Max Richter

The Blue Notebooks

March 23, 2004

Electronica

As much a sound collage experience as a truly "capital C" classical album, Richter's "post-Classical" style came into its own on his second album. Typewriter sounds and understated readings by Tilda Swinton nestle intimately alongside small string ensembles and swirling winds, tailor-made for cold mornings before the heat comes on.

- Zac Johnson

Violent Femmes

Viva Wisconsin

November 23, 1999

Alternative Pop/Rock

Few bands have captured the angst, sexual frustration, and repressed rage of youth better than the Violent Femmes. The Wisconsin trio captures nearly two decades of post-punk smarminess with Viva Wisconsin, a live retrospective recorded during a one-week tour of their home state in October 1998 that boasts a depth of song choices and performances.

- Theresa E. LaVeck