Steve Earle once told this to a journalist: “I don’t want to hurt your feelings, but I’m not going to read this piece you are going to write. I don’t read my press. I don’t think it’s healthy. You are going to get your feelings hurt because you are putting yourself out there. And the … Read more
A DJ and producer who has recently released his debut record, ƒIN, Barcelona’s John Talabot creates intricate sonic compositions that blur the lines of the electro-driven genres of techno, house, and disco pop. “Last Land” is a fitting exemplar of Talabot’s skilled craftsmanship. Synthy strings swirl and loop amidst measured beats and unintelligible vocal wails. … Read more
With its frank and personal folk- and country-influenced personality, our Jam of the Day, “Summer Fruit,” has a bare, emotional style that’s far from the innocent optimism and lighthearted psychedelia of Great Lakes‘ first two records. And the band’s new LP, Ways of Escape, is equally adorned with gentle guitar, stately piano, beautiful pedal steel, … Read more
Sometimes looks can be deceiving, and I fully admit to judging those books by their covers on more than one occasion (a day). But being narrow-minded and judgmental can sometimes pay off in the form of surprises when you least expect them. Insert Ben S. and his band of merry men now known as Lord … Read more
The Pains of Being Pure at Heart, a foursome from New York City, is back with the new track, “Heart In Your Heartbreak.” After multiple listens, I’ve come to this conclusion: the song is the musical equivalent to one of Willy Wonka’s Fizzy Lifting Drinks. I’m pretty sure that if you scoped the list of ingredients for both, … Read more
For a record that has been described as blatantly honest, and even rude at times, this song suuuure is pretty. Judging by the title though, even the happiest-sounding pop songs on the new Elizabeth and the Catapult record, The Other Side of Zero, have a tinge of regret and darkness to them. And you know, … Read more
Photo Credit: Katie Guymon When I saw Frightened Rabbit in Portland last month, there were two things that left me impressed. One, Scott Hutchison is a heck of a front man. He’s personable, he has passion, and he genuinely gives the impression that there’s nowhere he’d rather be when on stage performing in front of … Read more
I’m going to start the week by opening up fully with you guys. I think we’re to that point now in our blogger/reader relationship, right? I mean, I have a toothbrush at your house now, so blunt honesty should be allowed at this point without the worry of ruining the good thing we have going. … Read more
Since he last left us, Ryan Adams has quit the music industry, gotten married, started a record label, become a sheriff, become a musician again, and put out a heavy metal record. Now, he’s moved on to archiving some old shiz and letting us hear it. But whether it’s material that is new or just … Read more
Well y’all, it’s the first of November and if you’re like us, there’s a void in your life that was previously filled with the anticipation of scary/slutty costumes, roasted pumpkin seeds, and “The Monster Mash.” Now, all we have are rotting jack-o-lanterns on our porches and a half-full bowl of unused trick-or-treat candy we’re likely … Read more
What happens when a “chance meeting” brings together a California gal (Joy Williams) and an Alabama guy (John Paul White)? Well, last Friday, let’s just say it took me all of three minutes and forty one seconds to decide that I have a new favorite duo: Williams and White of The Civil Wars. One listen … Read more
Look out, America. A Chicago rock outfit known as Smith Westerns is packing some serious heat. This garage-ish, ’70s-inspired, band of youths (all just reaching, or close to reaching, 20 years of age, but still seasoned vets in the Chicago rock club scene) are set to release their second full length LP, Dye It Blonde, … Read more
The indie scene in 2011 has seen more ’60s girl group-inspired tracks than Carter’s got liver pills. (Think: The Crystals, The Shirelles, and The Shangri-Las). And I’ve got more antiquated sayings than you can shake a stick at. You can thank artists like Lissie, La Sera, and now Tennis for the former. You can thank … Read more
Blur frontman Damon Albarn has proven, time and again, that he can craft some pretty darn catchy tunes. Albarn established and honed his songwriting endowment with Blur, and has continued to cultivate it with his wildly popular project, Gorillaz (not to mention The Good, The Bad, and The Queen). Gorillaz cranked out a banger of … Read more
Photo by Brendan Stuart It’s a glorious day for those of us whom, for the past few years, have been crack-scratching our left arms for some new music from Bill McCarthy and his band of merry-men once known as Pela. I, luckily, found their music later than some others, seeing them open for The Gaslight … Read more
