Brian Wilson
That Lucky Old Sun

By Ian Gormely

With Smile finally behind him, Brian Wilson was able to recreate the carefree Southern California vibe of his best Beach Boys tunes with last year's That Lucky Old Sun. The breakthrough is visible in this performance, filmed in the Capitol Records studio last May; Wilson appears relaxed and genuinely happy to be playing. He's backed by a platoon of musicians, including horn and string sections to help him perfectly recreate the entire album, including Van Dyke Parks' spoken word interludes, presented as animated shorts. Also included is a Black Cab session, a documentary on the making of That Lucky Old Sun and an additional live performance that mixes old Beach Boy hits with Wilson's solo work. But the most curious feature is a MySpace "Artist on Artist" interview between Wilson and She and Him's Zooey Deschanel. Though talented, Deschanel's one album pales in comparison to Wilson's 40-year body of work and the piece quickly disintegrates into a one-sided gush-fest. (Capitol)

The Who - Live At The Isle Of Wight Festival 1970
"I didn't like working with that band at all," Pete Townshend tells director Murray Lerner in an interview on this remarkably restored version of an astounding concert film. It can only seem like false modesty after viewing the band — in something of a Led Zeppelin phase, with long guitar solos and ...Read More
The Great Kat - Beethoven's Guitar Shred
Ambarchi and Ng - Fateless
Various Artists - From the Basement
David Sanborn - Live at Montreux 1984
Wayne Shorter - Live At Montreux 1996
Widespread Panic - Live From Austin TX
Iggy Pop - Lust For Life
Metal Machine Music: Nine Inch Nails and the Industrial Uprising
Joni Mitchell - The Fiddle and the Drum
Crazy Heart, in which Jeff Bridges adds another career achievement notch on his belt as a down-to-his-last-drink country singer, might be more difficult to watch for musicians than for average moviegoers.

Bad Blake (Bridges), who's on the wrong side of 50, is hauling his truck ... Full Review
The term "videogame music" is often intended as an insult, deriding electronic beatscapes as rudimentary by comparing them to the 8-bit by necessity, bleep-based soundtracks of early Atari and Nintendo games. (See: Castles, Crystal) That Super Mario's theme music remains embedded in the frontal lobes of anyone under the age of 40 proves the critical weakness of the diss ― but it's also hopelessly archaic considering how much videogame music has evolved over the years.... Read More
Explosive and precise, Etaoin Shrdlu knowingly wink at the perception that their post-hardcore math rock musical approach might be a throwback while simultaneously contributing something vibrant to punk rock with Mating Calls. Featuring members of significant bands like Blake, I Can Put my Ar... Full Review
Social Networking
• Be our friend on MySpace
• Be our fan on Facebook
Tweet us on twitter
Viewing the April 2009 Issue: Contents PageNewsClick Hear • Articles --> On the Cover  •  Front Five  •  Points  •  Questionnaire  •  Release Dates  •  Timeline  •  Videogames  •  Conversations • Music Reviews --> Recently Reviewed  •  Aggressive Tendencies  •  Beats & Rhymes  •  Destination Out  •  Frequencies  •  Groove  •  No Future  •  Pop Rocks  •  Wood, Wires & Whiskey  •  Concert Reviews  •  CMW Reviews • Motion Reviews --> Recently Reviewed  •  Dvd Reviews  •  Film Reviews  •  Music DVD Reviews  •  Videogame Reviews • Music School --> Meet & Greet  •  Need to Know  •  What I Play Contests • Contact --> About Us  • Advertising  • Distribution  • Getting Reviewed  • Getting Published  • Letters To The Editor  • Partnerships  • Subscriptions • Exclaim! Radio --> Aggressive Tendencies Radio  • Beats & Rhymes Radio  • Destination Out Radio  • Frequencies Radio  • Groove Radio  • No Future Radio  • Pop Rocks Radio  • Wood, Wires & Whiskey Radio Exclaim! TV • Home & Latest Issue Browse Issues