AltWeeklies Wire
Okkervil River's Will Sheff Doesn't Want to Be Brandednew
The Austin group has been called indie-folk-rock and "lit-rock," but Sheff thinks it's up to the listener.
Weekly Alibi |
Thomas Gilchrist |
09-04-2007 |
Profiles & Interviews
Tags: Okkervil River, The Stage Names
Which Came First, the Diva or the Rider?new
Odd and unreasonable requests now seem to be the rule rather than the exception when musicians are on tour. See requests from Van Halen, Jennifer Lopez and Iggy and the Stooges.
Weekly Alibi |
Maren Tarro |
09-04-2007 |
Music
Merle Haggard has Served His Time Making Musicnew
Haggard turned 70 in April, but he hasn't slowed down a whit: Over the past year and a half he has released five albums of new music in addition to a flood of reissues.
Baltimore City Paper |
Geoffrey Himes |
09-04-2007 |
Profiles & Interviews
Tags: Merle Haggard
Odd Nodsam Brings the Diverse Sonicsnew
Level Live Wires could almost pass for a grimier Boards of Canada release.
Orlando Weekly |
Dominic Umile |
09-04-2007 |
Reviews
Tags: Level Live Wires, Odd Nodsam
No Age's Noise Pop Truly Delivers the Noisenew
The shoegaze haze on Weirdo Rippers can float for minutes before a salient rhythm or melody punches through to shake off the gauze.
Orlando Weekly |
Bao Le-Huu |
09-04-2007 |
Reviews
Tags: No Age, Weirdo Rippers
K-G and the Band Brings Globalism Homenew
Headed by first-generation East African immigrant K-G and his own U.N. of a backing group, the band takes its musical cues from the Platonist's view of migration.
Orlando Weekly |
Justin Strout |
09-04-2007 |
Profiles & Interviews
Tags: K-G and the Band
The Bird Names: Experimentation Without Affectationnew
The band's new album, Wooden Lake Sexual Diner, is too good to have come from a band that wastes energy fronting.
Chicago Reader |
Miles Raymer |
09-04-2007 |
Profiles & Interviews
Sierra Leone's Refugee All Stars Cope Through Songnew
The members of Sierra Leone's Refugee All Stars are exiles who have witnessed horrors, but they make vibrant and often downright festive music.
Shepherd Express |
Evan Rytlewski |
08-31-2007 |
Music
Rap Not For Profitnew
Rappers have boasted about spreading knowledge through their music for decades, but few have the bragging rights of The Figureheads, a rap group/non-profit organization that literally uses hip-hop as a teaching device.
Shepherd Express |
Evan Rytlewski |
08-31-2007 |
Music
Tags: The Figureheads
Timberlake Offers Encouragement to the Geek Withinnew
The beauty of Justin Timberlake is that more than any other pop star working today, he provides hope for the loser in us all.
The Georgia Straight |
Mike Usinger |
08-31-2007 |
Profiles & Interviews
Sam Sparro Goes for 'Gold'new
Sam Sparro's debut EP, Black & Gold, hit the streets last week with a range of up-tempo bounce, digitized soul, and break-dancing elements that show remarkable range for a six-track release.
Los Angeles CityBeat |
Dennis Romero |
08-31-2007 |
Profiles & Interviews
Tags: Black and Gold, Sam Sparro
Lamb of God: Extreme Ambassadorsnew
As one of the first of the current wave of extreme metal/hardcore bands to land a major label record deal, the band helped push the underground scene to the brink of mainstream acceptance.
Charleston City Paper |
Alan Scully |
08-31-2007 |
Profiles & Interviews
Tags: Lamb of God, Sacrament
The Dynamites Pass the Road Testnew
Common funk and soul roots help the two-year-old band sound like old vets.
Charleston City Paper |
T. Ballard Lesemann |
08-31-2007 |
Profiles & Interviews
The Delgados' Emma Pollock Releases Solo Debutnew
Pollock seems to draw inspiration from the late-90s alt-rock heyday of piss-and-vinegar girls-with-guitars (think Juliana Hatfield and 4AD babes Tanya Donelly and Kristin Hersh).
NOW Magazine |
Sarah Liss |
08-31-2007 |
Reviews
Tags: Emma Pollock, Watch the Fireworks
Maps Creates Pretension-free Psychedelic Popnew
The simplicity of James Chapman's modest 16-track home recorder leads to intimate, immediate results.
NOW Magazine |
Benjamin Boles |
08-31-2007 |
Reviews
Tags: maps, We Can Create
