Movie & Music

Jamiroquai's sophomore record had all the slinky grooves and great musicianship of the debut, but it also offered a better set of songs and more ambitious musical themes. As with Emergency on Planet Earth, Jason Kay's dead-on impression of Stevie Wonder and Sly Stone drives the group's blend of acid jazz and funky R&B.

"Space Cowboy" and "Light Years" were hits all over the world, and made the band stars in Europe and Japan, while substantial clubplay earned them a degree of recognition for American audiences. But Jamiroquai refused to be known as simply a party band; the group takes on social issues such as homelessness and Native Americans' rights.

The London foursome Coldplay are constant critic's darlings in the band's native U.K., showcasing melodic pop in a slew of EP releases and constant live shows since the spark of the new millennium. Not as heavy as Radiohead or snobbish as Oasis, Coldplay is a band of young musicians who are still honing their sweet harmonies on the debut release Parachutes.

Combining bits of distorted guitar riffs and swishing percussion, Parachutes is a delightful introduction and also quickly indicates the reason why this album earned Coldplay a Mercury Music Prize nomination in fall 2000. Frontman Chris Martin's lyrical wordplay is feministic in the manner of Geneva's Andrew Montgomery, but far more withered. The imagery captured on Parachutes is exquisitely dark and artistically abrasive, and the entire composition is tractable thanks to gauzy acoustics and airy percussion.

Coldplay's indie rock inclinations are also obvious, especially on songs such as "Don't Panic" and "Shiver," but it's the dream pop soundscapes captured on "High Speed" and "We Never Change" that illustrate the band's dynamic passion. This basic pop is surely a refreshing effort in the face of big productions like the Spice Girls and Westlife. Parachutes deserves the accolades it has received because it follows the general rule when introducing decent pop songs: keep the emotion genuine and real. And Coldplay has done that without hesitation.

Sound: The band itself is comprised of a delicious mix of talented men, who pour their heart and souls into there songs. Though most of the songs sound similar to eachother, they all sound great. This band was the band that inspired my own music, that I play. They are a great influence on any musician. They have a not so uniqueness about them, sometimes sounding a bit like Lapush, the Verve, or maybe even Coldplay at times, except for on a few songs. This CD is a great CD to listen to if you enjoy that type of music. Never going overboard, they create just the right tone, and sound.

Lyrics and Singing: All of the lyrics on this CD are all very meainingful, and can only have been written by someone who has experienced what has been sung in the songs. If you listen carefully, you can eassily decipher a deeper meaning to some of the songs, such as "Guess God Thinks I'm Abel." A great song, with a deep meaning. The music fits the lyrics like a blove on a hand, and meshes perfectly with the bands musical style. No matter what, they sound great.

Impression: I would rate this music most highly, and recomend it to anyone who crosses my path. If someone stole it, I would find them and make them give it back or buy a new one. It's worth the money, for such an excelent music! I love the fact that all of the songs sound alike, but each have there own changes that make them sound not-so-alike. I love in "Let There Be love" how the singing switches from Noel to Liam in a perfect blend that makes the song work. I do think the band should experiment with a little more different styles, just to keep them fresh, but other than that, it's a first class CD, that should be in everyones CD collection.

By their fourth album, Sugar Ray had developed a real ease to their music. Starting with "Fly," they no longer tried so hard to rock -- they no longer tried to ape the Red Hot Chili Peppers -- and began relaxing into a sun-kissed, laid-back groove, the kind of music where even the fast numbers powered by distorted guitars don't necessarily sound heavy.

This came to the forefront on 14:59, but it blossoms on that album's follow-up, Sugar Ray. Where 14:59 was a little self-conscious and jokey (culminating in a cover of Steve Miller's "Abracadabra"), Sugar Ray feels easy and natural, so it's easy to smile at the reference to Run-D.M.C.instead of cringing. And that'sthe key to the record -- it's relaxed, utterly without pretension, and often charmingly melodic. Sure, there are some cuts that fall flat, but this record is more consistent than any of their previous albums, thanks not only to a stronger set of material, but the fact that the band is gelling as a band, which makes even the missteps easier to listen to.

