AltWeeklies Wire
Can This Auto-Tune Trend Just Stop Already?new
Ah, Auto-Tune -- the newest tool for artists to enhance their vocals. Due to this item, quite a few rappers have recently decided they can sing all of the sudden.
Philadelphia Weekly |
Craig D. Lindsey |
09-22-2008 |
Profiles & Interviews
I Love Stars For the Same Reason You Hate Themnew
Stars, to me, are perfect—the urgent, unmuffled whisper of acutely self-aware melodrama.
Philadelphia Weekly |
Caralyn Green |
09-22-2008 |
Reviews
Tags: Stars, Sad Robots
Vincent Gallo Talks Buffalo, RRIICCEE and Experimentationnew
His experiences with the media, especially some of those in his hometown, still leave a bitter taste in his mouth, in case anyone was wondering. However, his message now is one of hope for Buffalo (and, yes, its media) and that we should learn we can be proud of our own.
Artvoice |
Robyn Conniff |
09-22-2008 |
Profiles & Interviews
How Kid Rock's Rejection of iTunes Let Others Beat Him on the Charts with His Own Songnew
The Hit Masters' version of "All Summer Long" reached number five on the iTunes single-song sales chart. By the end of the week it had outstripped Kid Rock's version on Billboard's Hot 100, peaking at number 19 while the original was at number 25.
Chicago Reader |
Miles Raymer |
09-22-2008 |
Music
Ra Ra Riot Worth Rooting Fornew
Even hardened music critics use kinder, gentler words when constructively pointing out the band’s musical shortcomings. That’s because the indie kids from Syracuse, New York, have overcome unthinkable adversity to put out their debut album, The Rhumb Line.
The Georgia Straight |
Sarah Rowland |
09-19-2008 |
Profiles & Interviews
Tags: Ra Ra Riot, The Rhumb Line
Vancouver's New Breed of Musical Mavericksnew
From circuit-frying techno-punk to creaky-floorboards alt-folk, and from heartfelt indie rock to neck-snapping metal, these are the sounds that make a night out in Vancouver a sonic adventure.
The Georgia Straight |
Staff |
09-19-2008 |
Profiles & Interviews
Tags: Vancouver, music scenes
Okkervil River Overflows With Dramanew
Ironically enough, Will Sheff has come to learn that there’s a downside to being famous, even when that fame is at the grassroots level.
The Georgia Straight |
Mike Usinger |
09-19-2008 |
Profiles & Interviews
Tags: Okkervil River
'Death Magnetic' is a Calculated Maneuver to Recapture the Sound of Metallica Pastnew
The bits of punk and goth and country and blues and pop that crept their way into the sound of albums like 1996's sorely underrated Load have been summarily stripped away, but the result is not that Metallica sound like old Metallica; it's that they sound like some band trying to sound like old Metallica.
Las Vegas Weekly |
Josh Bell |
09-19-2008 |
Reviews
Tags: Metallica, Death Magnetic
Jeanna Salzer: Contemporary Pop Newcomernew
Salzer, a third-year student at Alverno College, is blessed with a voice that belies her young age: She sings with an authority and authenticity that seems to have little place in the world of contemporary pop music.
Shepherd Express |
Michael Carriere |
09-19-2008 |
Profiles & Interviews
Tags: Jeanna Salzer, Raindrops
The Goodnight Loving Gets Nostalgic for Milwaukeenew
Though he cautions that two of his band mates who once lived there might disagree with him, Andy Kavanaugh doesn't have many kind words about Green Bay.
Shepherd Express |
Evan Rytlewski |
09-19-2008 |
Profiles & Interviews
Tags: The Goodnight Loving
This is Memphis Hardcorenew
Even if Staags! and No Comply manage to recall Midtown Memphis' first hardcore punk-rock heyday (late '80s through late '90s), like all good hardcore, these new local bands have little to do with nostalgia.
The Memphis Flyer |
Andrew Earles |
09-19-2008 |
Profiles & Interviews
Miami's Spam Allstars' Mismashed Heatnew
As Spam Allstars, they spin a web of heady grooves around Yeomanson's uncanny manipulations, resulting in a harmonious melange of electronic elements, samples of old Latin vinyl and the live muscle of a Latin conjunto.
Orlando Weekly |
Lissette Corsa |
09-18-2008 |
Profiles & Interviews
Tags: Spam Allstars
In the Slums of Orlando, Hip-Hop Means Businessnew
On the west side, struggling artists from Pine Hills to Orange Blossom Trail huddle in home studios, creating digital anthems and simplifying rhyme schemes to appeal to not only the lesser-educated and party-minded audience of the Dirty South, but to white suburbanites who want to experience the inner city from a distance.
Orlando Weekly |
Justin Strout |
09-18-2008 |
Music
The King and I: Elvis Tribute Artist Shea Arender Explains His Craftnew
There's no mistaking the home of Elvis tribute artist Shea Arender. Four white pillars and a pair of somber stone lions flank his front door, eliciting a knowing grin from visitors as if they have been let in on a good joke.
Jackson Free Press |
Ari Glogower |
09-18-2008 |
Profiles & Interviews
'Hearts and Daggers' Takes You on Listening Adventuresnew
Violinist-vocalist Petra Haden teams up with accordionist Miss Murgatroid (née Alicia Rose), and it turns out to be far from the dry, conservatory exercise you'd expect: This is cutting-edge stuff.
Tucson Weekly |
Gene Armstrong |
09-18-2008 |
Reviews
