AltWeeklies Wire
Why Girl Talk's Unlikely Career is a Big Dealnew
Gregg Gillis is doing something traditionalists angrily claim isn't music—and then making a living off of it, all without charging for his records.
The surprising perseverance of psychedelianew
Unyoked from its tie-dyed connotations, psychedelia is right in tune with a world where surrealism and high-definition realism have become the norm.
Tags: psychedelia
The Rise of Intricacy in Indie Rock's Female Voicesnew
The past few years have seen complicated, virtuosic singing—previously confined to big-label product—come to define female artists breaking new ground.
Can reissues stretch fans too thin?new
As ever-frank heavy metal critic Kim Kelly recently wrote, "Quit reissuing things. Not everything is a fucking 'classic.'"
Tags: Album reissues
How Alesana Quietly Became One of North Carolina's Biggest Bandsnew
Songs inspired by fairy tales and classic fiction veer between bludgeoning metalcore and airy pop-rock, between complex prog and sing-along simplicity -- a sound the band has dubbed "sweetcore."
Tags: Alesana
The Triangle's Top 10 Albums of 2011new
During a year when several of the Triangle's best-known bands didn't release records, area acts released, by my count, at least 30 albums that will henceforth belong in forever rotation.
North Carolina is an Inexplicable Hotbed for American Idol Heavyweightsnew
What unites Fantasia, Scotty and Clay also unites them with a lot of other artists in these parts, historically and now.
Two Glimpses Into the Often Overlooked Musical Diversity of Durham, N.C.new
Two music scenes thrived under (most of) our noses in 2011 -- a vivid belly dance picture and accompanying Middle Eastern and Arab live music both sacred and secular, and a young, eclectic jazz scene that increasingly makes its digs in downtown Durham.
Tags: Durham Music
The Year in Music 2011new
Musically, in the Triangle, there's an awful lot that we don't get to every week. At the close of this year, we check a few of those pockets.
Tags: Year in Music 2011
Archival Record Label Numero Group Excavates Hidden Artistic Historiesnew
Chicago's Numero Group gives forgotten and unknown artists a strange second chance; this weekend, their Eccentric Soul Revue comes to Duke Performances.
Tags: Numero Group
The Sad, Strange and Sweet Voyage of Bombadilnew
When Bombadil called it quits almost three years ago, they were one of the country's brightest young bands. Somehow, they're back.
Willie Nelson and a Spate of Veterans Take Their Bowsnew
Nelson has paired a decades-long string of hits with decades spent in service of them, constantly performing in front of new audiences.
N.C. Hip-Hop Day Sent Mixed Messages About Local Rapnew
9th Wonder's detractors insist he's got no right to proclaim #nchiphopday as a monolithic movement unless his goal is to put everyone on the map.
Troika Music Festival calls it quits after 10 yearsnew
"I'm fairly confident something will jump up in its place in the not-too-distant future," Chaz Martenstein says.
Tags: Troika Music Festival
Bon Iver's Long Wagernew
From his influences to his collaborators, former Raleigh musician Justin Vernon has taken a steady approach to his career -- and won.
