AltWeeklies Wire
Scramble for Africa 3.0: Indie Bands Lead the Charge in Sonic Imperialismnew
Vampire Weekend and other indie participants in the sonic Scramble for Africa 3.0 obviously see midcentury and postcolonial African pop culture as a cheap date, a provider of organic rock mystery where one can queue for heaping sides of hi-life, soukous, mbaqanga, mbalax, juju, rai, township jive, and Ténéré desert blues.
San Francisco Bay Guardian |
Kandia Crazy Horse |
06-11-2008 |
Music
Erykah Badu Lets it All Flynew
But no matter how broken-down Badu's New Amerykah gets, there is always an undercurrent fed by the missions for social justice that Badu feels she has been called upon to fight.
San Francisco Bay Guardian |
KATE IZQUIERDO |
06-04-2008 |
Profiles & Interviews
'Flowers' for Kathleen Edwardsnew
Edwards has bubbled under since her 2003 debut, widely celebrated by music cognoscenti with reliable ears. But her world-weary folkie moves reminded me of Lucinda Williams and other sepia-tone, anachronist comers of the period. With Asking for Flowers, she has finally distinguished herself from much of alt-country's fringe-fetish ghetto.
San Francisco Bay Guardian |
Kandia Crazy Horse |
05-14-2008 |
Reviews
Janelle Monae Seems Like the Freak of Every Weeknew
Less the "black Bjork" than heir to Arthur Lee's black rock throne, Janelle Monae preps for blastoff.
San Francisco Bay Guardian |
Kandia Crazy Horse |
05-08-2008 |
Profiles & Interviews
Tags: Janelle Monae
Berkeley's Morning Benders Hark Back to the Glory of '60s Songwritingnew
The quartet's debut, Talking Through Tin Cans, chronicles the highs and lows of young romance in exuberant three-minute bursts bubbling with guitar jangles and winsome harmonies.
San Francisco Bay Guardian |
Todd Lavoie |
04-30-2008 |
Profiles & Interviews
Les Savy Fav's Tim Harrington Defies the Predictablenew
Without taking away from the rest of the group, it's the cognitive dissonance Harrington creates with his stage presence and lyrics that make Les Savy Fav so powerful.
San Francisco Bay Guardian |
Duncan Scott Davidson |
04-23-2008 |
Profiles & Interviews
Tags: Les Savy Fav, Let's Stay Friends
How Green is My Music?new
We won't even get into the acres of paper, publications, and CDs surrounding this red-faced, would-be greenster. I'm downloading as fast as I can, but I wonder whether my hard drive can keep up: hells, even MP3s add to my huge, honking footprint. Must I resign myself to daytime acoustic throw-downs within a walkable radius from my berth? Can I get a hand-crank laptop?
San Francisco Bay Guardian |
Kimberly Chun |
04-16-2008 |
Music
Stars of the Lid Continually Refines the Mixnew
Adam Wiltzie and Brian McBride have taken their time refining their soporific version of Brian Eno's barely there aesthetic, releasing just a handful of beatless, slow-burning full-lengths during the past decade.
San Francisco Bay Guardian |
Matt Sussman |
04-09-2008 |
Profiles & Interviews
Jackie Greene Finds Life Among the Deadnew
The rootsy singer-songwriter -- formerly a big fish in the relatively small pond of Sacramento who now lives in San Francisco -- has had great things expected of him since he was a solo troubadour fresh out of high school.
San Francisco Bay Guardian |
Blair Jackson |
04-09-2008 |
Profiles & Interviews
The Dirty Projectors Blaze a Path Less Travelednew
First conceived in New Haven, Conn., Dave Longstreth's namesake went through many permutations before settling in Brooklyn as an elemental two guitars-bass-drums quartet.
San Francisco Bay Guardian |
Max Goldberg |
04-09-2008 |
Profiles & Interviews
Tags: Rise Above, The Dirty Projectors
Autechre: Listening Deeply to Future's Pastnew
With this month's release of Quaristice, the Manchester electro pioneers have proven once again why they remain the most vital experimental force of the Warp generation.
San Francisco Bay Guardian |
Erik Morse |
04-02-2008 |
Profiles & Interviews
Tags: Autechre, Quaristice
Just Keep Walkennew
Multiple maniacs won't deter these metal vets.
San Francisco Bay Guardian |
Duncan Scott Davidson |
04-02-2008 |
Profiles & Interviews
Tags: Walken
Metal Mania: The Return of the Kingsnew
Bay Area thrash is on the comeback as Exodus and Testament rouse new fans with new recordings.
San Francisco Bay Guardian |
Ben Richardson |
04-02-2008 |
Music
South by Cynicnew
South by Southwest underwhelmed -- again -- but a few fab moments shined through the product placement.
San Francisco Bay Guardian |
Kimberly Chun |
03-19-2008 |
Music
Beach House: Reveille in Reverbnew
The Baltimore duo shows Devotion can be a dream.
San Francisco Bay Guardian |
Max Goldberg |
03-12-2008 |
Profiles & Interviews
Tags: Beach House, Devotion
