In Depth by Laurie Parker
What has happened to the American culture of pitching in during a crisis? Prompted by a news article about the projected deficit for 2005 (the biggest, correcting for inflation, since WWII), I thought about what we used to do during wartime. When my grandparents were my age, there was a war going on. Everyone in the country participated in the war effort in one way or another--whether it was collecting scrap metal, working in a factory to replace those in active duty, or sacrificing luxuries in order to buy war bonds and financially support the government's needs for defense spending.»
In Depth by Laurie Parker
Wesley Willis was the heart and soul of everything the Chicago music scene is all about. His whacked-out sense of humour and intense, aggressive musical expression were both the product of and a catalyst for the quirky, strange world of artistic expression in the great Windy City and the midwest of America. He died in August of complications due to leukemia--and the world will never be able to fill his singular shoes again.»
In Depth by Laurie Parker
Dear Mr Blaine,
What do you think you're gonna show by starving your wealth-fattened body in a plastic box where everyone can see you? You say you want to 'prove what the human body can endure, prove if one man can live on water alone' blah blah blah. Well guess what, people have been proving that»
In Depth by Laurie Parker
S-Club 7 vs. t.A.T.U.
I was watching Saturday morning TV yesterday, and there was some sort of ‘contest’ going on for the best new single—as judged by S-Club members Hannah, Bradley, and Jo. Inane, harmless… But one of the videos being judged was for the new singl»
In Depth by Laurie Parker
Har Mar Superstar—-named after the mall a block from the house where I grew up in Roseville, Minnesota. The mall itself takes its name from its founders, Harold and Marie Slawik. It boasts such swanky shops as T. J. Maxx (the US equavalent of T. K. Maxx), Northwestern Bookstore (a Christian store»
Review
by Laurie Parker
Well, the A-side single reviewed herein is typical Moby fare. It's got the mellow strings, the repetitive shuffling electronica beat, the usual three or four chords.
He's not going out on any limbs, not being very adventurous with the "radio mix" of this one. I can't say that I'm all that attracted to i»
Review
by Laurie Parker
Hmm, Beverley Knight has some fabulous hair and a fantastic voice (not to mention she's sezzy), but she could do with a better producer for her material. I don't mean the Wyclef remixed version of this single--that one's fine, it's dancey and funky even though I don't quite get the trend for self-reference in h»
Review
by Laurie Parker
There are lots of songs about cars on this album—-driving fast, driving away, looking across the city while driving at night. And it’s fitting, really. The overall sound of Sally Crewe and the Sudden Moves is very fifties, souped-up, whitesidewall, rock n’ roll drive-in hamburger bar. The kind of music the ki»
In Depth by Laurie Parker
I feel so disillusioned. The people I believed in, trusted with the future of my home country and its professions of democracy, have bitterly disappointed me. The overwhelming Republican victory, which resulted from an overwhelming voter turnout, says to me that people really are selfish, disgusting, lazy cowards.»
In Depth by Laurie Parker
Has anyone else noticed the nudie-emperor-ness of Richard Ashcroft's new single, "Check the Meaning?"
Maybe he was one of the kings of indie rock, maybe he wrote a brilliant album back in the day that broke new ground and inspired a generation of musicians and music lovers alike... but that's no rea»
Review
by Laurie Parker
Wow, I'm being blown away as I type. This is a beautiful, extremely musical album. I'm so tired of all the bands who say they're "musicians," when really all they are is percussion-bangers and chant-shouters with swanky haircuts who wanna be on the anti-TOTP.
These Blue States people are talented, creative, in»
In Depth by Laurie Parker
West 13th is the newly launched music venue in Glasgow, tucked away in the city's student mecca, the West End, and it carries on the traditions of the near-legendary 13th Note venues of the city centre. The 13th Note has been a major part of the Glasgow music scene in the last decade, and many people were sad to hear o»
Review
by Laurie Parker
What a lovely record! I found myself singing along with little harmonies on the first listen--that's unusual for me: I don't often find albums so catching right away. I usually have to hear things over and over until they either grow on me or don't. This album caught me, like so many of my favorites have.
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Review
by Laurie Parker
Music takes more than one listen to get a real taste. There are always some songs that grab you right away, sometimes you decide later they’re utter crap. Others grow on you gradually to become tolerable or maybe even necessary to your survival.
