Lyrics Born, 'Everywhere at Once' (Anti-)
Indie hip-hop's ol' faithful puts wiggle before quibble.
By Keith Harris 05.15.08 2:39 PM
A son of the same East Bay scene that spawned DJ Shadow and Blackalicious, Lyrics Born always has balanced a faith in old-school funk with a flair for quippy homilies.
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Rilo Kiley, 'Under the Blacklight' (Warner Bros.)
Former country-rock stylists artfully ransack VH1 Classic.
By Keith Harris 09.04.07 3:00 AM
Rilo Kiley singer Jenny Lewis covered the Traveling Wilburys' wizened 1988 sing-along "Handle With Care" on her solo debut last year, and she wasn't kidding
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Gogol Bordello, 'Super Taranta!' (Sideonedummy)
New York's radical raconteur watches reality crash his party.
By Keith Harris 08.16.07 3:00 AM
Björk, 'Volta' (One Little Indian/ Atlantic)
Despite esteemed guests, the auteur rules.
By Keith Harris 06.26.07 3:00 AM
It takes a brave woman to second-guess Timbaland. Or a foolish one. Or Björk. Word that the Icelandic iconoclast had retwiddled the results of her in-studio tryst with Mr. Mosely dashed any hopes that she'd abandon herself to horny megapop escapism. And Volta's amazing opener, "Earth Intruders," dispels any doubts about the strength of her arty instincts.
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Brother Ali, 'The Undisputed Truth' (Rhymesayers)
Indie hip-hop's uncommon everyman takes no guff.
By Keith Harris 04.23.07 3:00 AM
As befits an albino Muslim MC, this Minneapolis stalwart sets outto embody apparent contradictions.
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RJD2, 'The Third Hand' (XL)
Emerging from the Shadow, with middling results.
By Keith Harris 03.15.07 3:00 AM
Well, it's 2007 -- what self-respecting artist could spend his whole life as a trip-hop DJ?
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