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Rock/Pop/Etc.

The year of living musically at the 36th TORONTO INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL

By PAUL ZIMMERMAN 09/24/2011

Toronto beefed it’s celebrity profile in 2011 at the 36th Annual Toronto International Film Festival by having a slew of music documentaries. Interestingly they were all about musicians who have heavily dabbled in film in the past. Here’s a quick look… THE ARTIST: U2 THE FILM: FROM THE SKY DOWN GENERAL CONSENSUS: Decent enough look at a band at the crossroads in 1991, one forgets how close they came to imploding. U2 the band still cries out for a career spanning definitive movie and this ain’t it. Music cult fans will appreciate seeing cult legend producer/musician Brian Eno in action. …Read On »

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CD Review: ROME

By DANIEL SCHWEIGER 09/23/2011

At first impressing with his replication of 60’s Hollywood sleaze jazz in the brilliantly underrated WOMAN CHASER, Danielle Luppi then swung to stop-on recreations of his motherland’s cinematic sound during the same period, an ITALIAN STORY that ranged from Morricone Spaghetti western-isms to the sensual jazz of composers like Piero Piccioni (CAMILLE 2000). Now Luppi invites DJ Danger Mouse to venture with him to ROME, their entrancing collaboration taking Luppi’s Italo soundtrack tributes to the next, mod level. With a beautifully dreamy sound that recalls the retro-progressiveness of the group Air, Luppi and Danger Mouse’s concept album mixes catchy songs …Read On »

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The 10 Coolest R.E.M. Songs – It’s the End of R.E.M. As We Know It And These Songs Will Make You Feel Fine

By CARL CORTEZ 09/22/2011

R.E.M. - COLLAPSE INTO NOW | ©2011 Warner Bros.

Yesterday the Athena, GA rock band R.E.M. consisting of singer Michael Stipe, bassist Mike Mills and guitarist Peter Buck called it quits after a little over 30 years as a unit. Their blend of jangly guitars and socially conscious lyrics made them a fringe alternative band throughout the 1980s until they finally broke out with 1987′s “The One I Love”. This led to signing to major label Warner Bros. which brought them into the mainstream major leagues with a series of pop hits including “Losing My Religion,” “Shiny Happy People” and “Stand.” Although their albums over the last decade have …Read On »

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CD Review: Lindsey Buckingham – SEEDS WE SOW

By A.C. FERRANTE 09/15/2011

Lindsey Buckingham - SEEDS WE SOW | ©2011 Buckingham Records

Distributor: Buckingham Records Suggested Retail Price: $9.99 When Lindsey Buckingham joined Fleetwood Mac in 1974 (with Stevie Nicks), the end result was a transformation of a rock solid band into a pop music powerhouse. Buckingham was an expert and visionary musical architect who had a vision that not even the band probably fully grasped at the time and his contributions resulted in some of the finest pop songs ever (I defy you no to start singing along to “Go Your Own Way” when it comes on the radio). While Buckingham still tours with Mac, the band hasn’t released a new …Read On »

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Single Review: Erasure – “When I Start To (Break It All Down)”

By CARL CORTEZ 08/31/2011

Erasure single - "When I Start To (Break it All Down)" | ©2011 Mute Records

Distributor: Mute Records Release Date: August 30, 2011 While many modern pop artists look to the 1980s for inspiration (Lady Gaga, Katy Perry, The Killers, etc), the artists that were part of defining that decade (and are still viable artists) are few and far between. There are the warhorses (Madonna, Bruce Springsteen, etc.), but groups amazing, ahead-of-their-time groups like Depeche Mode and Erasure forged through their electronic-infused work throughout the 1990s and the 2000s with their musical integrity intact and a constant forward momentum. I’d say Depeche Mode has experimented the most in this time, but the Erasure duo of …Read On »

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CD Review: BEYONCE – 4

By CARL CORTEZ 07/05/2011

Distributor: Sony Music Suggested Retail Price: $9.99 If I had my choice of soaking in a new Elvis Costello album or checking out the new Beyonce release 4, I would probably go for Costello. However, considering there isn’t a new Costello release, there’s no harm in evaluating Beyonce’s latest. To be honest, I thought her last release, I AM … SASHA FIERCE, was an impressive, groundbreaking album for the artist. She experimented with her sound and conjured up some very powerful ballads that transcended the Diva genre. With 4 (her fourth solo release), she plays it somewhat safe. There are …Read On »

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Film Fest: The Laughs Are On at the 2011 Los Angeles Film Festival

By PAUL ZIMMERMAN 06/24/2011

Dateline: Downtown Los Angeles Exactly why, you may wonder, would one need to attend a film festival in Los Angeles. Isn’t everyday a film day? Yes and no. Sure, any given day there might be a film premiere or a star appearance. But only the Los Angeles Film Festival offers such a magnificent mix of multimedia culture clash. It may be only the second year for the LA Film Festival in its new location—downtown’s glitzy steel and glass entertainment center known as L.A. Live—but it already seems as familiar as popcorn and butter. With most films showing at the Regal …Read On »

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CD Review: Peter Case – THE CASE FILES

By CARL CORTEZ 06/02/2011

Peter Case - THE CASE FILES | ©2011 Alive Records

Distributor: Alive Records Suggested Retail Price: $13.53 It’s hard to review a compilation of demos, outtakes, live tracks and other rarities from a particular artist, because often times that material was never intended for consumer release. Yet, when a solo artist reaches three decades mark, it is time to start digging into the archives for the die-hard fans and Peter Case has done that with THE CASE FILES. While his material from the days as frontman of the short-lived 1980s rock outfit The Plimsouls was angst filled rock and roll the entire way, Case has spent the majority of his …Read On »

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CD Review: Lady Gaga – BORN THIS WAY

By CARL CORTEZ 05/27/2011

Lady Gaga - BORN THIS WAY | ©2011 Interscope Records

Distributor: Interscope Suggested Retail Price: $12.99 You have to hand it to Lady Gaga. She loves to let her freak flag fly, and she’s done such an amazing job of cultivating this performance-art persona, that she’s become more famous for what she wears, rather than what she’s actually singing. That of course is the big dichotomy her career is facing. She’s clearly pushed the envelope as far as she can with her costumes, and now, she really needs to start bringing the attention back to the fact that she’s not that bad a singer and a pretty accomplished songwriter (even …Read On »

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CD Review: The Cars – MOVE LIKE THIS

By CARL CORTEZ 05/23/2011

The Cars - MOVE LIKE THIS | ©2011 Hear Music

Distributor: Hear Music Suggested Retail Price: $11.88 The music The Cars produced in their late ‘70s and 1980s run was unparalleled. From the New Wave textures of “Shake It Up” and “My Best Friend’s Girl” to the non-stop hit-palooza of 1984’s HEARTBEAT CITY that featured a long string of hits including “Magic,” “You Might Think,” and “Drive.” However, after 1987’s incredibly disappointing DOOR TO DOOR album, the band decided to call it quits and leave its legacy at six studio albums. Over the years, frontman Ric Ocasek released a steady stream of solo records, with most of them containing at …Read On »

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