I can’t say that LHB’s single 'Everybody Sees It O»
In Depth by Laurie Parker
When I reviewed Remy Zero's "The Golden Hum," I told a bit of their story to go along with the review, to provide a background of information for people who hadn't heard much of them before. For most of their career they seem to have been up-and-coming, and it's only in the last 2 years or so that they've start»
News
by Laurie Parker
Rats! Some members of Remy Zero have caught 'flu on their way over to Britain. They only managed 2 songs at last night's Manchester gig, supporting Weezer. Tonight (March 20th) they've had to cancel altogether for the Glasgow show and are hoping to gather their strength en»
Review
by Laurie Parker
Every time I listen to this album I find something new. It's like one of those pictures that you can search at for hours and still find some new part of the story the next time you look at it. Hamell's songs are stories, sometimes they make (occasionally quite intricate) comments on people he's known and loved or hat»
Review
by Laurie Parker
I wasn't sure what to expect from a reggae band full of quirky hippie-type students... I mean, hippies, reggae, student bands, normally I'd say "hmmmmmmmm." But SubCity Radio usually knows what it's talking about when it comes to interesting musical happenings, so I went in with an open mind. I was very pleasantly su»
News
by Laurie Parker
Remy Zero has been offered some tour dates to support Weezer in March. The schedule is thus:
19th - Apollo, Manchester
20th - Barrowlands, Glasgow
21st - Birmingham Academy
23rd - The Guidhall, Southampton
24th - Brixton Academy, London
The new Remy Zero album, 'The»
Review
by Laurie Parker
Some bands just have that "thing," the oft-mentioned indefinable sparkle that makes them stand out from the rest of the music that's going on around them. What is it that makes their music stick in your mind?... They use the same chords as everybody else, the same instruments, nothing crazy or out-there... Some ba»
In Depth by Laurie Parker
This trend of casually using someone else's hook to make a hit song is fast approaching its sell-by date. It has already run out of cleverness, and now just seems to be cultivating an attitude of extreme laziness within the hip-hop world. How is it meaningful, bold, raw, to have some laydeez sing a famous chorus, »
Review
by Laurie Parker
cribabi is an interesting project.
Once upon a time, Andy Cox (formerly of Fine Young Cannibals and the Beat) must have needed some extra money, and thusly contributed a monologue about guitar playing to a DIY English learning book and cassette called Cool Talk for Rock People. The set »
News
by Laurie Parker
San Fran! Announcing popscene's indie club nights:
September 20 : Charlatans UK record release party
September 27 : Spiritualized record release party
October 4: Curve record release party
October 11: Strokes record release party
October 18: New Order»
In Depth by Laurie Parker
Hamell On Trial is not what you'd expect from a man with an acoustic guitar. At the end of his show, after the sounds that have come out of it and the intensity of the playing, you're amazed his guitar isn't broken down like a horse that's been ridden full-tilt across five counties. I had a chance to "talk" to him»
In Depth by Laurie Parker
If only I'd thought of it months ago... a hidden webcam to record her dishonest pursuits in our kitchen. The website could have a form to fill out for witnesses to report the crimes. We'd all noticed it and gradually approached each other to find out if it was just paranoia, or if everyone was noticing the same th»
Review
by Laurie Parker
Only Belle and Sebastian would have a random gig in Dunoon, with an old-style Dixieland jazz band opening for them!
Belle and Sebastian are coming back out into the public eye with a new single and a little Scottish tour, and they seem to be very happy with their return to activity. The public is too, seein»
News
by Laurie Parker
Whoooohooo!
We've got some recognition. Beat 106, a Scottish radio station dedicated to what some would call more interesting music, has featured us as their "web of the week" this week in their beatscene section. They say they're suitably impressed with our sheer volume of information--so let's keep it up»
Review
by Laurie Parker
Yet another innocuous dance tune from the makers of "Lady (Hear Me Tonight)". Not bad, there's some nifty, funky disco sampling going on that makes it musically listenable and quite catchy. Unfortunately it's supplemented by some random cheesy lyrics about "chillin'at a disco with my friends..." Not exactly revel»
Review
by Laurie Parker
It's just not difficult to be good at sounding like everyone else. When you're taking your influence from the classics, it's even easier. This band sounds like a college bar band playing some strange hybrid of Oasis cover songs crossed with hippy Grateful Dead country music. It sounds like Credence (where they go»
