The Low AnthemOh My God, Charlie DarwinNonesuch By Al Kaufman The Low Anthem recorded Oh My God, Charlie Darwin in a log cabin in the middle of a harsh Rhode Island winter. And while it is bleak at times, it is also riveting, loud, and, best of all, never boring. In fact, it is downright […]
Elise WittValiseEMWorld Records By Al Kaufman Elise Witt is one of those local treasures that nobody knows about. The multi-linguist from Switzerland, who has called Atlanta home since 1977, has been a cultural ambassador to South Africa, China, Italy, Nicaragua and Switzerland, represented Georgia for the Kennedy Center's 25th Anniversary Celebration, has studied under Bobby […]
The King Khan and BBQ Show Invisible Girl In the Red Records By Bryan Aiken Once and current bandmates Arish Khan and Mark Sultan have made a rich and respected history of historically-accurate rock ‘n’ roll thuggery. Since their graduation from the '90s punk outfit The Spaceshits, the Canadian duo have reformed and refashioned into […]
R.E.M.Live at the OlympiaWarner Brothers By Al Kaufman For most people outside of Georgia, R.E.M. stopped being relevant around 1997, when drummer Bill Berry left the band. Also around that time, Michael Stipe's lyrics went from oblique imagery to blatant rants and whines. But even more importantly, R.E.M. stopped rocking and started droning, and each […]
Matt MorrisWhen Everything Breaks OpenTennman Records By Al Kaufman You can only hang in circles for so long before you release your inevitable CD. Matt Morris wrote five songs for Christina Aguilera's Stripped album, and has also had his songs recorded by heavy hitters like Kelly Clarkston, Reba McEntire, and good buddy Justin Timberlake. He […]
The Flaming LipsEmbryonicWarner Brothers By Al Kaufman There are two sets of Flaming Lips fans. There are the ones who went out and bought extra CD players so that they could play all four CDs of Zaireeka simultaneously, as they were meant to be played. And then there are those who like the band's just accessible enough […]
DrummerFeel Good TogetherAudio Eagle Records By Micah McLain Apparently not content to allow his Black Keys band mate to have all of the side-project related fun, Patrick Carney has joined forces with four other drummers from his native Ohio to form the aptly-titled Drummer. The percussion super group retreated to Carney's studio in North Akron […]
Left Lane CruiserAll You Can EatAlive By Al Kaufman Left Lane Cruiser is called a lot of different things. Most say it's a blues band, but they are also a hard rock band with a lot of Southern fried attitude. They are their own category. Call them Industrial Redneck, or Country Thrash. Backed by Brenn […]
Built to SpillThere Is No EnemyWarner Brothers By Al Kaufman The good news is that Built to Spill, the godfathers of the indie rock scene, are back in fighting form after a few meandering missteps. The bad news is that few seem to care. It's been about 10 years since Built to Spill put out […]
Erin McKeownHundreds of LionsRighteous Babe By Al Kaufman "You can't deny me my kingdom" asserts Erin McKeown on "You, Sailor," a hushed ballad that recalls early Suzanne Vega. And while the song deals in more of a maritime theme, one can't help think that the line serves as a metaphor for McKeown's musical career; as […]
Lou Barlow Goodnight Unknown Merge By Scott Roberts Don’t let the urgency of “Sharing,” the opening cut on Lou Barlow’s new solo CD Goodnight Unknown, fool you. This track’s incessant beat, provided by The Melvins’ drummer Dale Crover, and Barlow’s washed-out and tension-filled vocals may lead you to believe that you, my naïve listener, are […]
Supercluster Waves Studio Mouse Productions By Scott Roberts NOTES: In the world of astronomy, superclusters are large groups of smaller galaxy groups and are among the largest structures of the cosmos. In the world of music, Supercluster is a relatively new aggregation of Athens musicians who have just released their debut CD Waves, and with […]
The Pinx Look What You Made Me Do Self-Released By Beverly Bryan Can we interest you in a big dumb hot flat slab of undifferentiated, unreconstructed rock? The Pinx’s Look What You Made Me Do, perhaps? It appears to be an album constructed from the sweaty, cheesy end of '70s rock and the sweaty, cheesy […]
The Inner Banks Songs from the Disko Bay DAG! Records By Beverly Bryan Pretty but warped in places like a tape left outside on a hot day, The Inner Banks’ second album Songs from the Disko Bay takes indie music back to some of its most beautiful and thoughtful moments from around the turn of […]
Joe Stickley's Blue PrintSmoke Leaves TownPeola Records By Al Kaufman Joe Stickley examines this American life as only a Midwesterner can. Backed by a group that can hold together a rag-tag melody like great Americana bands such as Wilco and The Gourds can, Stickley examines love, loss, and life in subtle, graceful ways.
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