Music - March 3, 2009
"Heroes" request musical devotion from disciples
It's hard to believe that it's nearly 15 years since War Child assembled the "Help" compilation, which had some brilliant moments. War Child -- an organization that aids kids affected by war -- now dishes up an, arguably, even better record in "Heroes" (Astralwerks), which takes a bass-ackward approach to the covers album.
Tags: War Child, Heroes, The Help Album, Lily Allen, Hot Chip, Elbow, TV on the Radio, The Hold Steady, The Kooks, The Kinks, Bruce Springsteen, Mick Jones, The Clash, Astralwerks, Franz Ferdinand, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Rufus Wainwright, Scissor Sisters, Hot Chip, B

Music - Aug. 21, 2008
The sophomore effort reconsidered
To paraphrase a common adage, a band has a lifetime to write a debut disc and six months to write the second one. While that may be less true these days when it's not unsual for artists to spend two or more years on a new record, traditionally sophomore albums haven't always gotten the respect they deserve.
Tags: U2, The Jam, Stereophonics, The Kooks, The Clash, Jimi Hendrix, The Police, Elvis Costello, The Attractions, Oasis