AltWeeklies Wire
'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
Nellie McKay Talks 'A Prairie Home Companion,' Politics, and Doris Daynew
As a forward-thinking musician, Nellie McKay has jumped all over the map in the last decade, with albums spanning pop music, funk, disco, and hip hop. Her most recent, Normal as Blueberry Pie, veers into surprisingly traditional territory with a collection of Doris Day covers.
City Pages (Twin Cities) |
Andrea Swensson |
01-06-2010 |
Profiles & Interviews
Los Cenzontles, a Group at the Cutting Edge in Latin Musicnew
I find it particularly sad and absurd that a band like California’s Los Cenzontles (sehn-SONT-less, Spanish for “mockingbirds”), except for a private event here in 1995, are busier and more appreciated in Scotland and Ireland than they are in San Antonio.
San Antonio Current |
Enrique Lopetegui |
01-06-2010 |
Profiles & Interviews
Former Seattle Weekly Editor Aja Pecknold’s a Fleet Foxnew
As the paper's former clubs editor, Aja Pecknold churned out blurbs for The Short List, maintained her "Behind the Scenes" column, and penned some lively features. She now serves as point person for all things Fleet Foxes.
Seattle Weekly |
Brian J. Barr |
01-04-2010 |
Profiles & Interviews
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
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 Awkward Hit-Makers: Berkeley's The Cataracsnew
There's a studied, left-brained pragmatism to The Cataracs' approach: Perhaps because they don't have classical backgrounds or industry connections, they've spent years examining and analyzing what it takes to make a hit and applying this knowledge to every new track.
East Bay Express |
Ellen Cushing |
12-30-2009 |
Profiles & Interviews
Our Dismal Decade: A Highly Subjective Look at the Decade in Musicnew
The decade was imminently forgettable. But with great tribulation comes great art, and music saved my soul. It's no wonder this list is dominated by dour, dark music — as a mirror of emotion, it's practically flawless.
Dig Boston |
David Day |
12-30-2009 |
Music
Born Under a Blues Sign: Lurrie Bell Carries on a Family Legacynew
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. His father, Carey Bell, was nominated for his own Grammy three decades ago.
Colorado Springs Independent |
Bill Forman |
12-29-2009 |
Profiles & Interviews
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
Alan Palomo Scores With Neon Indian's Hazy Soundsnew
Mapping out a universe of spongy synth leads and canned beats, Dallas-bred knob-tinkerer Alan Palomo has managed an offbeat triumph in Psychic Chasms, the debut of Neon Indian, his mostly one-man bedroom project.
Dallas Observer |
Doug Wallen |
12-28-2009 |
Profiles & Interviews
Before the Cheesecake Factory, Arlington Was Home to Storied Punk Residencesnew
Collin Crowe, 26, the guitarist for Buildings, was among the final tenants of Kansas House, a tiny single-family home on the corner of N. Kansas Street and Wilson Boulevard that was among Arlington’s last underground art spaces.
Washington City Paper |
Aaron Leitko |
12-17-2009 |
Music
The Last Frontier: Portugal. The Man Are Like No Othernew
In lieu of resting on the crutch of their regional association, the band turned the calendar pages of 2009 by recording a pair of albums—The Satanic Satanist, their most successful release to date, and American Ghetto, due out next spring.
The Portland Mercury |
Ezra Ace Caraeff |
12-17-2009 |
Profiles & Interviews
Tags: American Ghetto, Portugal. The Man
Team Spirit: Durham's 307 Knox Records Turns Fivenew
Since 2004, the imprint has released 31 records—a compilation full of Bull City bands, full-lengths by Midtown Dickens, The Future Kings of Nowhere and Cantwell, Gomez & Jordan and a series of 7-inch vinyl singles. Meet founder Melissa Thomas.
