Wilco (The Reviews) Part 4

Every Friday until June 26th, Hightower and Jones will review an album from Wilco's catalog to celebrate Wilco's seventh studio release, Wilco (The Album) (in stores June 30th). With all formalities out of the way, let continue with...


Wilco loses members and briefly becomes another major label casualty while making a career-defining album and, best of all, it's documented on camera.

Wilco (The Reviews) Part 3

Every Friday until June 26th, Hightower and Jones will review an album from Wilco's catalog to celebrate Wilco's seventh studio release, "Wilco (The Album)" (in stores June 30th). With all formalities out of the way, let continue with...


Wilco's brief flirtation with Pop reinvents the band and gives Pitchfork an album to place at No. 31 on their list of the best albums of the 1990s.

Do I Really Own This?

In the process of cleaning, I have come across several cassettes that I'm not sure what to make of anymore. In my younger years, they were awesome. Now I'm afraid that I'll cry over all the time I spent yelling "Kriss Kross will make ya 'jump, jump.'" Check out the strange list of cassettes recently dug up from the depths of hell and over the next few weeks, a lot of them will be transferred to my computer. Expect a stream of strange pieces.

One Hit Wonder Or One Hit Blunder

Today Subject: "Good Vibrations" by Marky Mark And The Funky Bunch.


"Come on swing it." Hold on there, Marky Mark. What exactly are we swinging? Also, you seem pretty tough for a guy who was initially a member of New Kids On The Block. Perhaps to hide the fact that you were briefly in New Kids On The Block. Still, your need to rap over early 90's House music has intrigued me.

Wilco (The Reviews) Part 2

Every Friday until June 26th, Hightower and Jones will review an album from Wilco's catalog to celebrate Wilco's seventh studio release, Wilco (The Album) (in stores June 30th). With all formalities out of the way, let continue with...


Wilco's sophomore album is a bold step forward and brings forth a reinvention of the band's sound and critical praise.

CD Is The New Vinyl...

...or so I heard on an episode of Cupid last night. I have to agree with this statement just like I agree with the belief of Huey Lewis that "the heart of rock and roll is still beating." While MP3 is winning the hearts of many audiophiles, the true value to it all comes down to one question.

What does a MP3 look like?

Wilco (The Album Stream)

Listen to a stream of the new Wilco album, Wilco (The Album), here and check out Hightower And Jones on June 30th for a review of the album.

Wilco (The Reviews) Part 1

Every Friday until June 26th, Hightower and Jones will review an album from Wilco's catalog to celebrate Wilco's seventh studio release, Wilco (The Album) (in stores June 30th). Thanks to Nicki at Hey! Look Behind You! for the idea and on that note, let's begin the journey with...


Wilco's debut is a very good, albeit, safe introduction to their sound.

Video Graveyard

"Flavor" by The Jon Spencer Blues Explosion

This is the video where mid-90's cool becomes cooler. "Flavor" features 90's NYC cool band The Jon Spencer Blues Explosion merging their manic, noisy, blues rock world with 90's LA cool up and comer Beck's world of slacker freestyles and dissonance. Also, there's hibachis, a Run DMC homage and a cameo from Mike D of Beastie Boys.

Fishbone Live

...and it's about time. After years of bootlegs, live albums of new songs and a performance recorded in Amsterdam released by High Times (yes, that High Times) and almost 25 years later, Fishbone have an official live album. Not only is it a live album but there's a live dvd to accompany it. If you don't mind ordering it in French, this is a good thing...a very good thing.

Smash Hits...Yeah Right!

Oh, Guitar Hero. Will you ever learn? This battle between you and Rock Band is so much over now and Activision, you've just handed Harmonix the knife, the sword, the gun and the artillery to send you to your digital grave. All you had to do was pick an amazing setlist...that's all you had to do.

One Hit Wonder Or One Hit Blunder

Today's Subject: "Somebody's Watching Me" by Rockwell


Indeed, Rockwell, somebody was watching you and it was the clock. Instead of 15 minutes of fame, you had less than four minutes and what a strange four minutes you gave to the world in 1984.

To My Dearest Friends, Mary-Kate and Ashley (May Mixtape)

To My Dearest Friends, Mary-Kate and Ashley... (May 2009)

Side 1
1. Nobody's Fault But My Own by Beck (Mutations, 1997)
2. One Way, My Way by Skeleton Key (Obtainium, 2002)
3. Incinerate by Sonic Youth (Rather Ripped, 2006)
4. I Only Play 4 Money by The Frogs (Starjob, 1997)
5. Ignorance by Deadweight (Half-Wit Anthems, 1999)
6. Mary Lady Bobby Kins by Melvins (The Bootlicker, 1999)
7. Magical Colors (31 Flavors) by Jon Spencer Blues Explosion (Acme, 1998)

Side 2
8. Greyhound by Jon Spencer Blues Explosion (Orange, 1994)
9. The Fool, The Meddling Idiot by Melvins (Hostile Ambient Takeover, 2002)
10. The Bottle Song by Deadweight (Stroking The Moon, 2003)
11. Dykes Are We by The Frogs (It's Only Right And Natural, 1989)
12. Green Light by Sonic Youth (Evol, 1986)
13. Nod Off by Skeleton Key (Skeleton Key, 1996)
14. Tasergun by Beck (Stereopathetic Soul Manure, 1994)

You're A Prima Ballerina On A Spring Afternoon

David Johansen sang those words on "Personality Crisis," the opening track from the self-titled debut album of New York Dolls in 1973. Twenty-six years later, the Dolls are still making noise (after reuniting five years ago and releasing 2006's comeback album, One Day It Will Please Us to Remember Even This) and on May 5, will have a new album on store shelves.  Cause I Sez So reunites them with the producer of their debut, Todd Rundgren as well as updates a classic track ("Trash") from that album. To better understand the Dolls of present, let's examine five great tracks from previous releases.