WHITE DENIM: FITS (DOWNTOWN) *** There's all over the place and then there's all over the place with GPS. "Fits" starts out in a post-punk alleyway and glides through breezy pop and white soul among other stops on its 12-song journey. ...more

October 29, 2009

Trent Reznor leads Nine Inch Nails through its set Saturday at Ford Amphitheatre. Nine Inch Nails co-headlined with Jane's Addiction, touring with its original lineup for the first time since 1991. Jane's and NIN both were part of the first Lollapalooza festival in 1991. Opening the show was Street Sweeper Social Club, featuring Boots Riley of hip-hop group The Coup and Tom Morello, guitarist of Rage Against the Machine. See the Liner Notes blog on tboextra.com for a full review of the show. ...more

May 10, 2009

VARIOUS ARTISTS: WAR CHILD PRESENTS HEROES (ASTRALWERKS) **½ Proceeds from this CD go to War Child, which aids children affected by war, so by all means buy it - don't download it for free, cheapskate - and some of the tunes actually are quite good, although others are positively heinous. ...more

March 19, 2009

ABE VIGODA: REVIVER (PPM) ** Abe Vigoda's music comes at you peripherally, the way unrelated noises almost mesh as you're falling asleep. The melodies, chord changes and rhythms sometimes seem to be coming from separate rooms, while the vocals sometimes seem to be coming from next door. ...more

March 13, 2009

DAMON & NAOMI: MORE SAD HITS (20/20/20) Music this delicate and this strong is rare, but Damon & Naomi nailed it on 1992's "More Sad Hits." Recorded after the messy break-up of Galaxie 500, "More Sad Hits" has every right to sound timid and confused. Instead, it's a confident work, with the duo and producer Kramer exploring every sonic nook and cranny in search of transcendence. They find it. So will you. ...more

March 13, 2009

SHOLI: SHOLI (QUARTERSTICK/ TOUCH & GO) **½ Sadly, "Sholi" may be the last new release from Touch & Go, as financial woes have forced the label to go catalog-only for the time being. T&G is one of the great U.S. indie labels, fostering bands such as Big Black, The Jesus Lizard and Seam, to name but a few. ...more

March 5, 2009

BEIRUT/REALPEOPLE: MARCH OF THE ZAPOTEC/HOLLAND (POMPEII/BADABING) *** Two EPs, two band names, one artist - Zach Condon likely will confound as many listeners as he pleases with this split-personality set. ...more

February 26, 2009

Rapper T.I. will perform at the St. Pete Times Forum on Feb. 28, the Forum announced today. ...more

February 6, 2009

MAROON 5: CALL AND RESPONSE: THE REMIX ALBUM (A&M/OCTONE) ** Maroon 5's sub-Justin Timberlake R&B is inherently uninteresting. So it's the presence of wild card remixers such as Of Montreal and Deerhoof that raises eyebrows and hopes. Usual suspects such as Pharell Williams and Mark Ronson, predictably, phone in their contributions. ...more

February 5, 2009

SCHOOL OF SEVEN BELLS: ALPINISM (GHOSTLY INTERNATIONAL) **½ School of Seven Bells teams ex-Secret Machines guitarist Ben Curtis with sisters Claudia and Alley Deheza, formerly of On!Air!Library!, to create a dream-pop recipe spiced with world beats, trance and goth. ...more

January 29, 2009