AltWeeklies Wire
HIM's Ville Valo Rolls in Gloom and Glamnew
While the lyrical bent of HIM tends toward the gloomy, the music on Venus Doom is actually quite upbeat, drawing on everything from '90s alt-metal to '80s glam-pop to '70s guitar-rock.
The Georgia Straight |
Steve Newton |
11-12-2007 |
Profiles & Interviews
Tags: HIM, Venus Doom
M.I.A. on Making Troublenew
A kind of audio travelogue of her visits to India, Angola, Liberia, and Trinidad, M.I.A.'s excellent Kala succeeds not just musically it's one of the year's best records but as a powerful symbol of activism in an era of rampant political apathy and self-absorption.
The Georgia Straight |
Martin Turenne |
11-12-2007 |
Profiles & Interviews
Aqueduct Shuns Pretensionnew
"People are always making comments at shows that we’re a very approachable band and we look like regular people and we’re nice like regular people," says David Terry.
Philadelphia Weekly |
Michael Alan Goldberg |
11-12-2007 |
Profiles & Interviews
Tags: Aqueduct, Or Give Me Death
Deborah Harry on New Album, Biopicnew
A Jersey girl in a folk band doesn't become canonized as "the Marilyn Monroe of punk" without more than a little moxie.
Philadelphia Weekly |
Tara Murtha |
11-12-2007 |
Profiles & Interviews
Tags: Deborah Harry, Necessary Evil
Robert Plant and Alison Krauss Team Upnew
If Robert Plant and singer-fiddler Alison Krauss seem an unlikely duo, remember: The roots of Led Zeppelin and bluegrass grow from the ancient drone of Anglo-Celtic folk music.
Shepherd Express |
David Luhrssen |
11-12-2007 |
Reviews
Guitarist Bryan Lee Remembers Hurricane Katrinanew
The title track, also written by Lee, stands out, as the slow, sad and meditative number describes people's suffering during and after the hurricane.
Shepherd Express |
Sonia Katchadourian |
11-12-2007 |
Reviews
Tags: Bryan Lee, Katrina was Her Name
Modest Mouse + American Idol = Funnynew
When Modest Mouse released "Float On" in 2004, some dismissed it as the band's bid for commercial radio play. Its appeal proved broad enough for both a children's music compilation and a top-rated television program.
Shepherd Express |
Evan Rytlewski |
11-12-2007 |
Profiles & Interviews
Tags: Modest Mouse
Saddle Up With Band of Horsesnew
For lead singer/guitarist Ben Bridwell, stroking his ever-growing beard in the Palmetto State is working better for him than the eternal dampness of the dreary Pacific Northwest.
Montreal Mirror |
Erik Leijon |
11-12-2007 |
Profiles & Interviews
Tags: Band of Horses, Cease to Begin
The Informants: Ably Retronew
Stiletto Angel doesn't offer anything particularly novel; its jump blues and boogie-woogie numbers connect the dots in the expected, but well-executed ways.
Tags: Stiletto Angel, The Informants
Souja Boy May be a Good Marketer, But ...new
This is what rap would have sounded like if it had been invented in the nineteenth century: simple snaps, barely pronounced syllables, minimal percussion and a guy yelling "Youuuuuu!" in the background.
Tags: Soulja Boy, Souljaboytellem.com
Tool Leader Goes Lewdnew
The most-viewed YouTube clip starring Puscifer, Tool leader Maynard James Keenan's twisted side project, is "Cuntry Boner," which features MJK, his drawers distended by a massive faux erection, twanging out lines such as "I've fucked Minnie Pearl" over a stomping hoedown beat.
Tags: V Is for Vagina, Puscifer
Marchel Ivery's Death Leaves Dallas' Jazz Scene Longingnew
Early in the afternoon of Oct. 30, Carrol -- like every other jazz musician around town -- got the phone call: Marchel Ivery, at age 69, died around 5:30 that very morning. And just like that, one of Dallas' most beloved and influential musicians was gone.
Dallas Observer |
Robert Wilonsky |
11-12-2007 |
Music
Dooney da Priest's Fight Against Sagging Won't Worknew
Commissioned by Deputy Mayor Pro Tem Dwaine Caraway, Dooney's "Pull Your Pants Up" is a four-minute plea to "urban" youths, who favor the long-popular style of dropped drawers, to get some jeans that fit, for chrissakes.
Dallas Observer |
Jonanna Widner |
11-12-2007 |
Profiles & Interviews
Boys Like Girls Were Born to be Rock Starsnew
The band has slowly, but surely, been making a name for itself over the past two years -- now its heading out on its first headlining tour.
Boulder Weekly |
Alan Sculley |
11-12-2007 |
Profiles & Interviews
Tags: Boys Like Girls
Martin Atkins is Givin' Us Chinese Rocknew
The industrial legend goes to Beijing and brings back two albums of eye-opening music.
Chicago Reader |
Miles Raymer |
11-12-2007 |
Profiles & Interviews
Tags: Martin Atkins
