Reviews

This Month In Americana

Beguiling collection of sepia-tinged ephemera spanning 1993-2002 from LA songstress, sometime Creekdipper and full-time fairer half of Mark Olson

Erin McKeown – Distillation

Brilliant debut, released early 2003, from US roots singer

Shy FX & T-Power – Set It Off

Return of drum'n'bass, weirdly

The Sea And Cake – One Bedroom

Chicago indie jazzers' latest, featuring cover of Bowie's "Sound And Vision"

Looking At The Stars

Prolific UK singer-songwriter dazzles on fifth LP

Harry Potter And The Chamber Of Secrets

Serpents, spiders and a decent script add up to a spellbinding sequel

Austin Powers In Goldmember

Third time around for Mike Myers' sweaty secret agent send-up, and the scattergun approach means two flat jokes for every live one. Still, he knocks down your resistance through sheer quantity: part Benny Hill, part Peter Sellers (although losing the fat Scotsman would do us all a favour). Beyoncé Knowles is the leg interest; cameos from Tom Cruise to, well, every current Hollywood name.

John Q

This'll be the one Denzel didn't win the Oscar for. His factory-worker Everyman holds up a hospital when the nasty insurance company won't help his dying son. Shades of Dog Day Afternoon, but an astounding cast (Robert Duvall, James Woods, Ray Liotta) can't stop director Nick (son of John) Cassavetes from descending into trite, teary sentimentality.

Cheech & Chong—Get Out Of My Room

Influenced by Spinal Tap as much as it is by cannabis, this 1985 mockumentary was the last thing the duo wrote as a team. Supposedly following them as they record their last album, the best parts are the on-the-couch interviews in which Cheech improvises pretentious answers while Chong tries not to laugh. The songs themselves aren't too funny unless you're baked, but then that's the point.

David Thomas – Monster

Box set of Pere Ubu frontman's five solo albums, plus bonus live material with Two Pale Boys
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