AltWeeklies Wire
I Was Totally Destroying It's New EP Feels Stiffnew
Preludes feels like a deliberate attempt not to make an explosive rock record but to expand demographics by showing that -- beneath that poppy Hot Topic veneer -- there's real-life indie credibility, with old U2 references, new wave nods and vocal affectations that shine back on the local indie lords, Eric Bachmann and Mac McCaughan.
Off Moments are Rare in The Pains of Being Pure at Heart's Latestnew
John Hughes died a couple of years ago, but if the auteur behind Ferris Bueller, Sixteen Candles, and other definitive '80s teen flicks could have taken on the same niche in this decade, he should have commissioned The Pains of Being Pure at Heart to write his soundtracks.
East Bay Express |
Reyan Ali |
04-20-2011 |
Reviews
Yelle: 'Safari Disco Club'new
Unless you're fluent in French, you'll miss the details of Yelle's lyrics -- but the nature of this Gallic dance-pop trio's second album is obvious: pure fun.
Tucson Weekly |
Gene Armstrong |
04-19-2011 |
Reviews
Tags: Safari Disco Club, Yelle
The Heavenly States is Ready for its Close-Upnew
Oui Camera Oui is the first in a concept collection of six intertwined EPs that the band plans to release over the next three years.
East Bay Express |
Chris Middleton |
04-18-2011 |
Reviews
The Pains of Being Pure at Heart Combine Ambition and Consistency on New Albumnew
Imagine if angst hadn't blanketed the alternative music of the late 1980s and 1990s -- and a bright earnestness had been the core impulse instead. The Pains of Being Pure at Heart exist at the heart of that alternate reality.
Tucson Weekly |
Eric Swedlund |
04-15-2011 |
Reviews
The Greatest? If You Don't Say Weezy Then Just Don't Say It at Allnew
5,000-plus hip-hop purists, cool dads and their preteen chaperonage, scantily-clad party girls and stone-faced Gs in the Coliseum crowd.
YES! Weekly |
Ryan Snyder |
04-14-2011 |
Reviews
The Strokes Blew Our Mind Once -- So What Happened?new
The boys of The Strokes are men now. But their most recent album, Angles, will leave you wishing for the gritty scruffiness of their younger years.
The Inlander |
Leah Sottile |
04-14-2011 |
Reviews
Anamanaguchi Plays Original Tunes in the Key of NESnew
At the four-piece band's service is a hacked 1985 Nintendo console, which allows it to summon those buttery-smooth synth notes and modulated keyboards that sound like guitars. This mimicry is augmented by live drums, bass, and rhythm guitar, achieving a pleasing sonic balance.
East Bay Express |
Nate Seltenrich |
04-11-2011 |
Reviews
The Huguenots' Debut EP is Underwhelmingnew
These aren't just popular trails; they're 16-lane freeways that have been jammed with traffic since 1964. The Huguenots' talent is clear, but if they ever want to set themselves apart, they'll need to take the nearest exit and start carving a path of their own.
Tags: The Huguenots
Mutual Adoration Glues The Submarines' Latest Album Togethernew
Most songs on Love Notes/Letter Bombs occur as call-and-response conversations, which render the listener into an eavesdropper — The Submarines might be singing about sunshine, but their lyrics still sound intimate.
East Bay Express |
Rachel Swan |
04-07-2011 |
Reviews
Obits Keep it Simple on Sophomore Albumnew
Obits is a wonderful band precisely because they aren't trying to reinvent the wheel. The guiding motto of the band's sophomore album, Moody, Standard and Poor, seems to be: "Rock has been rolling along perfectly well for many years, thank you very much, and we don't need to muck it up with a bunch of extraneous bullshit."
Orlando Weekly |
Nicholas Hall |
04-06-2011 |
Reviews
Hunx & His Punks: Too Young to Be in Lovenew
Oakland bad boy Hunx, former sex god of the dance happy band Gravy Train!!!!, is currently resurrecting sounds of the '50s and '60s with his new album, a record drenched in the girl-group sound of New York and Philadelphia.
East Bay Express |
j. poet |
04-05-2011 |
Reviews
Moe Pope & Rain's Dark, Twisted Depeche Mode Fantasynew
Moe Pope & Rain invoke the spirit of George Romero, Martin Gore for "Grateful Dead of Night" video from Depeche Moe.
Dig Boston |
Martin Caballero |
04-01-2011 |
Reviews
Tags: Moe Pope
Hammer No More The Fingers' Black Sharknew
With Black Shark, Hammer ups the ante considerably, putting them in a place where anything's possible.
Tags: Hammer
Prince's Divine Right: The Artist Reigns Purple Across the Carolinasnew
How is it possible to carry on with normal concert viewing after getting through this thing called Prince?
YES! Weekly |
Ryan Snyder |
03-31-2011 |
Reviews