Best of all, the band never runs from their past, adding another great summer single to their arsenal with "When It's Over" (easily the equal of "Fly" and "Every Morning"), while even sampling "Every Morning" on "Ours." All this doesn't make Sugar Ray seem new, but there's charm to their performances, which make the album seen fresh, all the same. For a supposed one-hit wonder, it's remarkable that they've released their best album four records into their career.

Sublime's eponymous major-label debut arrived a few months after the band's leader, Brad Nowell, died tragically of a heroin overdose. As a show of sympathy, the album tended to be slightly overrated in some critical quarters, who claimed that Nowell was an exceptionally gifted lyricist and musical hybridist, but Sublime doesn't quite support those claims.

The trio does have a surprising grace in its unabashedly traditionalist fusion of Californian hardcore punk, light hip-hop, and reggae. Switching between bracing hardcore and slow, sexy reggae numbers, Sublime display supple, muscular versatility and, on occasion, a gift for ingratiatingly catchy hooks, as on the hit single "What I Got." What they don't have is the vision -- either lyrical or musical -- to maintain interest throughout the course of the entire album. Sublime sags when the band delves too deeply into their dub aspirations or when their lyrics slide into smirking humor.

The low moments don't arrive that often -- by and large, the album is quite engaging -- but they happen frequently enough to make the record a demonstration of the band's blossoming ability, but not the fulfillment of their full potential. Of course, Nowell's death gives the record a certain pathos, but that doesn't make the album any stronger.

Twenty-year-old Amy Lee is up to something. The singer for Little Rock, Arkansas's Evanescence (which means "a dissipation or disappearance like vapor") could be the next generation’s Goth queen if she’d go gently into the full moon-werewolf night.

But while her own influences could be Kate Bush, Tori Amos and any member of the Cocteau Twins, she's backed by co-collaborator guitarist Ben Moody who could emerge over time as the guy single-handedly responsible for bringing back progressive rock with his heavy emphasis on atmosphere and Meat Loaf-meets-Rush pomp and circumstance.

Here's hoping the band (considered two guitars and drums--but fleshed out with bass and multiple layers of keyboards) lock themselves into the studio and deliver on the NIN-Pink Floyd grandiosity of "Going Under" and don't devolve into a solid generator of weepy piano ballads ("My Immortal"). If the name Phil Collins means nothing to you, consider this an early distant warning.

One of the best pop albums of 2002 wasn't released in the U.S. If that's not dropping the ball, then what is? An assured and durable follow-up to 2001's formative One Touch, which still packed a number of singles that gave the group a great deal of success overseas, Angels With Dirty Faces is a thoroughly convincing amalgamation of the artists they've been weaned on -- from Madonna to TLC to Aaliyah -- with a strong foothold in contemporary trends.

A bootleg mash-up of Adina Howard's "Freak Like Me" and Gary Numan's "Are Friends Electric" led to the group's own spin on the trick, and it landed them the top spot on the U.K. chart. Using a beefed-up arrangement of Numan's robotic new-wave tune, the Sugababes lift Howard's forthright lyrics -- somewhat sheepishly, the "pump pump" that precedes "all through the night" is subsumed in the mix -- and weave the two elements together for a powerful and immensely catchy opening to the album. At no point during the remainder of the first half does the album lose steam.

The verses of "Blue" are backed by jutting electronic beats that stutter and twist, while the chorus unwraps a tempo shift carrying an unexpectedly strummy quality. "Round Round," another hit that put the group on Top of the Pops, is something Garbage would no doubt love to have in their own catalog. Apart from a couple bum moments during the second half of the album -- see "Shape," a misguided re-configuration of Sting's "Shape of My Heart," replete with a literally patched-on appearance from the man himself -- this is a pop album that offers much more depth and excitement beyond the singles.

