Stephen Thomas Erlewine loves Paris Hilton!

I love Stephen Thomas Erlewine. He's such a fascinating critic-- his writing is always great, and his tastes can be quite unpredictable. He's never ashamed to admit it when he likes an album by, say, Pink, or Christina Aguilera.

But man... I'm having a hard time swallowing this latest review:

It's easy to hate Paris Hilton -- lord knows that she and her friends like Brandon Davis are walking advertisements against the repeal of the estate tax -- but any pop fan who listens to Paris with an open mind will find that it's nothing but fun.

Andy Whitman loves Lambchop!

Andy Whitman loves Damaged, the latest feast of beautiful weirdness from Lambchop.

I've heard the album a few times myself, and I too think it's a great piece of work from one of America's most visionary and idiosyncratic bands. It's difficult, slow-moving, and extremely bizarre, but it's worth your investment of time, as it's filled with wisdom and wit.

Riverside Battle in Review

Remember Ollabelle, the funky, fiesty little Americana band discovered by T-Bone Burnett? Their debut album was one of the best surprises of 2004, and now they're back with Riverside Battle Songs. I've posted my review of the album at Reveal.

Tom Waits brings home Orphans

Pitchfork has the exciting news about what will probably be the most exciting 3-disc, 54-song collection released all year:

The 54-track release includes a 94-page booklet and over three hours of music, ranging from waltzes to blues and Celtic ballads to lullabies. According to Waits, "Orphans [contains] rough and tender tunes. Rumbas about mermaids, shuffles about train wrecks, tarantellas about insects, madrigals about drowning. Scared, mean, orphaned songs of rapture and melancholy. Songs that grew up hard. Songs of dubious origin rescued from cruel fate and now left wanting only to be cared for. Show that you are not afraid and take them home. They don't bite, they just need attention."

A number of tracks on Orphans were originally recorded for film and theatre, and some are reworkings of songs by other artists, including the Ramones, Daniel Johnston, Kurt Weill and Bertolt Brecht, Leadbelly, Jack Kerouac, and Charles Bukowski. Waits produced the epic album along with his wife and long-time collaborator Kathleen Brennan.

High Praise for Cruel Words

I've posted a brief review of another one of 2006's must-hear new records-- Johnny Dowd's Cruel Words.

Next up: My long-delayed-- not to mention just plain long-- review of Jolie Holland's Springtime Can Kill You. Stay tuned!

New album news: Willie Nelson, Ryan Adams!

So, Willie Nelson's got another new album in the pipeline. Songbird comes out in October, and includes both new versions of classic Willie cuts as well as Jerry Garcia and Leonard Cohen covers.

And the crazy part: The set is produced by Ryan Adams, whose Cardinals appear as Nelson's backing band throughout. Billboard has the story.

Beck reveals more Information

Billboard has posted some further news about the upcoming Beck album, The Information. Due on October 3, the set was produced by Nigel Godrich, who also worked with Beck on Sea Change and Mutations, not to mention the recent Thom Yorke record and just about everything Radiohead's ever done.

Here's the set list:

"Elevator Music"
"Think I'm In Love"
"Cell Phone's Dead"
"Nausea"
"Soldier Jane"
"Strange Apparition"
"Dark Star"
"Movie Theme"
"We Dance Alone"
"No Complaints"
"1000 BPM"
"Motorcade"
"The Information"
"New Round"
"Horrible Fanfare/Landslide/Exoskeleton"

Blue on Review

Tomorrow is a joyous day for fans of the sadly-defunct Sixpence None the Richer-- Leigh Nash releases her long-awaited solo debut, Blue on Blue. I've got a fresh review served up at Reveal.

Beck leaks The Information

According to NME via Pitchfork Media, Beck has a new studio album set for release this October, titled The Information-- and it sounds like he's up to his usual tomfoolery. Check out the Pitchfork story for the scoop on the album and its tour.

Kelly Joe Phelps' Tunesmith Retrofit: My review.

Look at the track times on Tunesmith and you’ll notice that, for a Phelps record, these songs are comparatively short. It’s not that they’re slight—they’re just taut, lean, cut close to the bone. These aren’t the works of a guitar show-off, but of a storyteller and poet. Phelps’ lyrics are front and center here, and they’re delightful—brilliantly observed, eloquently stated, full of character and wonderful turns of phrase. They’re not sermons, parables, or political screeds—they’re slices of life, beautifully preserved for posterity. Phelps’ lyricism is enchanting, even inspiring… More>