AltWeeklies Wire
The Dutchess and the Duke Break Hearts on Acoustic Stringsnew
Sunset/Sunrise is permeated by a much darker mood than the band's debut, She's the Dutchess, He's the Duke, but the follow-up succeeds by using the same simple arrangements.
SF Weekly |
Jennifer Maerz |
11-04-2009 |
Profiles & Interviews
Jay Farrar, Ben Gibbard, and a Bad Actress Pay Tribute to Kerouac's 'Big Sur'new
On the One Fast Move or I'm Gone soundtrack, Farrar and Gibbard trade off singing 12 songs with lyrics taken from Big Sur, including lines from the poem "Sea" that closes the novel. Farrar admits to being intimidated at first to use Kerouac as his lyricist, until he settled into a stream-of-consciousness songwriting style.
SF Weekly |
Jennifer Maerz |
10-22-2009 |
Profiles & Interviews
Unagi Keeps Hip-Hop Reference-Richnew
Unagi takes hip-hop on a maximalist ride that jells with his geography. He talks up living in the birthplace of Del the Funkyhomosapien, Hieroglyphics, and DJ Shadow, and his drive to "go for more obscure references than [sampling] the obvious song."
SF Weekly |
Jennifer Maerz |
07-15-2009 |
Profiles & Interviews
Toshio Hirano, the Tokyo Yodelernew
Hirano is a poorly kept secret who nonetheless provokes the protective nature of his followers. The night I was at Amnesia, one young fan showed concern that I would increase Hirano's exposure, shaking his head and saying, "But he's our local treasure."
SF Weekly |
Jennifer Maerz |
06-17-2009 |
Profiles & Interviews
Tags: Toshio Hirano
The Units Punked the System, Played JC Penneynew
I've been dwelling on San Francisco's punk roots a lot lately after stumbling into an excellent new collection of out-of-print material by San Francisco's original synth punks. The group's music and mantra provide interesting angles from which to view an era of rapid technological and artistic progress -- much like the one we're in now.
SF Weekly |
Jennifer Maerz |
06-10-2009 |
Profiles & Interviews
Jamie Stewart's Infinite Sadness Is Exhaustingnew
Jamie Stewart is a morgue-serious songwriter. And yet it's impossible to take the Xiu Xiu frontman seriously. The ache in his indie rock takes introspective moping to such an exaggerated extreme it's difficult to endure with a straight face.
SF Weekly |
Jennifer Maerz |
04-08-2009 |
Profiles & Interviews
Von Iva Hits the Big Time with Jim Carreynew
How do you amass a large audience from outside the traditional music industry? If you're San Francisco's Von Iva, the answer has moved from labels to licensing -- a direction that recently landed the group in the onscreen company of Jim Carrey and Zooey Deschanel.
SF Weekly |
Jennifer Maerz |
12-03-2008 |
Profiles & Interviews
Windsurf's Beach Blanket Disconew
The pair's newly released debut, Coastlines, evokes the carefree surf 'n' sand lifestyle its title suggests, with echoing synths, dubby basslines, and lush songs that stretch out to luxurious lengths.
SF Weekly |
Jennifer Maerz |
11-19-2008 |
Profiles & Interviews
Tags: coastlines, Windsurf
Banned in the UK: The Ghosts in Agent Ribbons' Atticnew
With its satin headbands, lacy-collared dresses, and affinity for bluesy ballads, Sacramento duo Agent Ribbons is a modern band yearning for an old-fashioned era.
SF Weekly |
Jennifer Maerz |
10-02-2008 |
Profiles & Interviews
The Cataracs Have the Fans, Lack the Lyricsnew
For all the group's musical and marketing savvy, when they open their mouths, their words are equivalent of cheap pickup lines: passable for getting your foot in the door, I guess, but hardly charming for guys who seem performance savvy.
SF Weekly |
Jennifer Maerz |
08-06-2008 |
Profiles & Interviews
Tags: R&B, The Cataracs
The Dirtbombs Surround Us with Sirensnew
There's no better music to both amplify and appease our worries of self-annihilation than guitars that ring like air raid sirens; a double-bass, two-drum front that rolls like an army tank; and a singer who cackles wildly as he stomps through civilization's ashes.
SF Weekly |
Jennifer Maerz |
05-15-2008 |
Profiles & Interviews
Rick Rubin Digs Howlin Rain's Distorted View of the '70snew
Comets on Fire's Ethan Miller is in the (metaphorical) driver's seat as Howlin Rain's frontman.
SF Weekly |
Jennifer Maerz |
02-27-2008 |
Profiles & Interviews
Tags: Howlin Rain, Magnificent Fiend
Rademacher Alchemizes Arcade Fire and Modest Mouse for Pure Indie-Pop Goldnew
If you've yet to hear of Rademacher (or to pronounce the name: raw-duh-maw-cur), the group is doing its damnedest to change that -- in S.F., in Fresno, and in Los Angeles.
SF Weekly |
Jennifer Maerz |
11-29-2007 |
Profiles & Interviews
Tags: Rademacher
Spiritualized's Severely Diminished Grandeurnew
The problem is that without the usual instrumental bombast, the audience focuses on the lyrics -- and Pierce can be a very mediocre lyricist.
SF Weekly |
Jennifer Maerz |
11-15-2007 |
Profiles & Interviews
Tags: Spiritualized
Scissors for Lefty Bring Back the Funnew
The band captures San Francisco's playfulness while crafting stylish romantic melodies.
SF Weekly |
Jennifer Maerz |
06-06-2007 |
Profiles & Interviews
Tags: Scissors for Lefty
