AltWeeklies Wire
Tilly and the Wall Enjoy the Ridenew
The wild children of the Midwest are attempting to hold their fans' attention offstage as well with their latest, third full-length, a multitextured affair enigmatically titled O, after the oval frame that will surround the various, limited-edition, handmade prints created by friends.
San Francisco Bay Guardian |
Kimberly Chun |
07-02-2008 |
Profiles & Interviews
Tags: O, Tilly and the Wall
Earth Grounds Itself in Twang and Dronenew
Thanks to Earth worshippers Sunn O))) and the scads of other low-end drone specialists who have cropped up in recent years, the band's once-misunderstood sound has come to be seen as pioneering, opening the way for a range of experimentalists operating at the crossroads of metal, improv, and avant-garde rock. The thing is, Carlson doesn't have much interest in that sound anymore.
San Francisco Bay Guardian |
Will York |
06-18-2008 |
Profiles & Interviews
Erykah Badu Lets it All Flynew
But no matter how broken-down Badu's New Amerykah gets, there is always an undercurrent fed by the missions for social justice that Badu feels she has been called upon to fight.
San Francisco Bay Guardian |
KATE IZQUIERDO |
06-04-2008 |
Profiles & Interviews
Janelle Monae Seems Like the Freak of Every Weeknew

Less the "black Bjork" than heir to Arthur Lee's black rock throne, Janelle Monae preps for blastoff.
San Francisco Bay Guardian |
Kandia Crazy Horse |
05-08-2008 |
Profiles & Interviews
Tags: Janelle Monae
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
Les Savy Fav's Tim Harrington Defies the Predictablenew
Without taking away from the rest of the group, it's the cognitive dissonance Harrington creates with his stage presence and lyrics that make Les Savy Fav so powerful.
San Francisco Bay Guardian |
Duncan Scott Davidson |
04-23-2008 |
Profiles & Interviews
Tags: Les Savy Fav, Let's Stay Friends
Stars of the Lid Continually Refines the Mixnew
Adam Wiltzie and Brian McBride have taken their time refining their soporific version of Brian Eno's barely there aesthetic, releasing just a handful of beatless, slow-burning full-lengths during the past decade.
San Francisco Bay Guardian |
Matt Sussman |
04-09-2008 |
Profiles & Interviews
Jackie Greene Finds Life Among the Deadnew
The rootsy singer-songwriter -- formerly a big fish in the relatively small pond of Sacramento who now lives in San Francisco -- has had great things expected of him since he was a solo troubadour fresh out of high school.
San Francisco Bay Guardian |
Blair Jackson |
04-09-2008 |
Profiles & Interviews
The Dirty Projectors Blaze a Path Less Travelednew
First conceived in New Haven, Conn., Dave Longstreth's namesake went through many permutations before settling in Brooklyn as an elemental two guitars-bass-drums quartet.
San Francisco Bay Guardian |
Max Goldberg |
04-09-2008 |
Profiles & Interviews
Tags: Rise Above, The Dirty Projectors
Autechre: Listening Deeply to Future's Pastnew
With this month's release of Quaristice, the Manchester electro pioneers have proven once again why they remain the most vital experimental force of the Warp generation.
San Francisco Bay Guardian |
Erik Morse |
04-02-2008 |
Profiles & Interviews
Tags: Autechre, Quaristice
Just Keep Walkennew
Multiple maniacs won't deter these metal vets.
San Francisco Bay Guardian |
Duncan Scott Davidson |
04-02-2008 |
Profiles & Interviews
Tags: Walken
Beach House: Reveille in Reverbnew
The Baltimore duo shows Devotion can be a dream.
San Francisco Bay Guardian |
Max Goldberg |
03-12-2008 |
Profiles & Interviews
Tags: Beach House, Devotion
The Uncaged Reflections of Black Swansnew
The band isn't the spoonful of sugar that helps the medicine go down; it's the medicine itself, a soulful salve pursuing internal aberrations because there's something redemptive in their delivery, something undeniably good for you.
San Francisco Bay Guardian |
Nathan Baker |
03-05-2008 |
Profiles & Interviews
Tags: Black Swans
Cryptacize Dials Up Cosmic Sing-alongsnew
As with Chris Cohen's earlier band Deerhoof, Cryptacize strives for the development of a private musical language rather than the typical filtering of influences.
San Francisco Bay Guardian |
Max Goldberg |
02-28-2008 |
Profiles & Interviews
Tags: Cryptacize, Dig that Treasure
Eddi Projex Emerges as a Force with 'Now or Never'new
What makes Projex's positive songs so powerful is his undeniable street cred.
San Francisco Bay Guardian |
Garrett Caples |
02-28-2008 |
Profiles & Interviews
Tags: Eddi Projex, Now or Never