Jennifer Maerz

Six years since the Strokes hit the mainstream, a new songwriting talent has emerged from the band. Guitarist Albert Hammond Jr.’s solo debut, Yours to Keep (Rough Trade), is out this month, and it’s an infectious CD displaying an unexpected warmth. Even the cover of Yours implies respite from the......

Access to behind-the-scenes rock-band life has become increasingly commonplace on TV — and the lives exposed seem increasingly banal. (Dudes: Anything you’d dream of trashing Led Zeppelin has already destroyed twice as monumentally.) It’s tough even to cock an eyebrow at backstage behavior anymore. In this environment, it’s become a......

Pete Doherty’s continuing “success” is one of the most depressing rock & roll spectacles of the past decade (a steep list to top). At this writing, the former front man for U.K. darlings the Libertines is little more than a B-list junkie propped up by international tabloids, Weekend at Bernie’s–style,......