AltWeeklies Wire
The Second Coming of Retribution Gospel Choirnew
Alan Sparhawk doesn't have a reputation for writing exciting music, which makes his ascent into the exuberant rock of Retribution Gospel Choir's aptly titled second coming, 2, so remarkable.
Creative Loafing (Atlanta) |
Chad Radford |
02-09-2010 |
Reviews
Tags: 2, Retribution Gospel Choir
Flip It and Reverse It: The Magnetic Fields' 'Realism'new
Not even Morrissey could pull off a line like "I want you crawling back to me, down on your knees, like an appendectomy sans anesthesia" without a hint of irony; but that's the power of Stephin Merritt.
Creative Loafing (Atlanta) |
Chad Radford |
02-09-2010 |
Reviews
Gil Scott-Heron's Remarkable New Record, 'I'm New Here'new
Gil Scott-Heron is the gruff-voiced griot and spoken-word poet who laid a good chunk of the foundation for what we know today as rapping. I'm New Here is his unremitting self-portrait of a man who's had years to catalogue and now capture his paranoia, thrills and agitations.
For the Other Definition of Success as a Band, Look Up Glossarynew
Success in music can be broadly defined. On one hand, there's the quantifiable success of hit records, sold-out stadiums, cocaine and hookers — the gold standard, rock-star version of success.
Nashville Scene |
Sean L. Maloney |
01-22-2010 |
Reviews
Tags: Feral Fire, Glossary
Afro-Beat Evolution in 'Black Man’s Cry: The Inspiration of Fela Kuti'new
Compilation features artists who both inspired and were inspired by Nigeria’s most famous musician. Fela Kuti died of AIDS in 1997. Before that he was Nigeria’s most famous musician, pioneering Afro-beat.
Creative Loafing (Atlanta) |
Ben Westhoff |
01-19-2010 |
Reviews
'Fire In My Bones': Post-World War II African-American Gospelnew
Fire in My Bones functions like an unofficial sequel to Dust-to-Digital's inaugural collection of pre-WWII African-American gospel music, Goodbye, Babylon – albeit far less grandiose in its presentation.
Creative Loafing (Atlanta) |
Chad Radford |
01-19-2010 |
Reviews
Ólöf Arnalds: 'Við og Við' ('One Little Indian')new
Icelandic multi-instrumentalist Ólöf Arnalds' solo debut was originally released in Iceland back in 2007, and is only finding a U.S. home this week. Arnalds' songs invite you to listen closely, sway, hum along and get sucked into her world.
Tucson Weekly |
Annie Holub |
01-13-2010 |
Reviews
Tags: Við og Við, Ólöf Arnalds
Fluffy Fun: Vampire Weekend's 'Contra'new
The frenetic buzz surrounding the band — the blogosphere debates over the band's merits — has made them into the Jonathan Safran Foer of indie rock. On Contra, debates about Vampire Weekend will not be settled, only recycled. If anyone still cares.
Tucson Weekly |
Sean Bottai |
01-13-2010 |
Reviews
Tags: Contra, Vampire Weekend
Los Fabulosos Cadillacs: 'El Arte de la Elegancia de LFC'new
A compilation of rerecorded and reinterpreted B-side tracks, this album follows the same pattern that has propelled the band to revered status among the Rock en Español faithful: Every few years, they’re able to rerelease old material that suddenly catches fire.
Creative Loafing (Atlanta) |
Alejandro Leal |
01-12-2010 |
Reviews
'Black Future' Will Make You Feel 16 Againnew
One small label, Heavy Artillery, has thrash-metal down pat, scooping up young, ambitious, intelligent metal bands that honor yesteryear's greats while striving for a semblance of originality in a genre that blew its wad 25 years ago.
Tucson Weekly |
Jarret Keene |
01-06-2010 |
Reviews
Tags: Black Future, Vektor
Lymbyc Systym's Michael and Jared Bell Blend Post-Rock Influencesnew
Lymbyc Systym's songs captivate instead of falling into background noise. On Shutter Release, Michael and Jared Bell blend their Sigur Rós and Explosions in the Sky influences; room-filling drums give way to microbeats, and dramatic guitar hooks give way to quieter and more contemplative synthesized melodies, often within the same song.
Tucson Weekly |
Annie Holub |
01-06-2010 |
Reviews
West Coast Music: Devotion to the Same Heronew
This odd pairing has made a record interesting enough to not only spark more curiosity in Kerouac, Big Sur and the album's accompanying documentary, but also how and why American artists across generations keep approaching the same themes.
Tucson Weekly |
Eric Swedlund |
12-31-2009 |
Reviews
Making More Lists: Our Critics Keep Naming the Best Music of 2009new
Our annual saga of music Top 10 lists kicked off recently, and now we present to you the thrilling conclusion of Our Favorite Albums of 2009. One of the albums named: Vic Chesnutt's At the Cut.
Tucson Weekly |
Jarret Keene, Curtis McCrary, Michael Petitti and Stephen Seigel |
12-31-2009 |
Reviews
Tags: Year in Review
2009: The Musical Year In Reviewnew
What follows is 10 of my obsessions from this past year. This is the stuff that I couldn’t get out of my head, starting with Hypnotic Brass Ensemble's self-titled album.
L.A. Weekly |
Randall Roberts |
12-28-2009 |
Reviews
You May Think the Idea of Box Sets is Passé... Until You See These Releasesnew
Given file-sharing and the growing number of digital-download Web sites, both legal and otherwise, owning a bunch of music by one artist on several CDs in a cardboard box (no matter how cool the graphics and extras) is so old-school.
Tucson Weekly |
Gene Armstrong |
12-10-2009 |
Reviews
