AltWeeklies Wire
'Too Thirsty' Pales in Comparison to Quintron's Live Showsnew
Quintron and puppet master/spouse, Miss Pussycat, can't quite put together a record that holds the excitement or spectacle of their shows.
Creative Loafing (Atlanta) |
Chad Radford |
11-20-2008 |
Reviews
Beyonce Channels Her Inner Queen on 'Sasha Fierce'new
If her album title seems like the moniker for a transgendered entertainer, it wouldn't be the only thing that's gay about Beyonce's third (rushed) solo project.
Creative Loafing (Atlanta) |
L. Michael Gipson |
11-20-2008 |
Reviews
Tags: Beyonce, I Am...Sasha Fierce
Anthony Hamilton: Soul on Icenew
Soul music has never been an art form that people considered "playful." Chat with Charlotte-born/based soul vocalist Anthony Hamilton about his soon-to-be-released CD, The Point of It All, and it's easy to see this dude just wants to have fun.
Creative Loafing (Charlotte) |
Carlton Hargro |
11-19-2008 |
Profiles & Interviews
Windsurf's Beach Blanket Disconew
The pair's newly released debut, Coastlines, evokes the carefree surf 'n' sand lifestyle its title suggests, with echoing synths, dubby basslines, and lush songs that stretch out to luxurious lengths.
SF Weekly |
Jennifer Maerz |
11-19-2008 |
Profiles & Interviews
Tags: coastlines, Windsurf
Absent Arch Loves That Dirty Basement Soundnew
The band's new album combines polished folk and lo-fi charm.
City Pages (Twin Cities) |
Andrea Swensson |
11-19-2008 |
Profiles & Interviews
Scoping Out the Wild World of Blog Darlings Vivian Girlsnew
Since their self-titled debut sold out its original 500-copy run on Mauled by Tigers in just 10 days earlier this year -- it has since been reissued by In the Red -- the attention has snowballed around their rather meek undertaking to, as Kickball Katy said, "sound like the Wipers."
San Francisco Bay Guardian |
Michael Harkin |
11-19-2008 |
Profiles & Interviews
Tags: Vivian Girls
'President' is Easily Murs' Best Release to Datenew
Released a year behind schedule but at a timely moment nonetheless, Murs for President retains the qualities of backpacker hip-hop, despite its new Warner Bros. patina.
East Bay Express |
Rachel Swan |
11-19-2008 |
Reviews
Los Rakas Puts a New Spin on Barrio Hip-Hopnew
The group's forthcoming mixtape, La Tanda del Bus, takes its name from the "Diablo Rojo" buses in Panama, which are known for their splashy paintjobs and for the dancehall mixes that bump on their stereos. A follow-up to 2006's Panabay Twist, it's a distinctly Latino spin on the "yellow bus" motif that's been ubiquitous in Bay Area hip-hop.
East Bay Express |
Rachel Swan |
11-19-2008 |
Profiles & Interviews
Label Them All You Want, but Yeasayer Aren't Sunshiny Happy Peoplenew
While bands like MGMT (the poster boys of the new psychedelic movement) garner rave reviews for being poppy and unthreatening, Yeasayer's debut album, last year's All Hour Cymbals, plays out like an unbalanced career retrospective.
San Diego CityBeat |
Seth Combs |
11-19-2008 |
Profiles & Interviews
Tags: All Hour Cymbals, Yeasayer
Wonderlove is Back, with the Same Sound but Different Prioritiesnew
The celebrated Orange County band formed in 2000 and broke up in 2004; even though their music is hardly politically charged, there's some symmetry in the fact they're reuniting in 2008, on the cusp of a new national administration and near the close of a tulmultuous decade.
OC Weekly |
Albert Ching |
11-18-2008 |
Profiles & Interviews
Tags: Orange County, Wonderlove
Kinch Makes 'Advances' by Giving Their First Album Awaynew
"I think that the option for us was — are we gonna sell a hundred copies to friends and family or get people to listen it, and if they like it, they'll buy stuff from us in the future," says Andrew Junker. "We want to do this the rest of our lives, so giving our first record away is really kind of a no-brainer."
Phoenix New Times |
Serene Dominic |
11-18-2008 |
Profiles & Interviews
Travis' Sixth Album Introduces a Heavier Soundnew
The end result is an album that's good, but not great, and unlikely to move the needle on the band's evidently declining fan base.
Tags: Travis, Ode to J. Smith
Houston Goes International with the Latin Grammysnew
What in the world is such an important event -- 49 awards in categories ranging from cumbia, ranchera and norteño to urban and alternative -- doing in Houston, of all places?
Houston Press |
Chris Gray |
11-18-2008 |
Music
Reggae Artist Queen Ifrica Speaks Truth to Powernew
While she's been working on building her name throughout Jamaica for the past ten years, Ifrica (born Ventrice Morgan) is just now starting to gain an international following.
New Times Broward-Palm Beach |
Jonathan Cunningham |
11-18-2008 |
Profiles & Interviews
James Blunt on the Force of Famenew
Unapologetic balladeer James Blunt thinks happiness does matter and hits the '70s in All the Lost Souls.
The Georgia Straight |
Steve Newton |
11-18-2008 |
Profiles & Interviews
Tags: All the Lost Souls, James Blunt
