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Articles by Oliver Mosier
Neil Young mixes old and new in solo acoustic set
20 Nov 2007
I waited a long time to see Neil Young. I listened to all his albums, as well as hard-to-find rarities—everything from bootlegs to studio albums. I imagined what he was like in the early days. ...
Shortcuts—Neil Young's Chrome Dreams II
26 Oct 2007
Don Corleone needed more screen time. Gordon Bombay had an important second wind. Sequels happen all the time...
Cavemen fail to evolve past neanderthal charm
05 Oct 2007
In the world of humor, 30 seconds and 30 minutes are two very different animals. In the context of commercials, the Geico Cavemen demonstrated the brilliance of brevity...
With new chapters, R. Kelly finds himself trapped in his own epic Closet
19 Sep 2007
“You’re crazier than a fish with titties if you think I’m gonna let you smoke that shit up in my car.” Who said that, you ask? John Donne? Try again. William Wordsworth? Next. No, ev...
Shortcut—The National's Boxer
22 May 2007
Success isn’t for everyone. Sure, most people want to achieve it, yet, given the chance, not all people possess that indefinable characteristic of sustainability. ...
Shortcuts—Wilco's Sky Blue Sky
18 May 2007
Change is good. For musicians, change and experimentation are not only good but also necessary. Jeff Tweedy has never been fully satisfied with his previous work...
Classic radio show embraces medium makeover
24 Apr 2007
Radio and television are two different media, sometimes borrowing from each other, but occupying distinct cultural niches...
Shortcuts—Bright Eyes's Cassadaga
13 Apr 2007
Cassadaga, the latest album from Bright Eyes, was released on April 10. At times the album is an ambitious country folk–tinged extension of 2005’s I’m Wide Awake It’s Morning. Howev...
Explosions blow crowd away, but debris of subpar opening acts remains
03 Apr 2007
I would like to preface this article by saying that the two opening acts for Explosions in the Sky at the Metro on March 28 were nothing short of horrendous...
Shortcuts—Neil Young's Live at Massey Hall
30 Mar 2007
“I’m going back to Canada on a journey through the past,” Neil Young sang to his Toronto audience at Massey Hall on January 19, 1971. Youn...
Can England win it all? A beginner's guide to cricket's World Cup
06 Mar 2007
The waiting is finally over as the Cricket World Cup gets underway in the West Indies...
Shortcuts—Arcade Fire's Neon Bible
06 Mar 2007
With its first album, Funeral, Arcade Fire expressed the anguish and misery of the 21st century. The band members have not attempted to distance themselves from their brilliant debut...
Shortcuts—Sun Volt's The Search
06 Mar 2007
Sun Volt, one of two bands (along with Wilco) created by former members of Uncle Tupelo, has just released a new album...
Exhibit highlights dealer’s invaluable contribution
23 Feb 2007
“What are you doing here?” asked a fellow student wandering through one of the museum’s galleries. “Um, looking at paintings,” I responded. “Me too. But what a...
Shortcuts—Explosions in the Sky's All of A Sudden I Miss Everyone
20 Feb 2007
Ever try to do homework while listening to your favorite music? I assume the answer to this question is an overwhelming yes...
The Police take no prisoners at their Grammy reunion
13 Feb 2007
Jenna Jameson notwithstanding, the musical ménage of Stewart Copeland, Andy Summers, and Sting rank among the elite of history’s greatest threesomes. F...
Roth retires an alter ego on par with Trout and Bech
13 Feb 2007
He went to the University of Chicago for his undergraduate education in the 1950s...
Shortcuts—Clap Your Hands Say Yeah's Some Loud Thunder
02 Feb 2007
There is something to be said for a band’s willingness to take huge leaps. ...
Neil Young soars to previous heights on a Prairie Wind
04 Oct 2005
After years of experimentation, Neil Young has finally returned to his roots...
Scorsese leads the way Home with captivating Dylan bio
30 Sep 2005
How did the pedestrian Robert Zimmerman become the poetic Bob Dylan? Legendary film director Martin Scorsese examines the progression of one enigmatic soul from ordinary to extraordinary...
Legendary promoter Bill Graham rocks on with treasure-trove tribute site
09 Jan 2007
Classical music had Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, the Gulf War had Wolf Blitzer, and classic rock concert promoting in the 1960s and 1970s had Wolfgang Grajonca, or as rock n’ roll remembers him, Bill...
