By Julia Reidy I’ve come to really dig the homemade decorations bands have taken to draping across their equipment for the sake of… what, beauty? Hipster kitsch? Either way, it’s pretty charming. (I mean, have you ever seen These Are Powers live?) For Portland,Ore.’s Nurses (pictured above), the knitted doilies tied to their tables and […]
Circulatory System Signal Morning Cloud Recordings By Julia Reidy Circulatory System’s Signal Morning embodies everything that’s great about Athens’ famed Elephant 6 collective — the experimental streak, the grumbling soundscapes, the ‘60s pop throwback vocals and guitar work (complete with backwards records), the psychedelia — without everything it risks. Will Cullen Hart (formerly of The […]
Venice is Sinking Okay By Sam Parvin I was rather excited to get my hands on the latest from Venice is Sinking, especially after a nearly three-year dry spell after their second full-length album, AZAR. The Okay maxisingle, released in response to AZAR, hit websites and stores in March. Okay’s packaging is modest, and through […]
WighatThe Hum of All ThingsSelf-released By Eileen Tilson Wighat’s latest album, The Hum of All Things, is as confusing and complicated as its cover. The EP contains a booklet that looks like it came right out of the pages of singer Rubi Cuautle’s journal, and is encased in a weblike envelope with a skull cut […]
Slaraffenland We’re On Your Side Hometapes It’s a rare find, but Denmark’s Slaraffenland truly sounds unlike anyone else. The all-male vocal harmonies on the band’s second U.S.-released LP bring to mind a men’s choir or barbershop quartet, bass-heavy, on-pitch and gorgeous. But see, then they mix that skill with rock n’ roll sensibilities; We’re On […]
BombadilTarpits and CanyonlandsRamseur Records By Leila Regan-Porter Life. Death. Love. Marriage. Pretty big themes to tackle, yet Bombadil take them all on for their latest work, the glorious Tarpits and Canyonlands. In fact, the four themes seem to make up one gigantic theme that runs throughout the whole record like a fierce winding river as […]
Imogen HeapEllipseRCA By Eileen Tilson One of my favorite movies from when I was young was Disney’s Fantasia. I always found myself mesmerized by the colliding of sounds and the swirling orchestras. The music was so visual, you could close your eyes and imagine a colorful waltz playing inside your head. It was moving and […]
Sarah Bettens Never Say Goodbye Cocoon Records By Al Kaufman The idea of putting out an unplugged acoustic CD is nothing new, but few are able to utilize the form to its full effect the way Sarah Bettens. A superstar in Europe, especially Belgium, Bettens is essentially known in the US for the song "Not […]
By Ben Grad Noted experimental rockers The Fiery Furnaces played the Variety Playhouse last week with the most basic of basic set-ups: drums and bass, while Mathew Friedberger lead with guitar and Eleanor Friedberger covered most of the vocal duties. Keyboard and organ were noticeably absent on stage; and considering how much I'm Going Away […]
Drive-By TruckersThe Fine Print (A Collection Of Oddities and Rarities 2003-2008)New West By Micah McLain Although the Drive-By Truckers have made seven critically-acclaimed albums over the last 13 years, they have yet to properly release a collection of tracks that didn't make the final album cuts – until today. When one of the hardest working […]
DatarockRedNettwerk By Micah McLain The Norwegian duo in the flashy red tracksuits have returned. Red, the followup to 2005's Datarock Datarock, finds the band paying homage to the '80s and questioning our current society's obsession with technology. While none of the tracks on Red approach the sheer funk and danceability of the massively ad-friendly "FaFaFa" […]
AssjackAssjackSidewalk Records By Al Kaufman Say what you will about any of the three Hank Williams', but the one thing they all have in common is a rebellious streak. But the most rebellious of them all has got to be the grandson, Hank III. Instead of going the country route like his grandpa and his […]
LadyhawkeLadyhawkeDecca By Al Kaufman Since the inception of CDs, artists have been getting the re-issue treatment. Most of the big-wigs have had their back catalogs that fans previously had only on vinyl freshened up, or digitally re-mastered. The record label throws in a few outtakes or live versions of the songs from the album and, […]
Various ArtistsInglourious Basterds SoundtrackA Band Apart/Warner Brothers By Al Kaufman First, two confessions: 1) I believe Quentin Tarantino to be the greatest living American director behind Martin Scorsese. 2) I embarrassingly admit that I have yet to see Inglorious Basterds. Without first seeing the movie, the songs on the soundtrack will need to stand on […]
The Ginger EnvelopeInvitation Air One Percent By Eileen Tilson Athens-based Ginger Envelope returns with its second full-length, Invitation Air (One Percent). Recorded to a 16-track analog tape, this album turns up the twang factor, showcasing Matt Stoessel’s pedal steel and Patrick Carey’s delicate, lazy, Bob Dylan-esque voice.
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