Led by the infectious, pseudo-new wave single "Just a Girl," No Doubt's major-label debut, Tragic Kingdom, straddles the line between '90s punk, third-wave ska, and pop sensibility. The record was produced by Matthew Wilder, the auteur behind "Break My Stride" -- a clever mainstream co-opting of new wave quirkiness, and, as such, an ideal pairing.

Wilder kept his production lean and accessible, accentuating No Doubt's appealing mix of new wave melodicism, post-grunge rock, and West Coast sunshine. Even though the band isn't always able to fuse its edgy energy with pop melodies, the combination worked far better than anyone could have hoped. When everything does click, the record is pure fun, even if some of the album makes you wish they could sustain that energy throughout the record.

Tragic Kingdom might not have made much of an impact upon its initial release in late 1995, but throughout 1996 "Just a Girl" and "Spiderwebs" positively ruled the airwaves, both alternative and mainstream, and in 1997 No Doubt cemented their cross-generational appeal with the ballad hit "Don't Speak."

Blink-182's protracted adolescence has finally ended. There is nary a goofy moment on the San Diego punk-pop band's fifth album, which is more experimental and harder-hitting than anything else it has done.

On "I Miss You," the trio toys with electronic drumbeats, acoustic guitars, string parts and a gentle piano melody. "Violence" opens with a shriek of buzz-saw guitar, switches to the group's revved-up punk throttle and then calms down for verses that are spoken rather than sung: "You speak and make time stand still," says guitarist Tom DeLonge, "And each time, you walk on by."

Blink-182 don't skimp on catchy hooks -- on "Feeling This," "Asthenia" and "Go" -- and their lyrics are still unsophisticated and lovelorn, but even the poppiest tunes prove artful. Maturity suits these guys: Five albums into their career, it sounds like they're just getting warmed up.

Since the moment they appeared on the scene in the early 90's, Stone Temple Pilots dominated the decade from start to finish, racking up 15 singles on the Billboard Top Ten, winning a "Best Hard Rock Performance" GRAMMY in 1994 for for "Plush," and having their five albums sell more than 35 million copies worldwide. Of all their peers, STP alone had sustained commercial success, earning greater critical acclaim with each release, building a body of work that remains popular and its enduring acclaim has only highlighted the absence of the band, who quietly went their separate ways after the turn-of the millennium release of Shangri-La Dee Da. Despite the presence of the greatest hits album Thank You in 2003, there has been a generation that has never witnessed the live power of the vocalist Scott Weiland, guitarist Dean DeLeo, bassist Robert DeLeo and drummer Eric Kretz live in concert, a situation that will be remedied this summer when the band reunites for a long-awaited and highly anticipated tour.

A dominant force in rock music since their inception, the group's impressively extensive and top-selling music has cemented their standing as one of the most successful rock groups of all time. Scott Weiland and Robert DeLeo met at a Black Flag concert in Long Beach, California, discovering in the course of their conversation that the two were dating the same girl. Instead of sparking a rivalry, this common ground was the foundation of a friendship, with the pair moving into the girl's apartment after she left town. Weiland and DeLeo formed a band called Mighty Joe Young, with drummer Eric Kretz joining the lineup soon afterward, with Robert's brother Dean coming aboard not long after that. Soon, the group established themselves as a draw in San Diego, eventually gaining the attention of Atlantic Records who signed them in 1991. After hearing that there was a blues singer calling himself Mighty Joe Young, the group changed their name to Stone Temple Pilots during the recording of their 1992 debut album, Core.

