Casper & the Cookies Modern Silence HHBTM Records By Scott Roberts You might not expect “serious” music from a band called Casper& the Cookies. Even leader and principal Cookie Jason NeSmith comes across as ambivalent and almost apologetic about the name in the band’s press kit: “We thought of better names, but this one stuck […]
David Berkeley Strange Light Straw Man Music By Samantha Parvin It’s a shame that physical compact discs are going out of style, because David Berkeley’s third studio album, Strange Light, is beautifully packaged. And luckily for him, the audible art matches its visual counterpart. David Gray meets Ryan Adams circa Demolition meets Gavin DeGraw’s country-insinuating […]
PJ Harvey & John ParishA Woman a Man Walked By Island By Eileen Tilson Polly Jean Harvey is an artist that you pledge your allegiance to, are secretly scared of, don’t quite understand, but still find yourself diving into her music to find the hidden meanings. She is a modern day Caravaggio; enigmatic, fascinating, rebellious […]
The Airborne Toxic EventThe Airborne Toxic EventMusebox By Eileen Tilson When a band from Los Angeles comes along with a name like The Airborne Toxic Event, it makes sense to assume they are probably some dirty punk band, a product of their environment, but you would be wrong. Instead TATE, presents themselves as a society […]
Paul ThornA Long Way from TupeloPerpetual Obscurity Records By Al Kaufman Paul Thorn is a man's man. Back in 1988, he went six bloody rounds with the legendary Roberto Duran. But he is also sensitive enough that he hugged his idol both before the bout and after (when they were both in the emergency room […]
Tom GossBack to Love… By Al Kaufman As You Tube sensation Susan Boyle demonstrated, you can't judge a singer by his or her looks. On the cover of Back to Love…Tom Goss looks like a slight, New Agey guy with a reed-like voice. What he actually is, is a pop tunesmith with gritty, somewhat nasally vocals […]
PT WalkleyMr. Macy Wakes Alone By Eileen Tilson Once upon a time, musical troubadours would travel around town to town singing the news of distant lands. They were the pied pipers of their time, drawing in their audience with a plot filled with twists and turns, and intricate characters. In PT Walkley’s first solo project […]
By Noel Wurst As someone who doesn’t know every Mastodon song by heart, there came a time at their show in Atlanta on Friday night when I had to stop trying to make out any of the words – whether from the band themselves, or the maniacal fans around me – and just sit back […]
New York Dolls ‘Cause I Sez So Atco By Noel Wurst It’s strange to compare the New York Dolls latest album, ‘Cause I Sez So, to the music of Randy Newman, but it’s pretty easy to do so. Both acts have been around a gazillion years, both have had really great songs, and they’ve both […]
By Ben Grad Seeing your favorite singer/songwriter play in person is always disappointing. With a rock band, you expect the muddier live sound – that in-your-face, energetic dissonance is part of what defines “rock.” But singer/songwriters (even ones who play with three-piece backup bands, like Kevin Devine) are defined by the clarity of their sound […]
Ida MariaFortress 'Round My HeartMercury Records By Alexandra Edwards What is the fortress around Ida Maria's heart? Perhaps it's the frantically fun beat, the enjoyment of the night of with no thought of the morning after. The songs are stories of bars and boys, but with little sense of lament. Even on "Queen of the […]
By Julia Reidy Three white animatronic cats perched atop a speaker preceded the five men of Man Man onto the Variety Playhouse stage after they finished their plain-clothes sound check and ventured off to get into costume. The cats would stay still barely long enough so that you’d think they were lifeless, then move just […]
Miniature TigersTell It to the VolcanoEpic By Alexandra Edwards In recent years, a particular subgenre of indie cinema has developed: cute and quirky films centered around offbeat, slightly strange boys who defy all previous tenants of masculinity. Think Zach Braff's character in Garden State, pretty much any role Michael Cera has ever played on the […]
By Stephanie Roman Player/Kommander describe themselves as "a splash of New York glam with motor oil under their nails." Equally at home playing L.A.'s Viper Room or a juke joint on the Mississippi delta, PK brought their unique style of glitterbilly rock home to Atlanta on Friday night. The band did not let the venue's small crowd prevent them from launching into an […]
The DexateensSinglewideSkybucket Records By Alexandra Edwards Alt-country has never really enjoyed a revival of popularity since its blip on the college radio map in the mid-'90s. Sure, individual bands or albums may enjoy some time in the spotlight, but there's no sense of exploration across the genre. It's a shame, too, since The Dexateens are […]
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