ElbowThe Seldom Seen KidGeffen Epic and sweeping are words often used in music criticism, but they are words vital for describing Elbow's repertoire. The moving string arrangements paired with the tender lyrics and caressing vocals of Guy Garvey make the band just as sensual as their name (inspired by the reasoning from BBC show "Singing […]

Courtney Fairchild11 ChancesStanley Recordings By Al Kaufman In 2006, Courtney Fairchild divorced her husband, left her friends, and moved from her hometown of Dallas, Texas to Philadelphia, Penn. The result was her 2007 album, Quit. The following summer, sequestered in her friend's guest house with huge amounts of bourbon and a high fever, she realized […]

The Noisettes Wild Young Hearts Mercury By Chris Homer With their second album and debut for Mercury Records, The Noisettes continue their unique blend of soulful pop and electro-dance music. Judging from the five song press sampler of Wild Young Hearts alone, it is easy to see the UK trio’s versatility. Vocalist Shingai Shoniwa has […]

Company of ThievesOrdinary RichesWind Up Records By Eileen Tilson Oscar Wilde was one of the greatest celebrities of his time. He ran with the upper circles, hobnobbing with the rich through his status of famed playwright. He had an uncanny ability to remain in-tune with his culture and upper-class society, and yet made fun of […]

Wilco Wilco (The Album) Nonesuch Records By Eileen Tilson Perhaps it’s the fact that there is a camel named Alfred on their latest album appropriately titled, WIlco (The Album), that gives the indication that after 15 years of migraines, drugs, band fights, anxiety and depression, Wilco has finally decided it is time to lighten up. […]

DestroyerTrouble in DreamsMerge Records By Micah McLain Dan Bejar makes unique music – whether it be flawless indie rock as a part of the New Pornographers, challenging avant-garde pieces with Swan Lake or laid-back orchestral pop under the cover of Destroyer. Trouble in Dreams, Destroyer's eighth release on the Merge imprint, picks up right where […]

T Bird and the BreaksLearn About It By Al Kaufman T Bird and the Breaks bring the funk. They bring the soul. The bring the horns, the soul, the swagger, the sweat and everything else that comes with being a 10-piece soul/funk ensemble. While critics have been drooling over themselves trying to come up with […]

Dave DanielsJust Like Ghosts By Al Kaufman Atlantan, by way of Florida, Dave Daniels has a cute little story in the liner notes of his CD. It seems he was arrested for jaywalking and when the jail guard asked him what type of music he played, he couldn't answer him. The angry guard locked him […]

ElonzoAll My Life By Eileen Tilson Dan Bourdeau, drummer for South Carolina band Elonzo, explains that a lot of the inspiration his wife and brother-in-law received in putting together their debut album, All My Life, comes from the post-Victorian home on E. White St. in Rock Hill, S.C., that the three of them live in: […]

Drew SmithDrew Smith's Lonely ChoirFat Caddy Records By Al Kaufman Austinite Drew Smith is everything that's right with CDs, both musically and aesthetically. For the visual sense, this is a gorgeous CD. Dave Schwab's intricate pen and ink drawings are whimsical, and the artistry on the liner notes is brilliant. This is a wonderfully packaged […]

Yourself and the Air Friend of all Breeds EP Hands Organic By Samantha Parvin If “indie” has come to describe a particular style of music, Yourself and the Air are the poster children for the genre. The Friend of all Breeds five-song EP is polished and well-rehearsed; it makes sense, which is less easy to […]

Lord Cut-Glass Lord Cut-Glass Chemikal Underground By Julia Reidy Ex-Delgado Alun Woodward’s lilting Scottish accent wraps itself around the haunting, intricate instrumental arrangements in his songs. His debut LP under the moniker Lord Cut-Glass — named for a character in the radio play Under Milk Wood by Dylan Thomas — turns seamlessly from folk to […]

PhoenixWolfgang Amadeus PhoenixGlass Note Records By Eileen Tilson When most people visit Paris, they are overwhelmed by how incredibly beautiful and luminescent the “City of Lights” is; the city literally glows, and at night can be a spectacular sight. Ironically, most of these tourists do not realize that underneath Paris lies an entire city of […]

The EmptiesThe Empties Slush Fund Records By Eileen Tilson There must be something in the water of Athens. It draws musicians in like the Pied Piper, giving them the belief that maybe one day Micheal Stipe or John Bell is going to walk into Tasty World on the night you are playing and decided to […]

Regina SpektorFarSire By Al Kaufman Regina Spektor is a poet. As such, she has license to be nonsensical and downright weird if she so desires. She can talk about making a "computer out of macaroni pieces," or boldly state that "blue is the most human color." But she can also utilize beautiful metaphor. When she […]