Core was bracing blend of grunge guitars, classic rock moves and big pop hooks. At first, the ironic swagger of "Sex Type Thing" brought them onto MTV and radio, but it was "Plush" that blew the doors wide open for the band, establishing them as multi-platinum act in 1993. A pair of subsequent singles were released from Core -- "Wicked Garden" and the spooky, acoustic "Creep" -- before they delivered Purple in 1994. A large, eager fan base snatched Purple up upon its opening week, sending it to # 1 but Purple wasn't a one-week wonder, it grew as the record spun off hit after hit: first there was the majestic, cryptic "Big Empty," taken from The Crow soundtrack, then there was "Vasoline," which was followed by the modern rock classic "Interstate Love Song," a radio smash that stayed on the top of Billboard's Album Rock charts for 15 weeks, besting the record set by the Rolling Stones' "Start Me Up. "

Not content to continue to replicate the heavy hooks of their first two albums, Stone Temple Pilots dug deep into glam and Beatleseque psychedelia on their third album, 1996's Tiny Music...Songs from the Vatican Gift Shop, which produced hits in the stomping "Big Bang Baby," tightly-wound "Trippin' on a Hole in a Paper Heart" and beautiful "Lady Picture Show." The band then regrouped for 1999's tough, muscular No. 4, a hard rock album that nevertheless had a wistful highlight in "Sour Girl," which turned into one of STP's biggest hits. Two years later, the group released Shangri-La Dee Da, which achieved a perfect blend of their thick riffs and candy melodies, typified by the hit "Days of the Week."

Stone Temple Pilots went their separate ways after Shangri-La Dee Da, leaving the question of a reunion hanging in the air. A greatest hits album called Thank You in 2003 only reminded fans that all great bands have a certain magic that is attained when the original lineup comes together to play, something Stone Temple Pilots will prove that this summer when they reunite for this long-awaited tour.

In Spring 2008 STP officially revealed that the band will be reuniting and will launch a massive 2008 concert tour encompassing over 65 dates and hitting all corners of North America. Marking the first national tour for Stone Temple Pilots in almost eight years, the 65 date stretch will bring the iconic band’s charismatic musicianship and exhilarating live shows to amphitheatres across North America.

The Sundays are a wonderful band hailing out of Manchester, England.
The quartet was originally a duo; David and Harriet met while at university in Bristol.
"Staying up late, talking a complete load of bullocks, it was great" says Harriet.
Both began writing songs while at university and continued after graduating.

The two brought friends Paul Brindley, bassist, and drummer Patrick Hannan on board, and the Sundays were born.
By just their second show, critics and industry insiders had labeled the band the "next big thing" and the Sundays found themselves deluged with record offers.
They eventually signed with Rough Trade records, home of indie legends The Smiths.

Reading, Writing, and Arithmetic was released in 1989 to critical and commercial success.
The album was an exquisite texture of gilded guitar work blended with Wheeler's atmospheric vocals.
Comparisons were made to Cocteau Twins, 10,000 Maniacs, and Lush. The band established a loyal fan base in England and abroad.
They followed the album with a tour of the states as well as Japan and UK opening for Belly.

Following their 1990-91 tour, the band stayed very quiet until late 1992 with their sophomore release Blind.
Somewhat darker and more serious than Reading, Writing, and Arithmetic, the album ventured to explore the unseen side of life.

Unfortunately for fans, the band disappeared for 5 years during which there has been a dearth of information. Harriet and David, who have been together for over 10 years, recently had a child and built their a music studio in their own home.
They finally broke the silence with a new album in 1997 aptly named Static & Silence.
The Sundays followed up a brief tour of the US and England in Fall 1997.
At this time, further tour plans and releases are not known.
The Sundays completed a US tour in the fall of 1997 in support of "Static & Silence".

During that tour, the band stated that they planned to do a European tour in '98 and perhaps another round in the US.

The end of the road can be a be a bittersweet place. For fans of Sixpence None the Richer, a band that has had a whirlwind career, suffering plenty of industry setbacks, the end of the road has produced their final project, The Best Of Sixpence None The Richer. Best Of includes three brand new songs previously unreleased to fans as well as six songs exclusively only available on other compilations, as well as other hits spanning their career. So while this record has an abundance of treats, it may call itself The Best Of Sixpence None The Richer a little too earnestly.

