Queens of the Stone Age | Lullabies to Paralyze | Interscope

March 31, 2005 by

In the Queens of the Stone Age's latest album, Lullabies to Paralyze, Josh Homme awakens the desert spirits. Peyote-spawned demons? Probably.
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The Two Party System Is Ripe for the Taking, Why Not Take it?

March 30, 2005 by

After the 2004 election, I am an unseated, unsure voter. For the moment, I am registered independent -- not because I am unsure of my values, but because I wish for more from the Democratic Party. I l...
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Jeff Hanson | Jeff Hanson | Kill Rock Stars

March 3, 2005 by

It seems indie rockers are finally taking some vocal lessons. Singer-songwriter Jeff Hanson sings with a lilt in his voice, a Celtic soprano that drifts away with the melodies in his songs.
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M.I.A. | Arular | Beggars XL

February 24, 2005 by

If Nelly Furtado kicked ass, her name would be Mathangi Arulpragasam. Hailing from both London and Sri Lanka, the frontwoman for M.I.A. is a Jill-of-all-trades.
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Iron and Wine | Woman King | Sub Pop

February 17, 2005 by

Oh, what a wistful record. Iron and Wine's newest EP, Woman King, is beautiful and bittersweet in all the ways folk music hopes for. Samuel Beam, the singer-songwriter behind the project, has always g...
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Tsunami Bomb Packs a Punch

February 3, 2005 by

We at UCSB are a fighting breed. We need good fight songs: Who better to provide than Tsunami Bomb? The Petaluma, Calif., superpunks recently talked with Artsweek writer Matt Cappiello before their Ja...
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Social Distortion | Sex, Love and Rock ‘n’ Roll | Time Bomb

January 13, 2005 by

Sensitive men love to sing the blues. However, they don't often sing about much else. Mike Ness, the singer and songwriter behind weathered punk trio Social Distortion, always embraced macho endurance...
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Finch Takes on the UCSB Hub

December 2, 2004 by

The band, currently on a string of West Coast dates, is prepping their new album, due out later in the year. Artsweek recently talked with Finch guitarist Alex Linares, regarding the band's upcoming p...
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How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb

December 2, 2004 by

Everyone's heard the lead single, "Vertigo," on that annoying iPod commercial, and everybody hates Bono. But that's just the tip of the iceberg. The real meat of this album lies in the tracks that wou...
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A Perfect Circle | eMOTIVe | Virgin

November 18, 2004 by

A Perfect Circle's latest release, eMOTIVe, is a little more than ambitious. The first music video from the album, a rousing cover of John Lennon's "Imagine," depicts Disneylike puppets of different c...
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The Biko House Keeps the Music Coming, Despite Difficulties

November 4, 2004 by

Guitars were put to a good cause on Friday night, as the Biko House held its second benefit concert, featuring headlining bands Tobias and the Shotgun Wedding.
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REM | Around the Sun | Warner

October 27, 2004 by

Alternative rock would not be the same without REM. The influential band, which hails from Athens, Ga., has penetrated the rock pantheon with songs like "Everybody Hurts" and "Man on the Moon," and at...
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Elliott Smith | From a Basement on the Hill | Epitaph

October 14, 2004 by

A guitar and a hushed voice go a long way. Elliott Smith, whose death in October 2003 dealt the music community a severe blow, was considered by many to be an indie rock pioneer.
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