Mar 032010
Mar 012010
Have you ever wondered why songs by the electric Sam & Dave or the sweltering Otis Redding have that same tight, grooving sound? Well it’s because of the Mar-Keys and members like Steve “The Colonel” Cropper on guitar and Donald “Duck” Dunn on bass (also of Blues Brothers Band fame) along with other all-stars like [...]
Feb 252010
I expected Rogue Wave’s next album would be the one that broke them into the “big time.” With songs like the sweet “Eyes” on the Just Friends Soundtrack to “Lake Michigan” and the sublime “Chicago X 12″ on 2007′s Asleep at Heaven’s Gate it was obvious they were poised for success – just not the [...]
Feb 232010
There is a fuckload (one word)* of awesome shows heading to town from now through April: Keller Williams – 2/25, The Social: meh Manchester Orchestra – 2/26, HOB: See this show The Indigo Girls – 2/27, HOB: Ugh. Thomas Wynn and The Believers – 2/28, The Social: If you’ve already seen them, see them again [...]
Feb 212010
The Broken Bells, a collaboration of Danger Mouse and The Shin’s James Mercer, self-titled album debuts March 9th. “The Mall and the Misery” is one of my favorite songs in the collection. The lush symphonic intro and catchy hooks draw you in and just when you really start to like it – the song fades [...]
Feb 122010
Although radio singles like “Bullet with Butterfly Wings” are not my favorite live Pumpkins songs, this is a thundering version from the 2000 Sacred and Profane Tour. It’s angry and fast and the tension within the band is palpable. The Atlanta stop was near the end of what was to be their final tour. “BWBW” [...]
Feb 092010
The Southern- tinged psychedelic, shoegazer band from Quebec – The Besnard Lakes – are back with their third album, The Besnard Lakes Are the Roaring Night. The husband and wife team of Jace Lasek and Olga Goreas develop their expansive Beach Boys in Space sound with an enchanting mix of pre-97 Radiohead, My Morning Jacket, [...]
Feb 052010
Brooklyn by way of Florida band, Sleigh Bells, is a two-person “noise pop” act. This song, “Crown on the Ground,” pretty much sums up noise pop with its catchy melodies drowning in piles of distorted music and modulated vocals. They are a 2-person guy/ girl act – a less musical, more experimental White Stripes with [...]
Feb 042010
Perennial purveyors of the rock ‘n roll rhythm and blues review, The Legendary Joint Chiefs will be playing the BackBooth this Saturday, February 6th. Eugene and the rotating cast of Chiefs bring their Stax Records meets James Brown brand of fun, funk, and soul – not a crappy nostalgia band, but a living, breathing, dancing, [...]
Feb 022010
I’ve always had a hard time identifying with Vampire Weekend. Maybe it’s because I didn’t go to an Ivy League college or that I don’t understand the desperate pleas to “Get out of Cape Cod,” but whatever it is, it irks me on some level. From a certain perspective it seems sniveling, egalitarian, and condescending. [...]