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DANIEL BROCKMAN

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Rock and rote

Three decades in, AC/DC’s conservatism pays off
Three decades in, AC/DC’s conservatism pays off

By: DANIEL BROCKMAN | November 10, 2008

Oasis | Dig Out Your Soul

Reprise (2008)
No movement did more to dilute the majesty and power of rock’s first few golden ages than first-wave early-’90s Britpop.

By: DANIEL BROCKMAN | November 17, 2008

David Byrne at the Wang Theatre, October 31, 2008
“This ain’t no CBGB,” David Byrne sang during his late-set dive bomb into “Life During Wartime,” and a glance around the immensely classy premises of the Wang Theatre verified it.

By: DANIEL BROCKMAN | November 10, 2008

What Should Never Be

The Paul Green School Of Rock Boston Presents A Tribute To Led Zeppelin at the Middle East Upstairs, October 25, 2008
On this Saturday afternoon, the legions of the School of Rock (Boston branch) were pretty much indistinguishable from the real Led Zeppelin, who were themselves teenagers when they formed in the late ’60s.

By: DANIEL BROCKMAN | October 28, 2008

Gang Gang Dance | Saint Dymphna

Warp (2008)
Saint Dymphna is the sound of a band of psychedelic dabblers finally getting their shit together.

By: DANIEL BROCKMAN | October 28, 2008

Forever young

At 67, Joan Baez is more diamonds than rust
When I first get Joan Baez on the phone, my burning question is what she thinks of the upcoming presidential election.

By: DANIEL BROCKMAN | October 27, 2008

Lady Gaga | The Fame

Interscope (2008)
GaGa ups the ante in terms of catchy songwriting and sheer high-in-the-club-banging-to-the-beat abandon.

By: DANIEL BROCKMAN | October 22, 2008

She’s got legs

Madonna at TD Banknorth Garden, October 15, 2008
Far from mellowing with age, Madonna hit us with wonderfully mean-spirited aggression wrapped up in a misleading sexual come-on.

By: DANIEL BROCKMAN | October 21, 2008

Ragnarök and roll

Great moments in culturally appropriated Viking history
Amon Amarth are but the latest assault of the Viking æsthetic on our pop culture’s collective psyche.

By: DANIEL BROCKMAN | October 15, 2008

It takes a pillage

Amon Amarth lead the Viking death-metal pack
When I finally get Amon Amarth vocalist Johan Hegg on the phone, I feel as if I’d woken a giant.

By: DANIEL BROCKMAN | October 15, 2008

Ladyhawke | Ladyhawke

Modular (2008)
Multi-instrumentalist Ladyhawke presents us with a treasure trove of found blips, as if the 1980s had been nothing but a mirror ball to smash and paste back together

By: DANIEL BROCKMAN | October 15, 2008

Post-masters

47 releases in, Wire can still get it up
In the annals of rock-and-roll-origin stories, Colin Newman, singer/guitarist for the pinned-down cynical conceptualist rock band Wire, has one of the odder ones.

By: DANIEL BROCKMAN | October 02, 2008

Dungen | 4

Kemado (2008)
The playing is looser and rougher than you might expect, with tons of drum fills that teeter on the verge of sloppy, but this adds to Dungen’s trademark unpredictability.

By: DANIEL BROCKMAN | September 23, 2008

Interview: Amanda Palmer

At home with the Dresden Doll's solo joint
So it’s the eve of the release of local sensation and Dresden Dolls vocalist/pianist Amanda Palmer’s solo debut album, and I’m sitting in her bric-a-brac-filled South End apartment drinking herbal tea.

By: DANIEL BROCKMAN | September 25, 2008

All Tomorrow's Parties: MBV

My Bloody Valentine at Kutshers Country Resort, Monticello, New York, September 19-21, 2008
If you thought that you could handle the band’sjangly rattle and strum, then you had to brace yourself for “You Made Me Realise,” which was interrupted by an excursion into bone-melting NOISE.

By: DANIEL BROCKMAN | September 23, 2008