Reviews

Soul legend's first recordings with Willie Mitchell in 17 years

Ambitious, accessible fusion of African music/sound art

Return to form from Maryland's answer to The Raspberries

Anthology of early-'80s No Wave pioneer

Second greatest hits selection (over three discs) from electro-pop's last great duo

Strong best-of bolstered by five unreleased tracks

Final helping of the Wachowskis' techno-shock triptych

Matthew Barney's extraordinary Cremaster Cycle has won outrageous accolades: "greatest living artist", "best fusion of art and cinema since Buñuel", etc. This is the climactic 31-minute scene of that epic, and it's every bit as wildly mind-boggling as you'd hope. Barney scales the Guggenheim Museum-staircase, assaulted by molten Vaseline, tapdancing girls, metal bands and a cheetah. The perfect intro to a warped genius.

All four movies from the interstellar belly-bursting-baddie franchise in extended form, plus five discs of extras

Swoony Californian dreamscapes in the vein of Mazzy Star