AltWeeklies Wire
Zambri: House of Baasanew
The Zambri sisters' voices recall Siouxsie Sioux, almost to distraction. Part of House of Baasa's dark frisson comes from how it carries on Sioux's particular legacy, though it has less of the murky pulse of Kaleidoscope's "Christine" (though the Baasa song "Hundred Hearts" comes closest to that kind of minimalism, while cheekily suggesting the main riff to Berlin's "Take My Breath Away") and more of the symphonic clutter of Superstition's "Kiss Them for Me."...
Tucson Weekly |
Sean Bottai |
04-20-2012 |
Reviews
Andrew Bird: Break It Yourselfnew
"This peculiar incantation, I'm sure you've heard it before," Andrew Bird sings on "Desperation Breeds ...," the first song on Break It Yourself, his sixth solo album. As an introduction to the album, it's an interesting notion, both true and sort of false...
Tucson Weekly |
Eric Swedlund |
04-20-2012 |
Reviews
Tags: andrew bird
Nicki Minaj: Pink Friday: Roman Reloaded (Young Money/Universal Republic)new
The politics of Roman Reloaded are fascinating and bewildering. On the cover, Minaj dons birthday-cake-frosted whiteface. She's Paris Hilton by way of FLCL.
Tucson Weekly |
Sean Bottai |
04-05-2012 |
Reviews
Whirr: Pipe Dreams (Tee Pee)new
Guitarist Nick Bassett of San Francisco black-metal band Deafheaven has a new, wildly different project, a shoegaze-revivalist sextet called Whirr. This mysterious Bay Area band ambitiously seeks to return rock 'n' roll to the year 1991, when My Bloody Valentine pushed miasmic guitar-pop to its outer limits with the acclaimed Loveless...
Tucson Weekly |
Jarret Keene |
04-05-2012 |
Reviews
Islands: A Sleep and a Forgetting (Anti-)new
Only a heartless pustule or jaundiced cynic would actively cheer for heartbreak. Still, the history of popular music teaches that albums inspired by heartbreak are often a prickly sort of brilliant.
Tucson Weekly |
Michael Petitti |
04-02-2012 |
Reviews
Perfume Genius: Put Your Back N 2 Itnew
Out of desperation can come redemption. From challenges that threaten to break us, we learn resilience. Dangerous excess can lead to enlightenment.
Tucson Weekly |
Gene Armstrong |
03-26-2012 |
Reviews
Madi Diaz: Plastic Moonnew
There's something reassuring about the traditional musical values -- catchy vocal melodies, bright hooks, bouncy beats -- that Nashville tunesmith Madi Diaz applies to her chosen form, which is hard to call anything but power-pop.
Tucson Weekly |
Gene Armstrong |
03-16-2012 |
Reviews
Tags: madi diaz
Jenny Owen Youngs: An Unwavering Band of Lightnew
On first listen, this deeply talented singer-songwriter's third full-length album is almost overwhelming, such is its embarrassing wealth of beguiling melodies, effervescent arrangements and endearing almost-love songs. But each time I press "play," it gets better, and now I find myself looking forward to each new track as the previous one fades.
Tucson Weekly |
Gene Armstrong |
03-04-2012 |
Reviews
Tags: jenny owen youngs
Cloud Nothings: Attack on Memorynew
Attack on Memory is exciting for a lot of reasons, but mainly because it's the sound of a band finding its ambition. The group's last album was a solid, if unremarkable, affair—brief, propulsive garage rock with a bedroom-pop sensibility.
Tucson Weekly |
Sean Bottai |
02-28-2012 |
Reviews
Lawrence Ball: Method Musicnew
Few fans of the Who know or care about all that's been going on in Pete Townshend's intensely busy mind. Those who do may have followed the episodic progress of his utopian Lifehouse project, which resurfaced memorably around 2006 with his effort to synthesize a mass of original music gathered online.
Tucson Weekly |
Linda Ray |
02-16-2012 |
Reviews
Hank Topless: It's So Decembernew
Trading in wry wordplay and hard-won wisdom, singer-songwriter Hank Topless uses his warm baritone voice to weave lovely songs of nostalgia, darkness and occasional joy. The nine classic honky-tonk tracks on this new album explore a combination of humor and emotional tumult.
Tucson Weekly |
Gene Armstrong |
02-13-2012 |
Reviews
Tags: Hank Topless
Breathe Owl Breathe: The Listeners/These Train Tracksnew
I don't normally go gaga for precious, family-friendly concepts like a 7-inch vinyl record accompanied by a homemade, hand-printed-from-woodblocks children's book. But Michigan indie-folk trio Breathe Owl Breathe, led by part-time author Micah Middaugh, has crafted an exceptional release that deserves attention.
Tucson Weekly |
Jarret Keene |
02-11-2012 |
Reviews
Tags: Breathe Owl Breathe
Ruthie Foster: Let It Burnnew
In the hands of some jazz, soul and blues vocalists—Cassandra Wilson and Bettye LaVette among them—classic-rock tunes are becoming the new standards. On her terrific new album, singer-songwriter Ruthie Foster brings her signature blend of folk, blues, soul and gospel to the party. But she has help.
Tucson Weekly |
Gene Armstrong |
02-09-2012 |
Reviews
Tags: Ruthie Foster
Frank Turner: The Second Three Yearsnew
British folk-punk singer Frank Turner is gunning for the mantle occupied by the late, revered Joe Strummer, and the restless elder statesman Billy Bragg.
Tucson Weekly |
Eric Swedlund |
02-02-2012 |
Reviews
MarchFourth Marching Band: Magnificent Beastnew
Is there not something sublime about the best marching bands? Without irony, they deliver joyful melodies, inventive charts and the natural power of amassed brass—and for the last decade or so, Portland, Ore.'s MarchFourth Marching Band has taken the marching-band format in exciting new directions...
Tucson Weekly |
Gene Armstrong |
01-19-2012 |
Reviews
