AltWeeklies Wire
Spacing Out: Blockhead's 'The Music Scene'new
Manhattan beatmaker Blockhead has quietly been releasing consistently strong solo albums in the last half-decade. His tracks for other artists tend to be more in the hard-hitting, slicing-and-dicing, traditional hip-hop vein, but albums such as his latest, 'The Music Scene,' give him an opportunity to be more atmospheric and experimental.
Creative Loafing (Atlanta) |
Ben Westhoff |
01-12-2010 |
Reviews
Tags: Blockhead, The Music Scene
Great Minds Think Alike: 'Live' by Duet For Theremin and Lap Steelnew
Duet for Theremin and Lap Steel's latest offering captures two sprawling masses of improvised drones too harmonious to be called avant-garde and too experimental for stuffy modern classical terms. These sounds are the product of two minds sharing a single headspace and letting the music drive – which is typical of the Atlanta duo.
Creative Loafing (Atlanta) |
Chad Radford |
01-12-2010 |
Reviews
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
Alicia Keys Speaks to the Soul on 'The Element of Freedom'new
There are singers for whom song is one thing and one thing only: a church. Alicia Keys is that kind of artist, and for those of us who still look to records for uplift, for comfort, for a soundtrack to our joy and sorrow and fumbling growth, for a way to make sense of the human experience — Alicia is our girl.
The Georgia Straight |
Tara Henley |
01-11-2010 |
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
'The Martyrdom of a Catastrophist' is Superbnew
The Boston metal band Junius, whose superb The Martyrdom of a Catastrophist has the frustrating distinction of arriving too late to qualify for any best-of-year lists, is indeed among the more precise and scientific of recent hard rock bands.
Philadelphia City Paper |
J. Edward Keyes |
01-05-2010 |
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
Wild Guitar Tamer: Loren Dircks' 'Killing the Magic'new
This singer-songwriter, who for years led Gila Bend, is exploring other music influences — and his new the album couldn't be more interesting.
Tucson Weekly |
Gene Armstrong |
12-31-2009 |
Reviews
Tags: Killing the Magic, Loren Dircks
Addition by Subtractionnew
After two albums of wispy, hushed folk with electronic atmospherics, only vocalist John Orth and guitarist Jeff Hays remained in Holopaw - yet after recruiting a handful of new members and a smattering of additional players, the band has released album of magnificent heights and gorgeous depths.
Tucson Weekly |
Michael Petitti |
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
The Chieftains' 'Bells of Dublin' is the Greatest Christmas Recording Evernew
There's something for everyone: For traditionalists there are wonderful, inspired versions of standards like God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen, O Come All Ye Faithful and O Holy Night, as well as Marianne Faithfull, who sounds like she's been hitting the egg nog pretty hard.
Philadelphia City Paper |
Rodney Anonymous |
12-29-2009 |
Reviews
Top 10 Dance Albums of 2009: Club-Land Crossovernew
2009 was a banner year for core e-music grooves. If one thing marked 2009 on the dance floor, it was a new sense of eclecticism. Cool-kid indie DJs played trance, trance jocks name-checked MGMT, dance stars went pop, pop stars went dance.
L.A. Weekly |
Dennis Romero |
12-28-2009 |
Reviews
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
A Review of the Country-rock Mason Dixon Band's Debutnew
Every classic country album needs a sappy romance song, and "Unspoken Promises" delivers it with a slow tempo and whining steel guitar in the background. "Ain't Dead Yet" is the best track because it sounds more like a snippet from life on the road than just another folk diddy.
Charleston City Paper |
Patrick McGinn |
12-16-2009 |
Reviews
