By Scott Roberts; photo by Sue Volkert How often do you go to a highly anticipated event only to be let down by your own inflated or unrealistic expectations? After interviewing Travis frontman Fran Healy last month about his upcoming stripped-down tour with fellow Travis guitarist Andy Dunlop (please see my October 9 “Q&A” on […]
By Adam Trimble; photo by Luz Gallardo For years Hope Sandoval's heavyhearted velvet voice has been a method for my friends and I to find beauty in our darker moments. The members of my first band came together as moody, morose teenagers because of our affinity for Sandoval's former band Mazzy Star. Having never seen […]
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 […]
By Ben Grad
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 […]
By Matthew Smith Wye Oak:
By Sam Parvin Asher Roth, famous for his beer-guzzling, bongalicious tune “College”, joined the Blink-182 Reunion Tour just a few weeks prior to their Wednesday show at Lakewood. And, while Roth’s style is certainly not punk-rocker like Blink’s, the combination is complementary. Roth sings about his “glory days,” as a 20-something (currently) with two years […]
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 […]
By Matthew Smith Beach House: Grizzly Bear:
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 […]
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