AltWeeklies Wire
Brooklyn's Clare and the Reasons Make Charmed Chamber Popnew
Clare Muldaur’s honey-sweet vocals and fanciful soundscapes may belie the sophistication of her compositions and her husband’s arrangements of brass, strings and woodwinds, but it’s that levity and wonder that make Clare and the Reasons so charming.
Montreal Mirror |
Lorraine Carpenter |
01-22-2010 |
Profiles & Interviews
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
John Hammond Recalls His Meetings With Clapton, Hendrix, Dylan and Waitsnew
John Hammond's latest Grammy nomination is for last year's Rough & Tough album, which he recorded at the landmark St. Peter's Church in New York City. Were he not so talented and accomplished in his own right, it would be easy to dismiss Hammond as the music world's version of Woody Allen's Leonard Zelig.
Colorado Springs Independent |
Bill Forman |
01-21-2010 |
Profiles & Interviews
Tags: John Hammond, Rough & Tough, The Band, Tom Waits, Satan, Bob Dylan, Jimi Hendrix, Eric Clapton, Grammy
Grammy-Nominated Red Helps Rock In a New Era of Christian Musicnew
“[Christian rock] has evolved and changed so much that nowadays it’s a little bit different in our eyes, so call it what you will,” says Red guitarist Anthony Armstrong. “We’re Christian guys who write music in a band and play rock songs, so at the end of the day, we’re just a rock band.”
Monterey County Weekly |
Adam Joseph |
01-21-2010 |
Profiles & Interviews
Cloud Technology and the Future of Portable Musicnew
The common way to listen to music has changed relatively slowly over the years, from records to CDs to downloadable files. Downloads could go the way of the forlorn CD, felled by something even more ephemeral: the Cloud.
Nine Minutes With Exene Cervenka of L.A. Punk Band Xnew
On January 5, I had the odd pleasure of a telephone interview with Exene Cervenka, lead singer of the quintessential Los Angeles punk band X. Founded in 1977, X combined poetic lyrics with rockabilly arrangements and eerie harmonies to create a sound no one had ever heard before.
San Antonio Current |
Bryan Rindfuss |
01-20-2010 |
Profiles & Interviews
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
Michael Eades' Label YK Records Bridges the Physical-Digital Gapnew
In his role as Spongebath Records' webmaster, Michael Eades told the staff and bands about a new digital audio encoding format called MPEG-1 Audio Layer 3 — more commonly known as MP3 — that would later flip the old music business model on its lid.
Nashville Scene |
Matt Sullivan |
01-15-2010 |
Music
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
Israeli Folk Group HaBanot Nechama is Ready to Comfort America Nextnew
HaBanot Nechama's soulful, acoustic songs revel in femininity. Layers of lush vocals, in a fluently shifting mix of English and Hebrew, dance over lurching reggae rhythms and finger-snapping folk. These ladies are feisty — maybe a little gypsy in spirit — but they also seem sweet.
San Diego CityBeat |
AnnaMaria Stephens |
01-13-2010 |
Profiles & Interviews
Tags: HaBanot Nechama
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
Quinn Peaks: Calgary-Bred Duo Reaches New Heights With Sainthoodnew
For every moment of unabashed sentiment in the pair’s music, there is a moment of calculated self-awareness, like the sisters are following their hearts. With their latest release, Sainthood, Tegan and Sara are finally letting go of their fixation on the mystery of their art, and just letting the songs be songs.
Fast Forward Weekly |
Matt Learoyd |
01-07-2010 |
Profiles & Interviews
Born Under a Blues Signnew
Lurrie Bell's nomination for a Grammy Award earlier this month was the latest confirmation of the blues inheritance that sustained his career and even saved his life.
Colorado Springs Independent |
Bill Forman |
01-07-2010 |
Profiles & Interviews
