AltWeeklies Wire
Bombay Bicycle Club: A Different Kind of Fixnew
North London's Bombay Bicycle Club is like that kid in class who makes it all too easy to pick on him. Rarely do American bands get away with the sort of precious, earnest and affected evocation found on BBC's third studio album, A Different Kind of Fix.
Tucson Weekly |
Mike Prevatt |
01-13-2012 |
Reviews
Tags: Bombay Bicycle Club
The Tall Paul Band: Sleepernew
Blues guitarist Tall Paul Webner has been flying under the local radar for more than 20 years, playing off nights in bars often well off the beaten path. Yet, mention his name to any number of working musicians, and the response is often, "Man, that guy can play!"
Tucson Weekly |
Jim Lipson |
01-02-2012 |
Reviews
Chris Isaak: Beyond the Sunnew
Chris Isaak was born to make this album, his tribute to the influential confluence of country, blues and rock 'n' roll created during the 1950s and 1960s at the legendary Sun Studio in Memphis, Tenn.
Tucson Weekly |
Gene Armstrong |
12-30-2011 |
Reviews
Tags: Chris Isaak
Los Campesinos!: Hello Sadness (Arts & Crafts)new
A first listen to the sturdy fourth album by Welsh cadre Los Campesinos!, Hello Sadness, can be distressing. Gareth Campesinos! snarls uncomfortably naked lines; the music vacillates almost incongruously from overcharged to restrained; and the whole ordeal feels profoundly removed from the band's previous work...
Tucson Weekly |
Michael Petitti |
12-15-2011 |
Reviews
Sabra Faulk: Acoustic Angelnew
Those in the business of writing about music love to make comparisons; it makes the job easier. This makes it all the more challenging (and gratifying!)
Tucson Weekly |
Jim Lipson |
12-05-2011 |
Reviews
Tags: sabra faulk
Mates of State: Mountaintopsnew
Mates of State's new album rushes off like a child at play. "Palomino" is concentrated sweetness, an album and perhaps career highlight for Mates of State, a band that peddles bottled joy and sunshine.
Tucson Weekly |
Eric Swedlund |
11-08-2011 |
Reviews
Tags: Mates of State
Big Tree: This New Yearnew
On its second full-length album, this creative quintet shows off its obvious jazz influences.
Tucson Weekly |
Gene Armstrong |
10-31-2011 |
Reviews
Tags: Big Tree
Monster Pussy: Tails of the Citynew
After a handful of cassette-only releases and a 7-inch single, Tucson Area Music Awards honoree Monster Pussy has finally unleashed its debut album, and Tails of the City is chock-full of quirky odes to various U.S. cities, good friends and activities in the Old Pueblo.
Tucson Weekly |
Casey Dewey |
10-01-2011 |
Reviews
Tags: monster pussy, Tucson punk
Namoli Brennet: We Were Born to Risenew
Tucson singer-songwriter Namoli Brennet's impeccable ninth album places her firmly among the best folk-rock artists in the country. It's sophisticated, witty, well-written and beautifully recorded. Brennet recorded almost every instrument herself in her home studio; drummer Todd Chuba sits behind the drum kit on three tracks.
Tucson Weekly |
Gene Armstrong |
09-28-2011 |
Reviews
Tags: Namoli Brennet
Dwarves: The Dwarves Are Born Againnew
Chicago's seminal punk/thrash band Dwarves has foundered since the mid-'80s, partially due to aggressive genre-hopping and antagonizing, politically incorrect lyrics and cover art. Since the 1990 classic Blood Guts and Pussy, the band has produced a number of albums in which erratic style changes have caused dissention among its punk-rock fan base.
Tucson Weekly |
Billups Allen |
09-28-2011 |
Reviews
Junior Boys: It's All Truenew
It's easy to underestimate the pleasures of an album like It's All True, which is content to just hang out doing its thing, trying not to bother anybody. "Kick the Can," for instance, chugs along like the theme to a lost Atari game.
Tucson Weekly |
Sean Bottai |
09-22-2011 |
Reviews
Tags: Junior Boys
Combo Westside: Full Bloomnew
It's hard to imagine a place where elements of Latin, reggae, ska and smooth jazz peacefully coexist with covers of "Fly Me to the Moon" and "Bang Bang" (Cher), but that's exactly what Combo Westside has managed to pull off on its debut CD. Throw in some revisionist disco, and you'll find yourself asking: Who are these guys?
Tucson Weekly |
Jim Lipson |
09-17-2011 |
Reviews
Heather Hardy: Get Out of the Roadnew
To say Heather Hardy is to the electric violin as Jimi Hendrix is to the guitar may be a bit of a stretch ... but not by much. The variety of sounds she can coax from her instrument is amazing, and not surprisingly, she uses the violin to lead, support and drive her third release.
Tucson Weekly |
Jim Lipson |
09-06-2011 |
Reviews
Tags: heather hardy
Twin Sister: In Heavennew
In the dry heat of a desert summer, nothing sounds livelier, more effervescent, more eardrum-quenching than Twin Sister's debut full-length, In Heaven. A Brooklyn (by way of Long Island) chillwave quintet praised by all the right online tastemakers (i.e., Pitchfork), Twin Sister is led by adorable, chirpy-voiced Andrea Estella, who takes a few cues from disco-dazzled, Parallel Lines-era Blondie and is clearly having too much fun presenting dance-pop gems like orbit-inducing "Space Babe."
Tucson Weekly |
Jarret Keene |
09-02-2011 |
Reviews
Tags: Twin Sister
The Ettes: Wicked Willnew
Precious and few are the records today that ably capture a timeless garage-punk sound and credible girl-group vocals and melodies. It seems like a holy grail combination often aspired to but rarely achieved.
Tucson Weekly |
Gene Armstrong |
08-29-2011 |
Reviews
Tags: The Ettes
