AltWeeklies Wire
Suuns: Zeroes QCnew
With drums, bass guitar and minimal electronic effects, Suuns create an energizing monotone universe.
Tucson Weekly |
Annie Holub |
11-17-2010 |
Reviews
Tags: Suuns
The Grownup Noise: Shall We? (Self-Released)new
Boston's The Grownup Noise are anything but noisy For them, maturity means a contemplative focus of sound They're a band that revels in the beauty of a simple melody delivered with minimal enhancement for maximum emotional effect—it's grown-up in its precision...
Tucson Weekly |
Annie Holub |
08-11-2010 |
Reviews
Tags: The Grownup Noise
The Love Language: Librariesnew
Recorded entirely by Stuart McLamb and producer/engineer BJ Burton, 'Libraries' shimmers with the same intricate aura of a Bruegel painting, a symphony or a novel.
Tucson Weekly |
Annie Holub |
08-04-2010 |
Reviews
Tags: The Love Language
Thieves Like Us: Again and Againnew
The music of Thieves Like Us is saturated with the unmistakable sounds of new wave -- specifically, synth sounds straight out of Joy Division, New Order and The Cure's sound banks.
Tucson Weekly |
Annie Holub |
07-30-2010 |
Reviews
Tags: Thieves Like Us
Batucaxé: The Blessing of the Beatnew
The Blessing of the Beat, the first CD from local Afro-Brazilian collective Batucaxé, includes songs from Brazilian artists, as well as original songs written with South American and African music in mind.
Tucson Weekly |
Annie Holub |
05-25-2010 |
Reviews
Tags: Batucaxé, The Blessing of the Beat
Dosh: All About Ambiancenew
Dosh's Tommy is complex but clean, experimental but listenable.
Tucson Weekly |
Annie Holub |
04-28-2010 |
Reviews
Ólöf Arnalds: 'Við og Við' ('One Little Indian')new
Icelandic multi-instrumentalist Ólöf Arnalds' solo debut was originally released in Iceland back in 2007, and is only finding a U.S. home this week. Arnalds' songs invite you to listen closely, sway, hum along and get sucked into her world.
Tucson Weekly |
Annie Holub |
01-13-2010 |
Reviews
Tags: Við og Við, Ólöf Arnalds
Lymbyc Systym's Michael and Jared Bell Blend Post-Rock Influencesnew
Lymbyc Systym's songs captivate instead of falling into background noise. On Shutter Release, Michael and Jared Bell blend their Sigur Rós and Explosions in the Sky influences; room-filling drums give way to microbeats, and dramatic guitar hooks give way to quieter and more contemplative synthesized melodies, often within the same song.
Tucson Weekly |
Annie Holub |
01-06-2010 |
Reviews
Monsters of Folk Offers a Master Class in Supergroup-ismnew
Instead of sounding like a lumpy blend of styles, Monsters of Folk sounds like an album from a new band with four familiar members.
Tucson Weekly |
Annie Holub |
11-04-2009 |
Reviews
Tags: Monsters of Folk
The Nurses' 'Apple's Acre' is Instantly Invigoratingnew
On paper, the Nurses' formula sounds a shade of awful: hootenanny percussion, two guys singing in layered high-pitched caterwauls, and plinking pianos topped with synthesizers. But what music ever sounds good on paper?
Tucson Weekly |
Annie Holub |
10-29-2009 |
Reviews
Tags: Apple's Acre, Nurses
The Portland Cello Project Strings Us Alongnew
Cello versions of indie, pop, metal and/or rock songs, can't be boring -- but The Thao and Justin Power Sessions is, sadly enough, a little boring.
Tucson Weekly |
Annie Holub |
07-16-2009 |
Reviews
Pete Yorn's Fourth Album is a Series of Conundrumsnew
Back and Fourth is definitely Pete Yorn's most commercial-sounding record -- but the lyrics are all too often cringe-worthy.
Tucson Weekly |
Annie Holub |
07-08-2009 |
Reviews
Blind Pilot Makes Soft Music Out of Chatternew
Any duo who can cart around all of their equipment on bicycles obviously plays stripped-down music; Blind Pilot's sound is acoustic-guitar-focused folk-pop, with sparse, quiet drums. Their music is so essentially simple and so immediately loved by many because of that resonance of bareness.
Tucson Weekly |
Annie Holub |
04-02-2009 |
Reviews
U2's 'No Line on the Horizon'new
No Line on the Horizon follows big, time-tested U2 themes--The Edge's crystalline guitars against Bono's lyrics of love and hope.
Tucson Weekly |
Annie Holub |
03-12-2009 |
Reviews
Andrew Bird's Dissertation Worthy 'Noble Beast'new
As a composition, Andrew Bird's latest is as complex and gorgeous as a George Eliot novel.
Tucson Weekly |
Annie Holub |
02-12-2009 |
Reviews
