Most Popular
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Pentecostal Preacher Sherman Allen Turns Out to Be Reverend Spanky
The Fort Worth preacher is accused of beating, threatening and assaulting women for more than 20 years
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Obama and Me
It was the year 2000, and I was a young, hungry reporter in Chicago with a young, hungry state legislator on my speed dial
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Texas' Peyote Hunters Struggle to Find a Vanishing, Holy Crop
Harvesting peyote is legal for only three people, and all of them live in Texas
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Why is Hillary Neglecting Delegate-Rich Dallas County?
While Obama has events going on throughout the city, Clinton is nowhere to be found
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Obama and Me (62)
It was the year 2000, and I was a young, hungry reporter in Chicago with a young, hungry state legislator on my speed dial
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Melodica Festival Self-Indulgent, But Still Positive for Dallas (51)
If a festival happens in Exposition Park and only the built-in crowd shows, does it make a sound?
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Ole Oops (58)
Popular prosperity preacher sues ABC and Trinity Foundation
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Pentecostal Preacher Sherman Allen Turns Out to Be Reverend Spanky (21)
The Fort Worth preacher is accused of beating, threatening and assaulting women for more than 20 years
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Why is Hillary Neglecting Delegate-Rich Dallas County? (18)
While Obama has events going on throughout the city, Clinton is nowhere to be found
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Melodica Festival Self-Indulgent, But Still Positive for Dallas
If a festival happens in Exposition Park and only the built-in crowd shows, does it make a sound?
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MySpace Stalking Dallas Music
There are things you can learn on MySpace, and there are things you can't
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Remembering DJ Frantic
The turntablist's friends and collaborators will remember him for his love of the craft
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Dallas Music Finally Getting National Attention
It may not be Austin-level love, but we'll take it
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Erykah Badu Has Returned
The songstress burst through her stuggles with writer's block and created a solid record
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And This Glimpse of Jessica Simpson Will Not Cost You $75
06:28PM 03/09/08 -
Meet the Woman Who Has Royally Pissed Off Tom Hicks
05:44PM 03/09/08 -
Yeah, But, Like, Where's Tony?
03:07PM 03/07/08 -
Over The Weekend: Centro-matic, All-Con, Texas Guitar Competition
01:10AM 03/10/08 -
Good Friday: Centro-matic, Beach House, Pleasant Grove, Sean Kirkpatrick
04:22PM 03/07/08 -
Video: Paul Thorn at Granada
08:11AM 03/07/08
What we are writing about
- $30,000 millionaires
- Avi Adelman
- basketball
- Bob Dylan
- carcinogens
- Carol Reed
- cheap lunch
- Dallas Cowboys
- DART
- Deep Ellum
- Dirk Nowitzki
- douchebags
- DVD releases
- I'm Not There
- illegal immigration
- levees
- Meryl Streep
- Muslims
- Nintendo Wii
- Oak Cliff
- Philip Seymour Hoffman
- railroad tie plant
- referendum
- Somerville
- The Ticket
- Todd Haynes
- toll road
- Tony Romo
- Trinity River project
- Victory Park
Recent Articles By Ben Westhoff
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The N-Word Still Alive and Well in Hip-Hop
Eight month after the hip-hop community gave the word a funeral, it hasn't died
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Rapper's Caviar Dreams
Are the latest boastful rappers billionaires or boobs?
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Mary J. Blige
Growing Pains (Geffen)
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Wu-Tang Clan
8 Diagrams (Loud/SRC/Universal)
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Beirut
The Flying Club Cup (Ba Da Bing Records)
National Features
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Houston Press
"It Was Like an Armageddon Movie"
For days after Hurricane Rita, a Texas prison was hell on earth.
By Chris Vogel -
SF Weekly
The Candidate
Our columnist knows Ralph Nader's running mate all too well.
By Matt Smith -
The Pitch
How Not To Be a Rap Star
First of all, lay off the Ecstasy.
By Nadia Pflaum -
Village Voice
Project Runaway
What becomes a gossip columnist most?
By Michael Musto
Subject(s): Band of Horses
Band of Horses frontman Ben Bridwell writes lyrics that are drenched in utopian platitudes ("Lucky ones are we all, till it is over") and cringe-worthy pillow talk ("When you smile, the sun, it peeks through the clouds"). The group's weakest songs are ready-made for campfire sing-alongs. Its touring bassist even has a jam-band history. It's a revelation then that Band of Horses' debut album, Everything All the Time, was one of last year's meatiest and most devastating records. It's an even bigger surprise that Cease to Begin is nearly as good.
Producer Phil Ek (Modest Mouse, the Shins) gets everything right—from Bridwell's reverb-drenched vocals to the quick guitar stops/starts. Songs like "Cigarettes, Wedding Band" and "Is There a Ghost" benefit from perfect pacing.
Still, sometimes you wish Bridwell would just shut up. On "Ode to LRC," he sings (many, many times), "The world is such a wonderful place." But as soon as you think the song is about to choke on its own saccharine banality, a soaring, insatiable hook kicks in, and you begin to think that maybe Bridwell is on to something after all.
