AltWeeklies Wire
What Pop Music Sounds Like Coming From the Pure at Heartnew
The charms of The Pains of Being Pure at Heart, the jangly guitars, dreamy boy-girl harmonies and atmospheric distortion, are hard to resist.
New York Press |
Amre Klimchak |
02-05-2009 |
Profiles & Interviews
Army of Two: Au’s Dynamic Duo Does the Work of 30new
Verbs, the latest record from expansive experimental pop group Au, pulses with the unbridled passion of an exuberant mass of people, nearly 30 collaborators in all. Its manic keyboards, swooning horns, complex percussion and manifold other instruments combine with Luke Wyland’s voice and at times an ebullient choir to generate a sweeping feeling of propulsion.
New York Press |
Amre Klimchak |
01-22-2009 |
Profiles & Interviews
A Hawk and a Hacksaw Does Eastern Europe with an American Accentnew
Jeremy Barnes first heard Bulgarian women's choirs while driving through West Texas in 1996, and he was hooked. He moved to Hungary two years ago to live among and learn from some of the area's masters but has always sought to interpret traditional styles through the contemporary lens of his American background.
New York Press |
Amre Klimchak |
01-08-2009 |
Profiles & Interviews
Ben Vida brings His International Noise Convention to Brooklynnew
Like a musical conjurer, Ben Vida coaxes a remarkable array of instruments to take on lives of their own and reveal their extraordinary songs. For his third full-length record under the moniker Bird Show, Vida continues his obsession with an exotic assortment of music makers.
New York Press |
Amre Klimchak |
12-11-2008 |
Profiles & Interviews
Brightblack Morning Light Makes Music Off the Gridnew
The band's latest album title (Motion to Rejoin) refers to the back-to-the-land movement, and Nathan "Naybob" Shineywater and Rachael "Ra Ra" Hughes fully embrace the philosophy, having lived off the grid on a New Mexico mesa 9,000 feet up for almost three years, with four solar panels powering their home recording.
New York Press |
Amre Klimchak |
11-13-2008 |
Profiles & Interviews
The Decemberists Take a Working Vacationnew
For The Decemberists, some of the indie-pop world’s most talented practitioners, "time off" this year has meant tackling the grand and unwieldy genre of rock opera.
New York Press |
Amre Klimchak |
11-06-2008 |
Profiles & Interviews
Vintage Dance-punk Band The Faint Still has the Movesnew
The Faint's fifth full-length release, Fasciinatiion, stands as a study in taking over the means of production—and at the same time, wrestling with the vagaries of technology.
New York Press |
Amre Klimchak |
08-18-2008 |
Profiles & Interviews
Hercules and Love Affair Storm the Stage with Disco Deliverynew
The exuberant, self-titled debut album from Hercules and Love Affair, the heroically named dance-music project led by longtime New York DJ Andrew Butler, lives up to the lofty expectations its mythical moniker entails.
New York Press |
Amre Klimchak |
08-07-2008 |
Profiles & Interviews
Atlanta's Rock Scene Explodes into Brooklynnew
Through their often-astonishing live shows and impressive recordings, the Black Lips and Deerhunter, have drawn attention to a locale that has not typically been seen as a breeding ground for independent rock.
New York Press |
Amre Klimchak |
07-31-2008 |
Profiles & Interviews
Despite Smaller Fan Bases, '90s Acts Like Polvo Continue to Reunitenew
"We're not a nostalgia act. We're trying to stay relevant to the times and ourselves," vocalist and guitarist Dave Brylawski says, adding that with a new drummer, Brian Quast, the band undoubtedly sounds different.
New York Press |
Amre Klimchak |
06-19-2008 |
Profiles & Interviews
Tags: indie rock, Polvo
Aloha Embraces the World of Creature Comfortsnew
The band's radiant new EP, Light Works, conjures all the sweet contentment of home: it's a sentiment that isn't terribly surprising coming from a quartet whose name is the Hawaiian word for "love," as well as "hello" and "good-bye."
New York Press |
Amre Klimchak |
04-03-2008 |
Profiles & Interviews
Tags: Aloha, Light Works
No Chemical Romancenew
Josh Jones of Evangelicals says not everyone in Oklahoma takes part in drug-addled orgies.
New York Press |
Amre Klimchak |
02-28-2008 |
Profiles & Interviews
Tags: evangelicals, The Evening Descends
A Symphonic Sensiblitynew
Michael Christie has been instrumental in the Brooklyn Philharmonic’s ability to attract listeners that orchestras across the country are desperate to reach: Music fans who may have never before heard a symphony perform in a concert hall.
New York Press |
Amre Klimchak |
01-31-2008 |
Profiles & Interviews
Tags: Michael Christie
Ready to Kick Your Head Innew
Oliver Ackermann of A Place to Bury Strangers admits he's focused on death and destruction.
New York Press |
Amre Klimchak |
12-20-2007 |
Profiles & Interviews
Mum's the Wordnew
The members of the Icelandic pop troupe don't like intellectualizing their music, they just want to have a good time performing it.
New York Press |
Amre Klimchak |
11-08-2007 |
Profiles & Interviews
Tags: Mum
