In their prime (1967–1970), Fairport Convention helped give folk-rock in the U.K. its own identity. Along with the works of Bert Jansch and Pentangle, Shirley Collins and Davy Graham, Fairport Convention created an individualistic strain of music that drew from traditional folk but had a modern quality that drew accolades not just from the folk purists, but from the hippies in the underground. Their mixture of harmonies and instrumentation on albums like What We Did On Our Holidays, Unhalfbricking, and...

Something had to give. Nine years ago, Moby set precedents within the music industry and re-examined the way that the public consumed music when he licensed Play (an excellent record certainly, but most of his are and are also doomed to flop) to any advertiser interested; thus thrusting the album into the public’s face no matter where it turned. It worked of course—Play still holds the record for the best-selling title in the DJ’s catalogue. Recognizing that there might be...

Everyone's in search of the fountain of youth these days. We're desperate to keep time standing still and desperate to avoid wrinkles. Whatever happened to aging gracefully? I don't know about you, but I think Madonna at 49 is the hottest thing ever, and she's only going to get older. They don't call it MILF for nothing, ya' know. Alright, Allison Goldfrapp certainly isn't the Material Girl but let's face it, she's definitely part of the over-21 club. Known for...

The final leg of Morcheeba's tour that began in Washington, D.C. and ended in L.A. posed to be a wildly successful stint in the good ol' U.S. and A. Ground Control snapped some photos at the Fillmore performance in San Francisco as well as opener, the classical Latin lover, Federico Aubele. Check out the photos here: Morcheeba / Federico Aubele photos. Dive Deep is out now on G&G/Pias. More on Mocheeba here: http://www.morcheeba.co.uk and...

For some musicians, the further along they get—particularly if they’re lucky enough to be offered a host of critical kudos and built up a fan base always hungry for more of their favourite band—the more they look back on ‘the good old days’ warmly. They crave the simplicity and innocence of the circumstances under which they started and the beginning of the methodology that eventually got them to where they are; they wish they could get back to basics. Not...

There’s no better way to follow perfection than by absolute failure. I have to admit, for a 17-year-old child (yes, child) DeAndre Cortez Way, better known as Soulja Boy Tellem, is quite successful. His second hit “Yahhh” actually hit the bronze medal (top 3) in New Zealand—and no one knows music like New Zealand. This song’s music video is the center of our review today. The song may be a hit, but the video is another story. As we’ve seen...

For those who have been eagerly awaiting any firm news of a new Wolf Parade album…we've got a little bit you'll like. The boys took off enough time from their myriad side projects to record a new album. Is there a concrete name for it yet? No. Want a sneak peak of the album art? Too bad. Tour dates? Nope, nada, zilch.  But let's say you want to listen to a bit of the nameless wonder, which hits streets June...

Making my way over to The Fillmore, I kept telling myself that tonight was going to be different. I was going to have a whole new attitude for a change, and was not going to be the same bitter, jaded and crusty old man that I usually am when I hit a punk show these days. I was going to have an open mind and embrace today's punk rock, even if it sounds nothing like the punk I remember when...

On their last album (2002’s Title TK) the Breeders outfit always seemed like a rusty spark plug spurting inspiration here and there but never switching on to the full alt-rock blast that songs like “Cannonball” and “Divine Hammer” portended. Of course a lot has happened since the mid-1990s when the band formed as a side project for Kim Deal (bassist for the Pixes). For fans that grumbled over the last break between Breeders albums, the six-year hiatus between the disappointing...

I remember my first night at the Hotel Café back in early 2001. A friend of mine had recently watched Donnie Darko on DVD and was struck by the cover of Tears for Fears’ “Mad World” that played at the end. After scanning the credits and discovering it was a dude named Gary Jules, he was surprised to find out that this guy was actually playing that very same night at a new place called the Hotel Café. He called...