AltWeeklies Wire
Skip Heller the Genre-Hoppernew
While Skip Heller has another excellent and relatively new album of charming country and jazz tunes available in stores, his latest release is this remarkable CD full of his exotica compositions.
Tucson Weekly |
Gene Armstrong |
04-08-2010 |
Reviews
Experimental rock-band Yeasayer is just trying to stay ahead of the curvenew
The Yeasayer sound is an amalgam of indie rock, electronica and glitchy pop, subtly touched by African, Middle Eastern and Asian influences, and—now on Odd Blood—unabashed dance music.One might wonder how the group can blend such diverse sounds without the results seeming contrived, but Yeasayer pull it off convincingly.
Tucson Weekly |
Gene Armstrong |
04-08-2010 |
Profiles & Interviews
Xiu Xiu's Albums Have Never Been Anything Less than Subversivenew
Xiu Xiu's seventh album of new material is among its best, embracing synth pop and avant-garde noisemaking more than ever.
Tucson Weekly |
Gene Armstrong |
03-17-2010 |
Reviews
The Lords of Altamont Are All About the Rock 'n' Rollnew
When the Los Angeles band Lords of Altamont began about a decade ago, they set out to strike a balance between purist garage-rock traditions and a heavier hard-rock sound.
Tucson Weekly |
Gene Armstrong |
03-03-2010 |
Profiles & Interviews
Muted Melancholy: Tindersticks' 'Falling Down a Mountain'new
After 18 years of releasing elegantly dark mood music, Tindersticks sound happier than ever. The slow-dance Keep You Beautiful is an enchanting love song that comes off as a tender lullaby, and the R&B-flavored Harmony Around My Table shuffles appealingly along.
Tucson Weekly |
Gene Armstrong |
02-24-2010 |
Reviews
Precise Narratives, Courtesy of Darden Smithnew
This retrospective collection of 16 of the Austin singer/songwriter's best tunes focuses primarily on midtempo and nearly twangless folk-pop tales of small towns, heartache, dreams and desire.
Tucson Weekly |
Gene Armstrong |
02-17-2010 |
Reviews
Sade's 'Soldier of Love' Worth the 10-Year Waitnew
On her long-awaited new album, Sade continues to practice a now-classic style of exquisite heartbreak and desperate desire while slipping from blissed-out funk to heady R&B revivalism.
Tucson Weekly |
Gene Armstrong |
02-17-2010 |
Reviews
Tags: Sade, Soldier of Love
Mark Growden Kicks Off a Monthly Concert Series at the Screening Roomnew
Mark Growden admits that he might never have started singing and writing songs had he not been ripped off. Growden was a jazz saxophonist and music teacher in his adopted hometown of San Francisco—until in 1997, when his instruments were stolen. So he started writing songs on accordion and singing. Soon, he was playing banjo, piano and guitar.
Tucson Weekly |
Gene Armstrong |
01-13-2010 |
Profiles & Interviews
Tags: Mark Growden, Saint Judas
Wild Guitar Tamer: Loren Dircks' 'Killing the Magic'new
This singer-songwriter, who for years led Gila Bend, is exploring other music influences — and his new the album couldn't be more interesting.
Tucson Weekly |
Gene Armstrong |
12-31-2009 |
Reviews
Tags: Killing the Magic, Loren Dircks
You May Think the Idea of Box Sets is Passé... Until You See These Releasesnew
Given file-sharing and the growing number of digital-download Web sites, both legal and otherwise, owning a bunch of music by one artist on several CDs in a cardboard box (no matter how cool the graphics and extras) is so old-school.
Tucson Weekly |
Gene Armstrong |
12-10-2009 |
Reviews
Candye Kane's More Than 20 Years of Blues, Country, Roots Rock and Jazznew
The singer's most recent challenge was the discovery that she had pancreatic cancer, an illness she has since overcome. The healing process inspired her to create her ninth album, Superhero, which was released earlier this year by Delta Groove Records.
Tucson Weekly |
Gene Armstrong |
12-10-2009 |
Profiles & Interviews
Tags: Superhero, Candye Kane
Miss O'Dell Dishes on Music Legendsnew
A new book by tour manager Chris O'Dell tells behind-the-scenes details of the '60s/'70s music world.
Tucson Weekly |
Gene Armstrong |
12-02-2009 |
Nonfiction
Headlights Combines Electronica, Chamber-Folk and Drone-Popnew
Wildlife feels spacious, with an emphasis on concise melodies and building momentum.
Tucson Weekly |
Gene Armstrong |
11-11-2009 |
Reviews
Tags: Headlights, Wildlife
Former Green on Red Guitarist Chuck Prophet Returns with a New Albumnew
Ever since he joined Green on Red 25 years ago, I've wanted to ask singer-songwriter and guitarist Chuck Prophet if he was born with that last name. He set the record straight in an interview last week. "Would I make that up?" he said, in mock offense.
Tucson Weekly |
Gene Armstrong |
11-04-2009 |
Profiles & Interviews
Hope Sandoval Releases Another Album Full of Deceptively Simple Songsnew
Fans of the former Mazzy Star vocalist will rejoice to learn she has a new disc out, and that it is perhaps a more beautiful psychedelic dream-pop experience than her first record.
Tucson Weekly |
Gene Armstrong |
10-29-2009 |
Reviews
