AltWeeklies Wire
The Thermals: Personal Lifenew
The Thermals race through songs like Adderall-aided students: focused, alert and precise in every note.
Tucson Weekly |
Eric Swedlund |
11-10-2010 |
Reviews
Tags: The Thermals
S. Carey: All We Grownew
All We Grow, the solo debut from Bon Iver drummer S (Sean) Carey, doesn't stray far from Bon Iver territory -- a Wisconsin-bred sort of neo-minimalism that revels in spare, crisp instrumentation.
Tucson Weekly |
Eric Swedlund |
09-08-2010 |
Reviews
Tags: S. Carey
Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers: Mojonew
Tom Petty's massive vault-raiding effort to put together last year's The Live Anthology established a clear path to Mojo, a bluesy, jammy, slower and less-catchy record for Petty.
Tucson Weekly |
Eric Swedlund |
07-07-2010 |
Reviews
Band of Horses: 'Infinite Arms'new
A label change and a long, labored recording process left Band of Horses just about where it started--with an instantly compelling indie Americana sound.
Tucson Weekly |
Eric Swedlund |
06-02-2010 |
Reviews
Tags: Infinite Arms, Band of Horses
Drive-by Truckers: 'The Big To-Do"new
The Drive-by Truckers have created some of the most memorable perverts, drunks and assorted lowlifes of their career on The Big To-Do, an album packed with stories and characters presented with a photojournalist's detached honesty.
Tucson Weekly |
Eric Swedlund |
04-28-2010 |
Reviews
Controlled 'Kairos' from White Hinterlandnew
Kairos, the second album from White Hinterland, is a stripped-down, atmospheric record with up-front, bright vocals.
Tucson Weekly |
Eric Swedlund |
04-28-2010 |
Reviews
Tags: KAIROS, White Hinterland
Quartet From San Francisco Rearranges Rocknew
Man/Miracle's debut record incorporates myriad styles: jam band, world-music rhythms, melodic pop choruses, raw-edged roadhouse rock and plenty of loud guitar.
Tucson Weekly |
Eric Swedlund |
04-22-2010 |
Reviews
Tags: Man/Miracle, The Shape of Things
Dr. Dog's Latest is Endlessly Catchynew
There's always been an off-kilter joy in Dr. Dog's music, but on the Philadelphia quintet's first album for the eclectic ANTI- Records, there's also an impressive crispness that only enhances the endlessly catchy songs.
Tucson Weekly |
Eric Swedlund |
04-22-2010 |
Reviews
"Hippies': Garage Rock Done Rightnew
Garage rock done right aches for the sort of unbridled enthusiasm at the core of Hippies, the first Matador record from this trio. The band's bouncy, melodic garage rock is colored with flecks of soul and surf rock, but it's the fantastic songs that hold it aloft.
Tucson Weekly |
Eric Swedlund |
04-08-2010 |
Reviews
'Astro Coast' More Promise Than Achievementnew
The debut from the quintet Surfer Blood stitches together the big hooks of party rock, a bit of '80s synth, surf-inflected indie rock and some dance-y Brit-pop.
Tucson Weekly |
Eric Swedlund |
04-01-2010 |
Reviews
Tags: Astro Coast, Surfer Blood
Righteously Energetic: Ted Leo's 'The Brutalist Bricks'new
The Brutalist Bricks is more of Ted Leo's signature brand of surging, thinking-man's punk rock, with soaring melodies to counterbalance the cranked amps and pummeling drums.
Tucson Weekly |
Eric Swedlund |
03-25-2010 |
Reviews
Breakthrough Record: Backyard Tire Fire's 'Good to Be'new
An all-too-common trap for Americana bands is to lay down an easy beat and dial in some twang. Backyard Tire Fire settles in miles away from that cookie-cutter approach, mixing barreling roadhouse rockers with lean, catchy, soulful tunes.
Tucson Weekly |
Eric Swedlund |
03-25-2010 |
Reviews
Tags: Backyard Tire Fire, Good to Be
Former Jazz Students Strive for Distinctive, Unique Musicnew
It's by design that Midlake's new record weaves its spell from ancient days, conjuring that same sense of elemental, shrouded powers at play that drives fantasy art. The band worked to craft The Courage of Others into an escape, the type of music that suggests it might cast some magic on the listener.
Tucson Weekly |
Eric Swedlund |
02-24-2010 |
Profiles & Interviews
Tags: The Courage of Others, Midlake
West Coast Music: Devotion to the Same Heronew
This odd pairing has made a record interesting enough to not only spark more curiosity in Kerouac, Big Sur and the album's accompanying documentary, but also how and why American artists across generations keep approaching the same themes.
Tucson Weekly |
Eric Swedlund |
12-31-2009 |
Reviews
The Generationals Like to Play Up the Oldnew
For the Generationals, reaching back in time to weave threads of different musical traditions together into their own new and exciting entity is exactly how the Crescent City has always functioned.
Tucson Weekly |
Eric Swedlund |
11-18-2009 |
Profiles & Interviews
Tags: Con Law, Generationals
