Reviews

David Cross, I Drink For A Reason • The A.V. Club, 8/27/09

In the five years since his last stand-up CD, It’s Not Funny—a worthy, but lesser successor to 2002’s amazing Shut Up, You Fucking Baby!—David Cross’ comedy has taken a back seat to his acting career, for better (Arrested Development) or worse (Alvin And The Chipmunks and its upcoming sequel). His first book, I Drink For A Reason, is well-timed for a comedic comeback of sorts.

Green Day, 21st Century Breakdown • The A.V. Club, 5/19/09

Still, it isn’t as if the goofballs who wrote “Dominated Love Slave” turned into Frank Zappa. No one will mistake the new21st Century Breakdownfor anyone other than Green Day, but the band seems completely comfortable in its ability to try new ideas—and to own the concept album, the bloated beast its punk forefathers rebelled against.

Guitar Hero: Metallica • The A.V. Club, 4/27/09
The only question: Why did it take so long for this to come out? This game exists for Metallica songs.

Metric, Fantasies • The A.V. Club, 4/21/09 

Haines calls Fantasies the “simplest and clearest” writing she’s done, and that direct approach connects well on “Sick Muse,” “Gold Guns Girls,” and “Gimme Sympathy.” (Chorus: “Who would you rather be, The Beatles or The Rolling Stones?”) 

Silversun Pickups, Swoon • The A.V. Club, 4/14/09

Dwelling on the band’s influences misses the point. Carnavas didn’t play like a best-of-the-’90s compilation. Neither does the new Swoon, which makes those sounds Silversun’s own.

Bob Mould, Live And Times • The A.V. Club, 4/7/09

The timing of Bob Mould’s Life And Times is no coincidence: Twenty years ago this month, Mould released his seminal solo debut, Workbook. The world knew him from the decidedly loud, angsty Hüsker Dü, but Workbook showed he could excel as a quieter, more contemplative singer-songwriter.

Thursday, Common Existence • The A.V. Club, 3/3/09

If anything, Common Existence is the band’s densest, most accomplished album to date, with sonic layers and the complexity of a big-budget record, without the bloat.