Author Archive

Ted Leo & The Pharmacists – The Brutalist Bricks

By Dan Caffrey on March 10th, 2010

Whether your agenda is on the pulpit or the dance floor (or both), The Brutalist Bricks will get you moving.

Cold War Kids cool down The Vic (1/30)

By Dan Caffrey on February 1st, 2010

As Bob Dylan wrote, “Things have changed…”

CoS Live Act of the Decade: Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band

By Dan Caffrey on December 23rd, 2009

Simply put, no other live band without gimmicks can beat them. Period.

Album Review: KISS – Sonic Boom

By Dan Caffrey on October 10th, 2009

“The hottest band in the land” from the ’70s is back with their finest batch of barbed tunes since 1977’s Love Gun.

Cinema Sounds: Boogie Nights

By Dan Caffrey on October 7th, 2009

By setting disco fluff and ’80s cannon fodder against the backdrop of a blood and semen soaked Los Angeles, we’ll never look at songs like “Jessie’s Girl” the same way again.

KISS tries to keep Detroit’s Cobo Hall Alive (9/26)

By Dan Caffrey on September 28th, 2009

All good things come to an end…

Album Review: The Beatles – Magical Mystery Tour [Remastered]

By Dan Caffrey on September 22nd, 2009

Although not as grandiose as Sgt. Pepper’s, Magical Mystery Tour’s leanness gives the listener a sense of urgency, letting us know that every trippy echo, every cheerful whistle, every calliope tapestry is there for a purpose. And with the newly remastered version, its true audio heaven, allowing us to experience one of the band’s most euphoric, instrumentally rich albums in all of its cloud gazing glory.

Album Review: HEALTH – Get Color

By Dan Caffrey on September 2nd, 2009

It’s damn amazing to see these grimy noisemakers from Los Angeles restrain their animalistic instincts to create something that’s as close to beautiful as they’ll ever get.

Pete Yorn wails and whispers at Park West (8/4)

By Dan Caffrey on August 6th, 2009

Mellow acts tend to put on even mellower live shows. As pretty as bare bones acoustic sets are, they often get swallowed by venues larger than the average coffee house, prompting the more than occasional yawn from concert goers. The most successful live shows from calmer musicians occur when they’re smart enough to mix up or beef up the arrangements, adding that extra kick needed to bring down the house with an acoustic jam. Tuesday night’s Pete Yorn show at Park West featured two singer-songwriters who represented both ends of this spectrum.

List ‘Em Carefully: Top 10 Fake Bands

By Dan Caffrey on June 24th, 2009

They’re our favorite bands that never really existed…