Jacob Clifton

On Röyksopp's disappointing follow-up to Melody A.M. , a selection of ear-friendly, soulless dance pop shows little of the band's former promise and spark. One wonders whether a few more years between albums would have been in order. The album's opening Beethoven riff leads into a slow, mechanically driving build...

Some time back, we looked into the wacky world of hip-hop beefs. This week, on the occasion of this week's Brian Jonestown Massacre show (August 11 at Walter's on Washington -- see Playbill), we revisit a few classic musical rivalries, this time with more of a rock angle. Brian Jonestown...

Wikked Lil' Grrrls is the first full release from Esthero since the 1998 trip-hop crossover Breath from Another. In the time between, Esthero has gone from a duo to a solo act: The woman (née Jen-Bea Englishman) now exclusively associated with the name has parted ways with Doc, the noted...

You've heard the story: Girl (Annie) meets boy (Tore), and they produce a word-of-mouth hit single and fall in love. Boy passes away because of a heart defect at 23; girl freaks out for a few years and then produces a highly anticipated full-length. A lesser album would probably require...

Tori Amos's new release, Strange Little Girls, is a collection of covers, to which Amos hopes to give feminine voice through 13 alter egos, or "characters." No one knows exactly what to call this beast, as it begs comparisons to everything from k.d. lang's Drag to Liz Phair's Rolling Stones...