Top 5 Albums of 2006–Oliver Mosier
28 Nov 2006
Beirut: Gulag Orkestar Beirut is the musical vehicle of Zach Condon, a 20-year-old New Mexico native living in Brooklyn...
Filmore gives portrait of the artist as a Young man
17 Nov 2006
The wait is over. After years of anticipation, fans of Neil Young can finally put a face on his early years as a solo act...
Decemberists, crowd find perfect rapport at Riviera
14 Nov 2006
Is he drunk? What’s he going to do next? This is all I could think about during the beginning of The Decemberists’ Saturday night performance at the Riviera Theatre. Le...
Studio 60 deserves praise, but will audiences follow?
10 Nov 2006
I’ve never smoked crack cocaine, so I may not really be in the proper element to appreciate the genius of Aaron Sorkin during his work on The West Wing. ...
With nothing left to prove, the Who still keeps it fresh with Endless Wire
07 Nov 2006
If Ringo Starr and Paul McCartney decided to make a new Beatles album, chances are you’d dismiss it as ridiculous and in no way connected to their previous brilliance. ...
SNL hits creative nadir with follow-up Ashlee Simpson "performance"
07 Oct 2005
“Hi, my name is Lorne Michaels, and Saturday Night Live is not funny.” “Hi, Lorne,” says the group in unison...
Califone's Roots and Crowns—mixed styles, mixed results
17 Oct 2006
Popularity and talent are often completely unrelated. In the world of music, talent can only get one so far. Luck and timing are two variables out of the artist’s control. ...
Leonard’s A Life in Jazz photographs combine carcinogens and sax appeal
29 Nov 2005
Coola word synonymous with jazzseizes the beat of a generation, the rhythm of a culture. The music resonates even in two dimensions of black and white. Herman Leonard shot what he saw. ...
HBO builds a television empire with epic, honest Rome
18 Nov 2005
Hail Caesar! After years of unrest, this cry marked a people yearning for stability. Centuries have passed since the inception of the Roman Republic, and the Republics death is imminent. G...
Rocky trip across the Atlantic for NBC’s The Office
08 Nov 2005
It just doesnt work. That is the phrase most would use to describe NBCs The Office. The show is based on the successful British mockumentary series of the same name. ...
HBO celebrates Life and comedy gold of controversy magnet George Carlin
04 Nov 2005
S#%!, P!$$, F#%!, C#$%, C@#%-S#@&?!%, M#&%@!-F#%!@!, and T!&#$. Seven words you cant say on television. W...
Cash, Petty’s new releases serve up rustic Americana
14 Sep 2006
Tom Pettys latest solo release, Highway Companion, attempts to firmly place the artist in the sound of Americana....
Pitchfork Music Festival or Lollapalooza? Let your wallet be your guide.
02 Jun 2006
Its so damn hot. Those words have become an annual battle cry for most Midwesterners. Chicago summers contain a brutality and harshness equaled only by well, Chicago winters. T...
Upcoming Surfjan album: an Avalanche of Illinois outtakes, more “Chicago”
26 May 2006
Sufjan Stevenss newest album will hit stores The new album from Sufjan Stevens The Avalanche is Sufjan Stevenss newest album So there you have it, the outtakes of this article, something very...
Upcoming Sufjan album: an Avalanche of Illinois outtakes, more “Chicago”
26 May 2006
Sufjan Stevenss newest album will hit stores The new album from Sufjan Stevens The Avalanche is Sufjan Stevenss newest album So there you have it, the outtakes of this article, something very...
Sigur Rós brings unique mix of Icelandic and gibberish to Civic Opera House
12 May 2006
Yuuuuuuuu eeeeaaaaaayuuuuoooooo aaaaasassssssuuuuuuuuu On second thought, writing this article in Hopelandic may prove more difficult than I first thought. I...
Simon, Eno join for sonic Surprise
09 May 2006
As long as I can remember, music has been a part of my life. Paul Simon was the first musician that I was exposed to as a small child...
Sopranos stays fresh in sixth season with gay Mobster, brushes with death
05 May 2006
New Jersey is a state that takes pride in the musical landscapes of Bruce Springsteen and the literary pastiche of Newark native Philip Roth...
