Matthew Loosbrock

21 Feb 2008

Marshall’s eclectic sound on full display with Jukebox album

Chan Marshall isn’t Bob Dylan.  The iconic song master has written the greatest songs for nearly 60 years, while Marshall, at 36 years old, hasn’t touched half that. So when Marshall covers Dylan’s classic, “I Believe in You,” you would […]

14 Feb 2008

The Mars Volta’s fourth album an ‘experience’

Never heard a man speak like this man before,” snarls Cedric Bixler-Zavala, the singer/lyricist half of The Mars Volta on The Bedlam in Goliath.  It’s like he’s speaking to himself in a thrash of tongues that, according to Volta, were […]

07 Feb 2008

Vampire Weekend creates buzz, excitement with debut album

On their self-titled debut, Vampire Weekend has become quite the buzz band. While a portion of their first effort was leaked onto the internet back in September, they still manage to impress and amuse with creative sound influenced by Western […]

13 Dec 2007

A look back at the best albums of the year

2007 has been host to a variety of great music. To make it easier, here’s a list of ten albums that you can’t afford to miss. 10. Gogol Bordello - Super Taranta!: You won’t know what to make of Gogol […]

06 Dec 2007

Junk Science’s hip-hop beats, weak vocals don’t mesh well on new album

Sometimes, things are better together:  peanut butter and jelly, Abbot and Costello, movies and popcorn. Music has always been pioneered by pairs; Lennon and McCartney have written some of the best songs ever to grace our ears, Jonny Greenwood and […]

29 Nov 2007

The Hives maintain unique sound

Howlin’ Pelle Almqvist, The Hives’ eccentric and out of control front man, never seems to shut up. From shouting, “Tick, tick, tick, tick, boom!” on their explosive new single, to hollering “Giddy up!” on a tune of the same title, […]

15 Nov 2007

Icelandic band follows own path

In a land of music, where almost anything goes, Sigur Rós does not stand above all others. Instead, they float along on their own strange island at sea, not to be mistaken for their native country, Iceland.  The group is […]

08 Nov 2007

Chicago’s Umphrey’s McGee releases jam-packed live album

Jam band fanatics: you can rest easy now. The departure of Phish was a sad realization, and no one will ever live up to the standards set by The Grateful Dead, but the tradition of the jam band lives on […]

01 Nov 2007

Carl Platou’s Frozen Eve full of warm emotions

Carl Platou is an interesting dude. The proclaimed “king of dark pop” (by his own Web site, no less) exhales a deep, relaxed tone through his vocal pipes. He has the nature of someone who obviously has a lot to […]

25 Oct 2007

R.E.M.'s first ever live album worth the wait

Is there anything R.E.M. can’t do? Their new live album (their first in their 20-plus year career) is a blast of energy, charm and a much needed kick in the teeth since the music industry started its slow decline. The […]