AltWeeklies Wire
'Keep in Mind Frankenstein' Has a Pastoral Soundnew
Not one to offer up much in the way of new tricks, Grand Archives' Mat Brooke instead maintains a remarkable level of quality control on the band's new album.
Tucson Weekly |
Eric Swedlund |
11-11-2009 |
Reviews
Daryl Hall and John Oates Get the Box Set Tribute They Deservenew
Four discs, packed with 74 tracks -- including 16 previously unreleased rarities, about half of them live -- and a glossy 60-page book with track-specific information, details Hall & Oates' crossover appeal, longevity and somewhat unexpected resurgence in recent years.
Creative Loafing (Atlanta) |
Hal Horowitz |
11-10-2009 |
Reviews
Fuck Buttons Makes an Impressive Shift Without Sacrificing the Experimental Gritnew
Even as the buzz and mutant cut-ups on "Rough Steez" morph into obtuse beats, there's a soothing quality to the clutter that reaches in through your brain, grabs ahold of your guts and tugs you along ever so subtly.
Creative Loafing (Atlanta) |
Chad Radford |
11-10-2009 |
Reviews
Tags: Tarot Sport, Fuck Buttons
Nirvana's 'Bleach' is a Ramshackle Work of Perfectionnew
Before there was grunge, there was Bleach, Nirvana's harsh, '89 debut that dragged punk's contemptuous sneer through the mud to churn out one damn fine album.
Creative Loafing (Atlanta) |
Chad Radford |
11-10-2009 |
Reviews
Tags: Bleach Deluxe Edition, Nirvana
U2's 'Unforgettable Fire' Documents an Early Shift in the Band's Soundnew
Best considered as a warm-up for U2's next album, the classic The Joshua Tree, 1984's The Unforgettable Fire finds the quartet retreating from the overt commerciality of War and, with the help of Brian Eno and Daniel Lanois, gradually shifting to a more ambient sound.
Creative Loafing (Atlanta) |
Hal Horowitz |
11-10-2009 |
Reviews
Monsters of Folk Offers a Master Class in Supergroup-ismnew
Instead of sounding like a lumpy blend of styles, Monsters of Folk sounds like an album from a new band with four familiar members.
Tucson Weekly |
Annie Holub |
11-04-2009 |
Reviews
Tags: Monsters of Folk
Mark Knopfler's Latest Solo Album is a Working-Class Paeannew
Knopfler's sixth solo effort is his best in terms of his material, yet it's his weakest fret-board effort.
Tucson Weekly |
Jarret Keene |
11-04-2009 |
Reviews
Clap Your Hands Say Yeah Frontman Strikes Out on His Own with 'Mo Beauty'new
While this "solo" debut finds the Clap Your Hands Say Yeah frontman sounding comfortable and more accomplished as a singer-songwriter, the band is so excellent -- flawless, really -- that the album's only weak spots come from Alec Ounsworth himself.
Tucson Weekly |
Eric Swedlund |
11-04-2009 |
Reviews
The Nurses' 'Apple's Acre' is Instantly Invigoratingnew
On paper, the Nurses' formula sounds a shade of awful: hootenanny percussion, two guys singing in layered high-pitched caterwauls, and plinking pianos topped with synthesizers. But what music ever sounds good on paper?
Tucson Weekly |
Annie Holub |
10-29-2009 |
Reviews
Tags: Apple's Acre, Nurses
The Slits Are Back, Sounding as Uncompromising and Relevant as Evernew
The current Slits sound remarkably like the original Slits, but with fewer rough edges and more instrumental sophistication. On Trapped Animal, The Slits mix poppy, dubby reggae and danceable rock-reggae with articulate but streetwise dreadlocked British feminist ideology.
Tucson Weekly |
Carl Hanni |
10-29-2009 |
Reviews
Tags: Trapped Animal, The Slits
Star and Micey: Legend in the Making?new
Memphis' newest export is Star and Micey, a young three-piece that arrives full-born with its self-titled debut CD.
Tucson Weekly |
Carl Hanni |
10-29-2009 |
Reviews
Tags: Star and Micey
Hope Sandoval Releases Another Album Full of Deceptively Simple Songsnew
Fans of the former Mazzy Star vocalist will rejoice to learn she has a new disc out, and that it is perhaps a more beautiful psychedelic dream-pop experience than her first record.
Tucson Weekly |
Gene Armstrong |
10-29-2009 |
Reviews
Pardon the Colloquialism, but the New Mountain Goats Album is Super-Duper Goodnew
The Life of the World to Come is so good it may make you giggle and squirm and play it over and over again.
Tucson Weekly |
Sean Bottai |
10-29-2009 |
Reviews
Post-Punk Pioneers Mission of Burma Still Have Fuel to Burnnew
They've been together now longer than they were the first time around and they're back to making music that's equal parts forceful and fun -- they sound like no other band but themselves.
San Fran Bedroom-Pop Brats Girls Deliver a Killer Debut Discnew
Indie pop is the new indie rock, as evidenced by the recent popularity of bands like the Postelles and the Pains of Being Pure at Heart. Add to that list the San Francisco band Girls, who wrap their bedroom pop in many-colored paper without obscuring the classic sunny-day melodies underneath.
