AltWeeklies Wire
Sunn O))) Moves Mountains With Apocalyptic Soundnew
With the group's members spread out across the globe, getting them together on the same continent is a chore no less monumental than the doom-laden riffs Sunn O))) wields.
Creative Loafing (Atlanta) |
Chad Radford |
09-22-2009 |
Profiles & Interviews
Tags: Monoliths & Dimensions, Sunn o)))
How Trikont is Saving the World, One Compilation at a Timenew
It's safe to say that Achim Bergmann of Trikont, Germany's oldest independent record label, has an affinity for the underdog. The label's eclectic catalog has been transcending language boundaries and international borders long before "world music" became a Billboard buzzword.
San Francisco Bay Guardian |
Nicole Gluckstern |
09-22-2009 |
Music
In Philly, Dean & Britta Set Music to Andy Warhol's Barely Moving Picturesnew
The pair has long been associated with dreamy, cranky, Velvet Underground-like pop, adore '60s cinema and sound-tracked recent film fare like Noah Baumbach's The Squid and the Whale. They were born to make a live score for the Live Arts Festival's 13 Most Beautiful ... Songs for Andy Warhol's Screen Tests.
Philadelphia City Paper |
A.D. Amorosi |
09-22-2009 |
Profiles & Interviews
Jay-Z's Latest 'Blueprint' is Still Less Inspired and Less Fluid than the Firstnew
Mostly, the album is Jay's attempt to get hip -- or hipster -- as he enlists a crop of fresh new talent discovered by Kanye West to help him sound relevant. Unfortunately, much like a 40-year-old divorcee who hits the town with her daughter's friends, it's clear that Jay doesn't quite fit in among this crowd, and The Blueprint 3 suffers for it.
Celebrating the 35th Anniversary of 'KISS Alive'new
I say to you snobs who stayed away from "the greatest live album ever re-recorded" because you were too busy, I dunno, reading books or getting indoctrinated into disco or est, here's a track-by-track re-creation of what you missed (which poses no danger for you of hearing even a single note of it).
Metro Times |
Serene Dominic |
09-22-2009 |
Music
Will Gossip Blog Notoriety Translate into Music Industry Clout for Perez Hilton?new
You could almost hear universal snickering in the music industry a few months ago when Perez Hilton announced his intention to start a label and become the next Jimmy Iovine. Now the industry watches to see what the Perezcious Music label will bring.
NOW Magazine |
Jason Keller |
09-21-2009 |
Music
Dallas' Neon Indian Hits the National Scenenew
Despite the fact that the band's debut release still won't see the light of day until October, the hyper-aware music fans at the Monolith Festival sang along as the band launched into "Terminally Chill," the first song the band leaked to its internet fan base earlier this summer.
Dallas Observer |
Pete Freedman |
09-21-2009 |
Profiles & Interviews
Tags: Neon Indian, Monolith Festival
Sub Pop Offshoot Hardly Art is Hardly Starvingnew
Like the now-defunct Sub Pop offshoot label Die Young Stay Pretty, Hardly Art receives financial backing from Sub Pop. But unlike DYSP, Hardly Art is determined to live to see middle age on its own dime.
Seattle Weekly |
Sara Brickner |
09-21-2009 |
Music
Nathan Williams of Wavves Likes His Rock Served Rawnew
Whether Nathan Williams, the multi-instrumentalist behind San Diego's Wavves, likes it or not, his musical vehicle has been shoved under the ever-widening umbrella of lo-fi, or "no-fi" or, to use my new personal favorite term from the blogosphere, "shitgaze."
Montreal Mirror |
Johnson Cummins |
09-18-2009 |
Profiles & Interviews
Jamaican Hitmaker Sean Kingston Hears With a Teen's Earsnew
They may be as shiny and sugary as any Top 10 tune, but the hooks from Sean Kingston's 2007 hit, "Beautiful Girls," and his latest, "Fire Burning," combine a contagious catchiness with a touch of dancehall and a pile of youthful exuberance.
Montreal Mirror |
Erin MacLeod |
09-18-2009 |
Profiles & Interviews
Tags: Sean Kingston, Tomorrow
On Album 12, Yo La Tengo Again Turns Familiar Music Inside Outnew
For 25 years, Yo La Tengo has taken a contrarian approach to originality. Unafraid to evoke other artists, genres and time periods, the trio has dabbled in folk, pop, doo-wop, classic rock and the avant-garde.
INDY Week |
Marc Masters |
09-18-2009 |
Profiles & Interviews
Two Jersey Boys Called Spider Bags Find a New Chance in North Carolinanew
Goodbye Cruel World, Hello Crueler World, the second album by Spider Bags, is a glorious mess. Each of its 10 tracks feels as if it fights from beneath a haze of distortion or gasps for air underneath a tide of tape hiss.
INDY Week |
Grayson Currin |
09-18-2009 |
Profiles & Interviews
Langhorne Slim Comes to Portland and Makes an Excellent Recordnew
Be Set Free is an intoxicating listen, one that frames Langhorne Slim in a brand-new light and plainly makes the case for Scolnick as one of the best American songwriters currently active.
The Portland Mercury |
Ned Lannamann |
09-18-2009 |
Profiles & Interviews
Tags: Be Set Free, Langhorne Slim
Dear 'Diary': Sunny Day Real Estate Returnsnew
Judging from the band's beaming comments, this current reunion -- all original members, all old songs -- feels like a sincere gesture, and while it's hard to ignore the nostalgia and historical revisionism of it all, it's just nice to have Sunny Day Real Estate back in our lives.
The Portland Mercury |
Ezra Ace Caraeff |
09-18-2009 |
Profiles & Interviews
Vivian Girls' Struggle With Celebrity Makes for Irresistible Musicnew
The most recent Vivian Girls release is considerably more aggressive than the band's self-titled debut. Not that the Phil Spector-by-way-of-Psychocandy vibe has totally disappeared, but this time out, the very obvious pop influence is tinged with a fair amount of urgency.
Washington City Paper |
Mike Kanin |
09-17-2009 |
Reviews
