AltWeeklies Wire
Berkeley's Morning Benders Hark Back to the Glory of '60s Songwritingnew
The quartet's debut, Talking Through Tin Cans, chronicles the highs and lows of young romance in exuberant three-minute bursts bubbling with guitar jangles and winsome harmonies.
San Francisco Bay Guardian |
Todd Lavoie |
04-30-2008 |
Profiles & Interviews
Yo Majesty are as Nasty as You Want Them to Benew
Jwl may be at ease, but the idea of a black, lesbian, hyper-sexual rap duo from Florida is outside a lot of comfort zones. Even if it weren't, Majesty's type of booty-shaking hip-hop has historically been reserved for sexually aggressive, often misogynist men.
San Diego CityBeat |
Seth Combs |
04-30-2008 |
Profiles & Interviews
Terence Blanchard is Glad to Bring His Grammy-Winning Talent Back Homenew
He also is a hit with his hometown fans and critics, last week winning two Big Easy Awards for Best Contemporary Jazz artist and Entertainer of the Year.
Gambit |
Jason Berry |
04-30-2008 |
Profiles & Interviews
Australia's Cut Copy in Full 'Colours'new
More aligned with psyche-pop than straight-up pop, the Australian trio wax nostalgic and cite influences like Tangerine Dream, ELO and Krautrock.
Chicago Newcity |
Garin Pirnia |
04-30-2008 |
Profiles & Interviews
Tags: Cut Copy, In Ghost Colours
Milhouse Takes Flight with a New Collectionnew
This Friday, the band releases a collection of rare birds, a six-song EP they recently recorded with Danny Kadar, the acclaimed producer known for his work with My Morning Jacket and Band of Horses, and the brain behind the smoothness of the Avett Brothers' Emotionalism.
Charleston City Paper |
Stratton Lawrence |
04-30-2008 |
Profiles & Interviews
Cracker's David Lowery Motors Aheadnew
The singer-guitarist has joyfully explored different pop and rock music sounds with his band Cracker since 1991 -- just a year after Lowery's California-based college radio rascals Camper Van Beethoven called it a day.
Charleston City Paper |
T. Ballard Lesemann |
04-30-2008 |
Profiles & Interviews
Scott Biram Considers the Finer Points of Poultricidenew
"I'm not really any more crazy than most people," Biram insists.
Colorado Springs Independent |
Bill Forman |
04-29-2008 |
Profiles & Interviews
Ex-Vels Frontwoman Alice Cohen Plants 'Sky Flowers'new
Anyone familiar with Cohen, or the "Alice Desoto" who led Philadelphia's the Vels through the New Wave '80s, wouldn't be surprised by her solo album's distance and its flash of tenderness.
Philadelphia City Paper |
A.D. Amorosi |
04-29-2008 |
Profiles & Interviews
Rootz Underground Takes Spiritual Reggae to Higher Heightsnew
The group's music thumps with rebel basslines and thought-provoking lyrics, not just of yesteryear, but rather it transcends time, a key ingredient of the sound they've been creating in the eight years since the band first formed.
New Times Broward-Palm Beach |
Jonathan Cunningham |
04-29-2008 |
Profiles & Interviews
The Terrible Twos Come Not to Praise Rock but to Bury Itnew
Inspired by older Detroit punks like the Piranhas and the Clone Defects, the Terrible Twos has evolved into an art-damaged wrecking crew of undeniable force.
Metro Times |
Wendy Case |
04-29-2008 |
Profiles & Interviews
Matt Pond PA to Break Up, but No One Will Leave the Bandnew
Pond has announced plans to end the musical project he began in Philadelphia 10 years ago. Then he'll team up with the same four guys to record and tour as the Dark Leaves. Call it a gimmick, but to Pond it's all about shaking up the band's artistic balance of power.
Isthmus |
Rich Albertoni |
04-29-2008 |
Profiles & Interviews
Girl Talk Melds the Top 40 Hits You'd Never Dance to On Their Ownnew
Greg Gillis talks about his fans ("frat dudes like it, rap guys like it, rock guys like it"), quitting his day job as a biomedical engineer ("real cool"), and sampling culture ("I always understood sampling as an instrument").
New Haven Advocate |
Vivian Nereim |
04-29-2008 |
Profiles & Interviews
Nick Lowe, a Maverick at 60new
For someone who sees himself as relatively obscure, Lowe's been showing up a lot lately. Last June he released his 13th studio album, At My Age, and in February celebrated the 30th anniversary and reissue of his 1978 solo debut, Jesus of Cool.
Pittsburgh City Paper |
Margaret Welsh |
04-28-2008 |
Profiles & Interviews
'New Yorker' Pop-music Critic Sasha Frere-Jones Chatsnew
On criticisms of his criticism, the blogosphere and quality vs. quantity.
Pittsburgh City Paper |
Andy Mulkerin |
04-28-2008 |
Profiles & Interviews
The New Roots Album has Some Feeling Nostalgicnew
I didn't get hardcore Rootsy until '99 when they dropped their commercial breakthrough Things Fall Apart, which people were touting as the last great hip-hop album of the 20th century. (Looking back, it kinda was.)
Philadelphia Weekly |
Craig D. Lindsey |
04-28-2008 |
Profiles & Interviews
