Montreal Mirror | Lorraine Carpenter

How Dancing Desert Stars Informed YACHT's New Albumnew

“YACHT is not a cult,” reads the mission statement of the electronically inclined Portland, Oregon pop duo, who perhaps protest too much. They have a philosophy, a belief system, followers, mystical symbols, a grand council (the YACHT Trust) and a work method that involves trance states

Montreal Mirror | Lorraine Carpenter | 03-07-2010 | Reviews

Tags: YACHT, See Mystery Lights

Brooklyn's Clare and the Reasons Make Charmed Chamber Popnew

Clare Muldaur’s honey-sweet vocals and fanciful soundscapes may belie the sophistication of her compositions and her husband’s arrangements of brass, strings and woodwinds, but it’s that levity and wonder that make Clare and the Reasons so charming.

Montreal Mirror | Lorraine Carpenter | 01-22-2010 | Profiles & Interviews

Tags: Clare Muldaur, Olivier Manchon, Brooklyn, Clare and the Reasons

Mercury Rev's Strange Attractionsnew

The New York State band invokes animal spirits and alchemical magic to make two new albums.

Montreal Mirror | Lorraine Carpenter | 12-05-2008 | Profiles & Interviews

Tags: Mercury Rev, Snowflake Midnight, Strange Attractor

Inside the Mind of Of Montreal's Kevin Barnesnew

Barnes talks about mythology, insanity, sexuality, hard work and terror -- because that's what little boys are made of.

Montreal Mirror | Lorraine Carpenter | 10-24-2008 | Profiles & Interviews

Tags: Of Montreal, Kevin Barnes, Skeletal Lamping

The Dandy Warhols Are Out of This Worldnew

According to their latest bio, in conjunction with their new album, Earth to the Dandy Warhols, singer Courtney Taylor-Taylor was sponsored from birth by biotech firms, creating "the acceptable face of augmented humanity," and his biocodes were "trimmed for upfront deployment and extreme-impact diplomacy."

Montreal Mirror | Lorraine Carpenter | 09-12-2008 | Profiles & Interviews

Tags: The Dandy Warhols, Earth to the Dandy Warhols

Laura Barrett, Kalimba Queen and Holy Conduitnew

Barrett captures her audience with a charming set of sounds, from the warmth of her voice to the kalimba's music-box magic, and the delicate weaving of melodies, rhythms and clever words.

Montreal Mirror | Lorraine Carpenter | 08-18-2008 | Profiles & Interviews

Tags: kalimba, Laura Barrett, Victory Garden

Orco Muto Brings Classic Horror Soundtracks Back From the Deadnew

The people at Rue Morgue magazine's Festival of Fear commissioned a performance of Goblin classics, spurring Maurizio Guarini to assemble a new band with Chris Gartner and Great Bob Scott, formerly of Toronto's Look People.

Montreal Mirror | Lorraine Carpenter | 08-18-2008 | Profiles & Interviews

Tags: horror, Dario Argento, Goblin, Orco Muto

CSS Take a Badass Turn on 'Donkey'new

Countering claims that this slight sonic shift is some sort of betrayal—critics have accused CSS of aping British indie bands, of rendering their sound overly slick and of undercutting their sense of fun with grim lyrics—Lovefoxxx explained that Donkey is in fact more CSS than CSS.

Montreal Mirror | Lorraine Carpenter | 08-05-2008 | Profiles & Interviews

Tags: CSS, Cansei de Ser Sexy, Donkey

The Kills are on Targetnew

The duo weathered hurricanes, new-age hippies and tabloid hell to make Midnight Boom.

Montreal Mirror | Lorraine Carpenter | 05-02-2008 | Profiles & Interviews

Tags: The Kills, Midnight Boom

You're in Good Hands with Woodhandsnew

"I guess we do rock some funk styles," says Dan Werb. Understandably, he's wary of the "post-funk" tag that has been flung at Woodhands, who rock several styles simultaneously.

Montreal Mirror | Lorraine Carpenter | 04-18-2008 | Profiles & Interviews

Tags: Woodhands

Tokyo Police Club Lays Down the Lawnew

The boys in Tokyo Police Club aren't strangers to hard work. Six songs into recording their debut album, Elephant Shell, they scrapped everything and started over, simply because it wasn't rocking hard enough.

Montreal Mirror | Lorraine Carpenter | 04-18-2008 | Profiles & Interviews

Tags: Elephant Shell, Tokyo Police Club

Duchess Says Invokes Banshees, Budgies and Sirensnew

The Montreal band sets off a synth-punk explosion on its long-awaited debut LP, Anthologie des 3 Perchoirs, with guidance from its spiritual leader -- a budgie named the Duchess.

Montreal Mirror | Lorraine Carpenter | 04-11-2008 | Profiles & Interviews

Tags: Anthologie des 3 Perchoirs, Duchess Says