What made America different from the other countries, my Dad would tell me, was that we didn't have to carry identification just to exist

The Earth is warming, and human activity is probably contributing to it. Even if this warming turns out to be short-term on a geophysical scale, it will have huge effects on health, and culture and economies worldwide. Unfortunately, many intelligent people, some with political agendas and some merely wrong-headed, argue …

This week we discover an upper-case sound from some lower-case letters, a keyboard player with a terrible secret, and a country-rock gem. INDIE ROUND-UP for April 21 2005 === CD: sundayrunners, self-titled Shimmery pop with a hard edge never seems to go out of style, maybe because it satisfies both …

Responding to a new sort of globalization, the American Civil Liberties Union and two affiliated groups have announced an initiative to monitor and publicize the practice whereby governments, in the name of security, make cooperative agreements with one another in order to “escape domestic legal and political controls.” The new …

The entrepreneurial spirit that made the US the world’s dominant economy can’t thrive without a strong middle class. But the middle class is being squeezed like a lemon, and soon nothing will be left but the pits. Our national future dims every day as we fall behind other regions of …

The models are about my height – just under six feet tall – yet seem to tower over me in the elevator. Their posture, their svelteness, their perfect hair and the unearthly regularity of their features gives them the aura of demigoddesses. It’s painfully difficult not to stare at them. …

A “musicians’ musician” is one known primarily as a virtuoso sideplayer rather than an artist in his or her own right. Though such players are usually not household names, major stars utilize their services, and less gifted musicians – especially those who play the same instrument – hold such individuals …

Susie Suh‘s smoky vocals and spare, gutsy writing, combined with gorgeous Glen Ballard production, make this debut a cathartic listen. With a snaky, soft-pop sound that brings to mind a less precious Sarah McLachlan or a sadder Norah Jones, Suh just might be perfectly positioned to take advantage of the …

This week’s crop of indie releases proves that the slightly amateurish can be more satisfying than the slickly professional(ish) – it’s all about inspiration and having something original to say. – JS INDIE ROUND-UP for April 7 2005 === CD: Tim Young, Red If you pine for the time when …

New York, NY, April 1 2005 Tired of being slavishly imitated by legions of marginally talented singer-songwriters, music legends Joni Mitchell, Ani DiFranco and Tori Amos announced at a press conference today that they are forming a supergroup called The I’s Have It. “Yeah, we’ll be making some music,” DiFranco …