Andrew Phelps

16 Apr 2009

Rapper breaks silence with self produced return

The legendary underground rapper, Daniel Dumile, most commonly known as MF DOOM, is just about as “un-commercial” as any hip-hop artist who has generated such devotional critical praise can possibly be. He has gone by many aliases (Viktor Vaughn, Zev […]

09 Apr 2009

Flo Rida serves his listeners best in smaller increments

The top of the Billboard chart caters to an exclusive clientele, and if the last three years are any indication of a trend, we can expect an annual rocket to the No. 1 spot by rapper Flo Rida, who has […]

02 Apr 2009

No respect in U.S. for World Baseball Classic

As the subtle signs of spring quickly approach, baseball fans across America look forward to Opening Day of Major League BaseballÑa time-honored national tradition that only gets better with age. “There is no sports event like Opening Day of baseball, […]

26 Mar 2009

Decemberists’ album excels in inventiveness, lacks focus

The beloved Oregon-based Indie folk quintet, The Decemberists, have offered up their own attempt at a concept album, with results that are curious, stimulating and compelling, albeit only in the short term. “Hazards of Love,” the band’s fifth studio album, […]

12 Mar 2009

Musical prodigy blooms at young age on ‘YouTube’

All has been relatively quiet in the music world over the past few weeks, and with the exception of U2’s new album, there has been a lack of interesting or noteworthy recent releases. Instead of the usual self-indulgent record reviews, […]

05 Mar 2009

Irish megastars once again reinvent their world-famous sound

It has been five years since U2’s last release—the commercial mega-hit “How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb”—which lingered eternally at the top of the charts. Throughout their long, storied musical career, the Irish giants have been described lovingly (and, at […]

26 Feb 2009

Angst-ridden ‘God Loves Ugly’ transforms harsh realities into poetry

Earlier this year, Twin Cities natives, Atmosphere recently re-released their out of print 2002 album “God Loves Ugly,” which served as the duo’s springboard from neighborhood heroes to nationally recognized artisans. If you missed it the first time around, then […]

19 Feb 2009

‘The Pains of Being Pure at Heart’ adds new twist on recycled material

If you’re asking yourself right now, “Who the hell are The Pains of Being Pure at Heart?” then you probably find yourself in pretty good company. Yours truly hadn’t had the pleasure of becoming acquainted with the New York quartet […]

12 Feb 2009

Lily Allen thrusts herself back into the spotlight

Last fall, world renowned singer, drug addict and raging alcoholic Lily Allen swore off booze. This was not due to the many health risks that go along with it, but because, in her own words, “I got fucking sick of […]

05 Feb 2009

Franz Ferdinand hits a home run with ‘Tonight’

After a three-year hiatus which seemed to go all but unnoticed, the glossy, high-energy Scottish rockers Franz Ferdinand have returned to the music scene with their third album, “Tonight: Franz Ferdinand.” If there are indeed a finite number of catchy […]