Neil Young falls short of classic protest rock on Living With War
02 May 2006
Neil Youngs Ohio (Tin soldiers and Nixon coming/ Were finally on our own/ This summer I hear the drumming/ Four dead in Ohio) was a powerful musical response to the Kent State Shootings on ...
Lively indie rockers convert mostly adolescent crowd to the Metric system
18 Apr 2006
At each concert I attend, I take note of the particular demographic of the show. Typically, college students dying to attain true indie street cred dominate shows in the indie-rock vein...
Josh Ritter channels Dylan on the accomplished but accessible Animal Years
11 Apr 2006
Bruce Springsteens 1975 release, Born To Run, garnered comparisons to the usually incomparable Bob Dylan....
“Werner Wednesdays” bring German New Wave director’s work to campus
07 Apr 2006
Many students look forward to the new Doc schedule. Disappointed by this winters output, I couldnt wait for the spring schedule. ...
Denzel Washington, Clive Owen light up the latest Spike Lee joint
31 Mar 2006
What could be more conventional than the bank heist film? You have cops, robbers, and a twist. Nevertheless, each year, somebody takes a shot at it. In 2006, that ambitious director is Spike Lee...
Not just a jazz man, Davis deserves his spot in Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
07 Mar 2006
Miles Davis may embody jazz, but to limit him to jazz would be overlooking more than two decades of musical evolution...
Stars come out to shine in energetic Metro show
24 Feb 2006
Stars, in their cosmic wisdom, decided to take a much appreciated detour from the heavens last Friday night to appear at Chicagos prestigious Metro....
It’s his Block Party, and Dave Chappelle will cry all the way to the bank
17 Feb 2006
Hes not Rick James, bitch. Hes Dave Chappelle. And hes not crazyat least, not yet. F...
Belle and Sebastian continue their Life Pursuit of idiosyncratic songcraft
14 Feb 2006
Sponges tend to sop up whatever covers their surroundings. The character of a sponge is understood by what it absorbs and then by what it releases...
Forget Tower RecordsChicago’s Jazz Record Mart stores history on vinyl
07 Feb 2006
The smell is the first thing that catches you when you stroll in for the first time. It isnt musty or offensive to the nose, but rather, historic....
Feist lights up Park West with a touch of romance
31 Jan 2006
O Canada! It seems that the best indie rock has to offer comes more and more frequently from just north of here...
Museum of Contemporary Art sampling sells Alexander Calder slightly short
24 Jan 2006
Master of the mobile, king of the kinetic, an innovator beyond compare. These labels only begin to define the genius of Alexander Calder...
Third Impressions unearth no Strokes of genius
13 Jan 2006
The first CD from the Strokes, Is This It, simply put, was it. The Strokes were immediately heralded as saviors of rock and roll...
Dubai Film Festival frees filmmakers from the politics of competition
10 Jan 2006
Heat. Sand. Sun. Snow? In 2005, the first three could finally welcome the fourth into the vast desert of the Arabian Peninsula...
Dubai International Film Festival brings variations on everyday suffering
06 Jan 2006
Its difficult to categorize the cross section of humanity that calls film festivals its home. Sure, the rich and famous lurk in every corner, but often their stories are the least compelling....
Decemberists embark on folk tale adventure in Crane Wife
10 Oct 2006
There’s something about summer camp that makes me tired. As a counselor a few years back, I had to sit through a summer camp production of the Japanese folk tale, The Crane Wife. ...
Pink Floyd legend "shines on" with epic performance
06 Oct 2006
I was brought up listening to my parents’ music, so artists like Miles Davis and Paul Simon were part of my early musical education. ...
Sufjan Stevens entreats Chicago crowd to Feel the Illinoise at the Riviera
03 Oct 2006
Sufjan Stevens was the man behind the mask last Tuesday night, his feathers flapping rhythmically with his every movement and his eyes remaining well hidden behind an elaborate, ornithologically-...
Venice spotlights Aronofsky, Estevez
03 Oct 2006
The Venetian sun baked the promenade in front of my hotel. Gondoliers waited for tourists anxious to experience the historic canals by boat...
Stars rub shoulders on the waterfront at the Venice International Film Festival
01 Oct 2006
It’s freaking sinking. The whole place. Not a neighborhood or a section—the entire thing is slowly easing its way into the sea. De...
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