If one attempts to uncover information about the NYC film school duo known as Cults on the all-seeing, all-knowing world wide web, one will find all sorts of good info on various forms of religious and worship-based sects or groups of people bound together by the common adulation of the same object, ideal, or person. … Read more
Ducktails, the one-man indie-pop project of Real Estate‘s Matthew Mondanile, has officially made my morning. I mean, not only did seeing the name remind me of my Saturday mornings spent in Duckberg as a kid, but this first morsel from his new LP is just built for a sunny fall morning in the south. … Read more
The boys of Tahiti 80 have been in the music game for a long time, at least compared to so many of the indie upstarts who work diligently to avoid “flash in the pan” status. Spearheading the French Invasion of the late ’90s and early 2000s, along with notable acts like Phoenix and Air, Tahiti … Read more
I like to run to Fang Island. I don’t care if that sounds odd. I like to strap on the ole’ iPod, go running to a post-rock band and imagine that my steps are somehow the catalyst for the time-signature changes, awesome guitar solos, and vocal harmonies that would make The Beach Boys up their … Read more
Yesterday, the Internets went into a frenzied overload when one of my absolute favorite bands, Band of Horses, released a free download of its new video for “Compliments.” It’s been awhile since the South Carolina via Seattle indie-Southern-country-rock fivesome has released an album, and I am currently in the midst of dying for the release … Read more
The newly signed Minneapolis-based duo of Peter Pisano and Brian Moen, otherwise known as Peter Wolf Crier, fit perfectly into the mounting Jagjaguwar catalogue. With current label-mates the likes of Bon Iver, Gayngs, and Volcano Choir, they’ve acquired a position on one of the hottest labels around – and a prefab fanbase ready to welcome … Read more
Portland alt-folk musician, Nick Jaina, is a “starving artist” in every sense of the term. We often hear about indie musicians who fund their projects via fan donations or miss gigs because of the broken-down van that they couldn’t afford to fix in time. But, Jaina takes this idea to the extreme: he’s sacrificed relationships, … Read more
To start the week – a quick geography lesson. The Triangle area of North Carolina includes three primary cities: Raleigh, Durham, and Chapel Hill. It’s located in the Piedmont region of the state, nestled quaintly three hours from the mountains and two hours from the beach. Culturally, it’s the epicenter of the state, fueled no … Read more
Spring always pulls me in two directions musically. On one hand, I want to say goodbye to the gloom of winter and the down-tempo, moody music that I seem to feature during those months. To dust off those summertime beats that make me roll down the windows and work on a sweet left arm tan. … Read more
Fresh off a tour with Speakers in Code faves, Deer Tick, One Wolf is garnering mucho atención with its gruff and gritty mix of punky-folk, reminiscent of the DT sound. One Wolf is not one note, however; the band bounces to and fro along the sound spectrum, sometimes rocking out in a gnarly way, sometimes … Read more
It’s no secret around these parts that I love a good soul jam. I’ve been eating up The Mynabirds’ “Numbers Don’t Lie” (and eagerly awaiting the debut album, What We Lose in the Fire We Gain in the Flood which drops April 27th), and that cover of Wilco’s “I Am Trying to Break Your Heart” by … Read more
DISCLAIMER: I write the below post with full understanding that I am a 6’7” lanky white boy who lives in a college town located in the heart of North Carolina. I have attempted to execute six dance moves in my life which include: The Macarena. The Roger Rabbit. The Butterfly. The Electric Slide. The Cha-Cha … Read more
There are a few things that people who grew up in places like North Carolina understand that others may not. The first is it’s not really summer until the sound of cicadas drown out any other noise around. Second, fall smells differently here – and most of us spend the year looking forward to that … Read more
Art rock. Noise pop. Whatever you wanna call it, Alexis Krauss and Derek Miller, the Brooklyn duo that makes up Sleigh Bells know how to get loud. “Punishingly loud,” as Pitchfork once put it. Knowing that Sleigh Bells is currently the band of the hour, I put in some good time getting acquainted with the … Read more
Last summer, I saw Deer Tick open for Jenny Lewis, and the then unknown-to-me band covered John Mellencamp’s “I Fought Authority” with the intensity of The Sex Pistols. I still don’t know if that was a sincere gesture or more of a kitschy move, but as a small town girl who grew up near many pink houses, … Read more