AltWeeklies Wire
Despite her MS Diagnosis, Exene Cervenka Lives for the Momentnew
The vocalist for L.A. punk stalwarts X, poet, and former wife of actor Viggo Mortensen was assembling a collection of bucolic country songs to be counted among her strongest work. But in the midst of it all she wasn't feeling well.
Creative Loafing (Atlanta) |
Chad Radford |
02-09-2010 |
Profiles & Interviews
Tags: Somewhere Gone, Exene Cervenka
Sweet Harmonies (and Chicken Jokes) Come to Madisonnew
Modern pop-country music and traditional country music have little to nothing in common with each other. Thankfully, when the Sweetback Sisters play their own brand, it's based on the latter, superior version.
New Haven Advocate |
Mike Sembos |
02-09-2010 |
Profiles & Interviews
Fences Mended, Chamillionaire is Comfortable Being the Rapper Next Doornew
Chamillionaire is the rapper you can take home to mom and dad. His albums contain very little swearing, and he won't even curse when quoting other rappers. He recalls Snoop Dogg's famous "Bitches "Ain't Shit" line as: "B's ain't nothing but hos and tricks."
Houston Press |
Ben Westhoff |
02-09-2010 |
Profiles & Interviews
Los Angeles Beatmaker Nosaj Thing's a Deft Distillernew
Like many young musicians, Los Angeles–based beatmaker Jason Chung (aka Nosaj Thing) isn’t much more than the sum of his influences. What’s remarkable about Chung is how deftly he distills and commingles secondhand sounds.
The Georgia Straight |
Martin Turenne |
02-08-2010 |
Profiles & Interviews
Tags: Jason Chung, Nosaj Thing
'End Times' is Eels' Bleakest Work Yetnew
If you’re not in the mood to hear a guy falling apart on tape, this album most definitely isn’t for you. But if raw, heart-on-sleeve expression is your bag, and it’s a rainy Sunday morning, you’ll find a lot to love about this relationship apocalypse tale.
The Music of Ebony Bones is as Brash and Brilliant As Her Wardrobenew
If you don’t know London, England’s Ebony Bones (née Ebony Thomas), don’t worry, you will soon. She’s rather hard to miss with her gigantic hair and absurdist outfits of impossible shapes and every colour in the rainbow, cranked up to maximum saturation.
Montreal Mirror |
Rupert Bottenberg |
02-05-2010 |
Profiles & Interviews
Music Fans: Check Out These 10 Artists to Watch in 2010new
Not only do we already have some great touring acts slated to darken our club doors in the early months of the year — Aretha Franklin, Tegan and Sara, Screaming Females, Beach House and Quasi among them — we've also got a slew of new local albums to look forward to as well.
Nashville Scene |
Nashville Scene Staff |
02-05-2010 |
Music
Conscious Alliance, Elephant Revival Come Together to Inaugurate Projectnew
The Buffalo Heart Project will be hosting its inaugural event in conjunction with Conscious Alliance, featuring local musicians Elephant Revival, Boulder Acoustic Society and others on Feb. 5 at the Boulder Theater.
Boulder Weekly |
Margaret Grondorf |
02-04-2010 |
Concerts
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.
The Doomtree Emcee Gets Philosophical About Hip-Hopnew
From an artistic standpoint, it's hard not to be impressed by Dessa's debut album, which was released two weeks ago to widespread acclaim. The title gets it half right: A Badly Broken Code surely deconstructs the tropes of hip-hop and recombines them in unexpected ways, but it's more than competently done.
Colorado Springs Independent |
Bill Forman |
02-04-2010 |
Profiles & Interviews
Anvil's Wishes Have Finally Come True, After Three Decadesnew
When they finally became rock stars, they were old enough to be members of AARP. But for the core members of Anvil, drummer Robb Reiner and singer/guitarist Steve “Lips” Kudlow, it was hardly too late.
The Inlander |
Leah Sottile |
02-04-2010 |
Profiles & Interviews
Shellshag, the Duo You Just Can’t Knock Downnew
Shellshag is Johnny Shell and Jen Shag. He sings and plays guitar and she sings and plays drums. For years they lived in San Francisco and ran Starcleaners, a record label and public arts space. They were in bands together and apart, but all that matters now is that they are Shellshag.
New York Press |
Adam Wisnieski |
02-04-2010 |
Profiles & Interviews
Dirty Dozen's Fight to Stay Relevant Echoes Their Hometown's Strugglesnew
If there’s anything post-Katrina that New Orleanians have come to value, it’s stability, familiarity, and tradition. The Dirty Dozen Brass Band have kept these concepts deep within their grooves for more than three decades, but the musical tradition is much older.
San Antonio Current |
Nicholas Hall |
02-03-2010 |
Profiles & Interviews
After 40 years, The Residents Ditch the Scriptnew
Even if they had closed up shop 15 years ago, the Residents would go down as some of rock's most prolific pranksters. They aped the Beatles on their 1974 debut, Meet the Residents. In 1979, they almost snagged a Grammy for a record of fake Eskimo folk tales.
Boston Phoenix |
Matt Parish |
02-02-2010 |
Reviews
'Transference,' 'Songs for Chris Knox,' 'Contra'new
Spoon might just be the most reliable franchise in indie rock. Transference is just like the previous seven albums: clean-cut but ballsy, uptempo but not even a little bit aggro. Guitar, bass, drums, keys, singer Britt Daniel's fine rasp — everybody's on the same page, synched up, interlocking.
Philadelphia City Paper |
Patrick Rapa |
02-02-2010 |
Reviews
Tags: Transference, Spoon
