The The Naked Self Nothing By: Robert H. Matt Johnson has been making albums under the moniker "The The" for over twenty years, but as Naked Self proves, he is not, and will never be, an obsolete voice in the music world. He continually weans himself from genres in which he has flourished and reinvents […]

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Sweet And Lowdown Directed By Woody Allen Sony Pictures Classics By: Eric G. The best thing about Woody Allen is that he doesn't adhere to Hollywood conventionality, and he never has. He makes movies that interest him first, and, if they so happen to please audiences, then that's just a bonus. Sweet And Lowdown is […]

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Unwound/versus Split 7inch Troubleman Unlimited By: Eric G. After months and months of rumors and pushed back release dates, the highly anticipated split from Unwound and Versus is finally here. Both bands cover songs by the long-defunct and relatively obscure New York City band Flower from its album Concrete Sky. Flower was Richard Baluyut's first […]

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The 1985 Obscured By Pink Clouds Carbon By: Eric G. With an equal parts mix of experimental British punk (Crass, Gang Of Four) and Chicago noise rock (Jesus Lizard, The Necros), The 1985 returns with its second album of schizophrenic no-wave. Divided into two parts, Obscured By Pink Clouds is an aggressive assault on the […]

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From Bubblegum To Sky Me And Amy And The Two French Boys Eenie Meenie By: Eric G. From Bubblegum To Sky is the kitschy moniker for Mario Hernandez, formerly of the pop duo Ciao Bella, and his first solo album is a kaleidoscopic blend of Beatles, Glam, New Wave, and Japanese pop. The first track, […]

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Boiler Room Directed By Ben Younger New Line Cinema By: Eric G. Boiler Room may borrow heavily from its obvious influences (Glengarry Glen Ross, Wall Street), but novice director Ben Younger manages to give props to his precursors while still managing to pull off an unique twist in the cliched, high stakes New York stock […]

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Yo La Tengo And Then Nothing Turned Itself Inside-out Matador By: Robert H. If Yo La Tengo has proven anything over the years, it's that they are a band you can count on. While this means that their albums are almost never disappointments, it also means that there are very few surprises. Their eleventh album […]

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