The three new songs of The Best Of are must-haves for Sixpence fans while the other bonuses are just wonderful rare treats to behold. The album opens with new song "Loser Like Me," a piano-driven upbeat pop track that follows more of the Divine Discontent vibe and is followed by the pop/rock tune "Us." Although considered a new song here, "Us" actually first appeared on a 2000 compilation entitled Today Presents: The Best Of The Summer Concert Series. This is the first time, however, it's ever been made available on a Sixpence record. "Too Far Gone" is probably the best of the new tracks. Also piano-driven, an electronic beat and 6p's signature melancholy delivery make this a perfect addition. The song builds from its paced beginning til it reaches its fantastic instrumental rocked-out conclusion.

The remaining record is a mix of compilation contributions, rarities, and a few favorites from their albums. So the question arises, if this is a "best of" record, shouldn't it have more fan favorites from their original records? For a band who's had five records in a span of a decade, to only include one song off their memorable debut The Fatherless And The Widow and a mere two songs from This Beautiful Mess, just seems almost criminal. Where's "Field Of Flowers?" "Meaningless?" "Love, Salvation, The Fear Of Death?" What could have been the perfect Sixpence "best of" collection - perhaps a 2-Disc set with the rarities and more fan favorites together on two CD's - is somewhat just a jumbled mix.

Despite missing some key songs for such a project, The Best Of Sixpence None The Richer is still a worthy release. Compiling such songs as "Dancing Queen," The Ground You Shook," "I Need Love," "I Just Wasn't Made For These Times," "Breathe," and "Brighten My Heart" all onto one Sixpence record is a great accomplishment. To have these songs any other way, you would have to purchase each individual soundtrack and compilation. The record ends with a real interesting rarity - a version of "Kiss Me" where Leigh Nash sings most of the song in Japanese, originally available on a Japanese commercial single.

More of a hits record with a hefty helping of rarities, The Best Of Sixpence None The Richer is a wonderful finale for fans, even if it could have benefited from a little more thought and planning.

For listeners who had caught up with the Cardigans on their breakout album, Life, the group's third album was a confusing pastiche which included several conventional pop songs, but also added tracks with left-field arrangements and some (comparatively) disturbing lyrics.

In reality, however, the group had simply returned to the mood and feel of their debut album. On Emmerdale, the melancholy was personal and solitary in nature, but here depression is focused on unfaithful lovers -- in both the songs which vocalist Nina Persson helped out with lyrics and those written by the rest of the band ("Choke," "Step on Me," "The Great Divide").

Even the single, "Lovefool," is a depressing lament of unrequited affection, and the presence of another Black Sabbath cover ("Iron Man") certainly isn't an immediate upper. Still, First Band on the Moon is saved by the Cardigans' core strengths: Persson's vocals and Svensson's arrangements.

San Francisco's 4 Non Blondes burst onto the national scene with their massive, neo-hippie anthem "What's Up" from their debut Bigger, Better, Faster, More? Although they failed to recreate the single's success, the album, as a whole, is a fairly engaging mix of alternative rock, quasi-funk, and blues.

The focal point is on lead singer Linda Perry who also plays guitar and was the primary writer of the material. Perry has a powerful set of pipes akin to Johnette Napolitano, but, unfortunately, she tends to cut loose when a little more restraint would benefit the proceedings. However, "Superfly" is a feel good, funky number and "Spaceman"'s yearning lyrics are delivered over a quiet, martial drum rhythm. A solid debut that got lost in the wake of its mammoth hit.

Released in 1995, when the 57th Britpop Movement was swaying the United States of Britannia with the releases of Blur’s The Great Escape, Oasis’s (What’s the Story) Morning Glory?, the debut album of Supergrass and countless others, Elastica debuted with an album that may very well be my favorite of them all. Spikier and tougher than both Blur and Oasis and easily as energetic as Supergrass, Elastica is an album that combines the best of its influences into a convincing modern album.

