Graduate’s conclusion to the Complete Idiot’s Guide to Otis Redding. I’ll be doing next week’s Guide, unless I get a better offer from…
Jeff Giles
2 Min Read
You know, I’ve never cared much about Halloween. Even as a kid, the candy didn’t excite me as much as it did my friends — I quit dressing up to…
Jeff Giles
1 Min Read
Neil Young – Prairie Wind (2005)purchase this album Since rebounding from a decade of mostly disastrous albums with 1989’s Freedom, Neil Young has established a pattern for his releases: Loud…
Jeff Giles
1 Min Read
Franz Ferdinand – You Could Have it So Much Better (2005)purchase this album Here are some descriptions I’ve read recently of Franz Ferdinand’s music: “Art-damaged rock.” “Churned-up art punk.” “Garage…
Jeff Giles
1 Min Read
Blues Traveler – ¡Bastardos! (2005) purchase this album A funny thing happened to Blues Traveler on their way to obscurity: As John Popper slimmed down, the band’s songs did too,…
Jeff Giles
2 Min Read
It’s almost Halloween at our neighborhood Safeway: Veteran Hostess consumers will recognize “Glo Balls” as cleverly transmuted Halloween versions of “Sno Balls,” which, if you aren’t familiar with them, consist…
Jeff Giles
12 Min Read
[Note: I put out a call for guest Idiots a few weeks ago, and was quite pleased to get a response from one of my favorite bloggers (his comment about…
Jeff Giles
1 Min Read
It was brought to my attention that this site has been ALL FUCKED UP in Safari and Firefox lately. I think Rahul has fixed it. He’s awesome. Are those of…
Jeff Giles
1 Min Read
Has anyone else caught a whiff of this turkey? We watched a few minutes last night, and it’s powerful bad. Jon Stewart should sue Comedy Central for making him share…
Jeff Giles
1 Min Read
Hey, looks like Salon has discovered my Complete Idiot’s Guide to Toto and whaddya know, they like it. Too bad they’ve credited it to catchdubs. The fucking Web, man: