To get you (and ourselves) into the holiday spirit, we listened to this year's new Christmas CD releases. Unfortunately, most of them were awful. ...more

December 17, 2009

SUSAN BOYLE: I DREAMED A DREAM (COLUMBIA/SYCO) ** "Britain's Got Talent" sensation Susan Boyle deserves so much better than the painfully obvious and/or bombastic settings she's given on her debut album. Its failings are no surprise, given that it's overseen by 19 Entertainment, parent company of "Britain's Got Talent," "American Idol" and so on. ...more

November 27, 2009

ARTIE LANGE: JACK AND COKE (SHOUT! FACTORY) *** On his first album, comedian Artie Lange ambles up to the line of tastelessness and then belly-flops across it, knocking over everyone's drinks in the process. ...more

November 19, 2009

Get lost, Hugh Jackman. This year's "Sexiest Man Alive" is once again Johnny Depp. ...more

November 19, 2009

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

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

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

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