When you take a look at the cover, you’ll have to admit that it looks at least 15 years older than its actual age, right? The album does sound retro-ish, but the band makes up for it (if that would be necessary) with great songwriting. As for the influences, the pop hooks and coarse guitars of The Buzzcocks and Wire’s cold angularity are the most obvious, while the lyrics, vocal delivery and attitude of the band reflect the self-confidence and sexuality of Chrissie Hynde and Debbie Harry.


The album was spearheaded by a handful of excellent singles (“Stutter,” “Line Up,” “Connection,” “Waking Up”), but the album is crammed with first-class tracks, several of which could have been used as singles as well. One of the most riveting things about this album, apart from the great overall-package, is the interplay of the band, and especially between Justine Frischmann and Donna Matthews, both trading off hooky and jerky guitar riffs, while Annie Holland (bass) and Justin Welch (drums, man) keep things going as well.

“Line Up” immediately introduces that terrific noisy guitar interplay, both guitar players complementing each other with their spiky slashes during the verses. Of note are also the song’s lyrics, that are – like a large part of the album – concerned with kinky sex, in this case a groupie’s adventures (“Drivel head knows all the stars, loves to suck their shining guitars, they’ve all been right up her stairs, do you care?”). “Stutter,” the album’s first single is even better, a fast song with great hooks and lyrics (dealing with impotence this time: “Well it isn’t a problem, nothing we can’t keep between the sheets, tell me you’re mine, love, and I will not wait for other bed-time treats”), and one of the best British singles of the past twenty years (yes, I’m serious).

The third single, “Connection,” caused some commotion because it’s an almost exact copy of Wire’s “Three Girl Rhumba” (from Pink Flag), and led to a dispute that was eventually settled out of court. I really don’t care either way, because the band does turn it into a great song of its own. Granted, they could have acknowledged it in the liner notes. Several songs also feature some keyboards played by Dan Abnormal, which is, of course (you figured that one out for yourself, didn’t you?) an anagram of Damon Albarn, Frischmann’s partner at the time. The album’s fourth and last (?) single was “Waking Up,” perhaps the most retro-ish new wave-track on the album, one that takes you back to the heyday of bands such as Magazine and Echo & The Bunnymen.Besides the four singles, the album contains some more damn good wave tracks such as “Car Song,” the most infectious song about car sex ever (with the possible exception of AC/DC’s “Girl’s Got Rhythm”), with horny outspokenness (“I hardly know you, but I think I’m going to, let’s go siesta in your Ford Fiesta”), and one of my favorite lines: “In every little Honda, there may lurk a Peter Fonda.” Also “S.O.F.T.” and “Never Here,” two lengthier tracks (only four out of 16 cross the 3-minute border), have some excitingly strutting guitar work, nice vocal harmonies and style galore.

While “Stutter” may be the best punk song on the album, several others are worthy contenders: “Blue” and “All-Nighter” are more fun than the entire Blink-182-catalogue (those hooks, those exalted moans in the latter!), while the trio of “Annie,” “Smile” and “Vaseline” all clock in under 1:40 and will get your ass numb for the rest of the day.The album’s not an entire triumph, though. “Hold Me Now” isn’t very exciting, although it deals with intercourse, and the eastern-tinged “Indian Song,” with percussion very similar to that in The Beatles’ “Within You, Without You,” is as exciting as watching a game of cricket on a Sunday afternoon with a hangover. However, despite these details, Elastica is still an album that seems to rush by in 20 minutes, thanks to the excellent song sequencing (and 16 songs in 40 minutes isn’t bad either), loads of memorable hooks, melodies, lyrics and (gotta admit it) the irresistible sexiness of Justine Frischmann’s delivery and playing.