AltWeeklies Wire
Justin Robinson & the Mary Annettes' Bones for Tindernew
Robinson's gothic, chamber-hop formula works tremendously on Bones for Tinder, the first full-length following last year's EP Precious Blood, and proves he can move freely without his more famous band. (Five Head Entertainment)
Rapsody's Return of the B-Girlnew
B-Girl continues Rapsody's ascension toward the level of even her most prominent collaborators, male and female.
Tags: Return of the B-Girl
Valient Thorr's Strangernew
Valient Thorr still finds its distinction by directing its menace at deserving targets via social commentaries charged by precision and power.
Tags: Valient Thorr
The Urban Sophisticates Stretch Their Boundaries on 'Classic Material'new
Though the move toward more traditional production bridges the Sophisticates back across the gap toward mainstream hip-hop, there's still plenty of variety on Classic Material.
The High and Mighties Might as Well Call Their Reggae 'Retread'new
Like every other group currently commercializing a pop reduction of reggae, Chapel Hill band The High and Mighties cites Bob Marley as its forefather.
A Second Look at Ben Folds Five's 'Reinhold Messner'new
At the time of its release, Reinhold Messner -- 11 largely interconnected songs stretched over 40 minutes -- was panned by many critics.
Annuals Make Major-Label Debut on Split EP with Sunfoldnew
Where Annuals takes cues from the kitchen-sink, simmer-and-swell indie crowd, Sunfold refocuses '90s alternative rock with the familiar tools: "Between the Worlds" has the guitar harmonies Rivers Cuomo has been searching for since Pinkerton.
Oso Optimo Understands the Weight of its Influencesnew
The Raleigh trio spends much of this debut working through its earliest identity crisis, vacillating between crunchy power-pop and gritty alt-rock.
