The fact that the new Particle lineup chose Beck’s “E-Pro” to strut its new vocal stuff might not be a forewarning of sweeping changes to come. (It might simply have been a handy excuse to bring in Blackalicious for quite the Hollywood cameo.) But it’s certainly a huge departure from…
In a nutshell: A glob of autumnal piano dolor inches tentatively forward into a wasp’s nest of teed-off, antsy guitars, bells, and violins, emerging finally into sunlight and a fading, heavenly choir. If Stevens flipped his own script and chose to travel this mouth-agape, modern compositional route more often and…
The eclectic and eccentric Diplo seems to defy classification with genre-splicing tracks that lace reggae-styled vocals over Eighties hip-hop beats — not to mention his contrasting work spinning party mixes as half of the Hollertronix collective and his production of an instrumental hip-hop record. Much like his prehistoric namesake (taken…
In less than three scant years, Matthew Dear has gone from unknown Texas-born bedroom producer to international techno heartthrob both for his boyishly handsome looks and his otherworldly music (recorded under his own name as well as pseudonyms Audion, Jabberjaw, and False for top labels like Ghostly International, Plus 8,…
Indiana has produced some unusual stars, including the Jackson Family and Axl Rose. Though these music giants share something in common with one of the state’s main crops (they’re corny), Indianapolis’s lesser-known good ol’ boys Up! Scumbag have taken a decidedly less commercial road. The trio has stayed true to…
During his ten-year career, jazz singer Kurt Elling has released six albums, and all have been nominated for Grammys. Renowned for his original compositions as well as his modern interpretations of standards, Elling has the unique ability to add meaningful lyrics to already meaningful works by jazz greats such as…
Nine years ago, Gustavo Cerati was preparing to leave the Argentine pop-rock band that put his name among the more influential singer-songwriters to come out of Latin America — ever. Curiously enough, though the market in the region hasn’t quite found the proper substitute for the sense of controlled adventure…
Let’s face it: DJ Rap knows she’s smokin’ hot, both on and off the decks. The veteran British drum ‘n’ bass mixologist/producer/actress had her confidence game all set early on in her career, when she named her own independent label Proper Talent Records. But as people have tried to force…
Former Awesome New Republic member Michael John Hancock is back in Miami’s limelight with his new solo act, John Hancock ANR. Describing his latest tunes as dance, folk, rock and roll, and R&B, Hancock isn’t shying away from any genre. “Basically I put it all in a pot and see…
Despite deeming themselves progressive, the members of AGHORA appeal to those of the death-metal old school, those who like their guitar dirges irony- and humor-free. Lead vocalist Diana Serra very seriously suggested the staff at this newspaper wasn’t heavy enough to fathom AGHORA, saying, “Perhaps you should send someone from…
This is the third installment in a four-part series about world-beat women. Read the first two in our online archives. Seconds before one of her Wednesday-night performances with the Spam Allstars at Purdy Lounge, flute player Mercedes Abal rushes over to the bar and gulps down a shot of tequila…
Sam Phillips probably began in just such a manner. A room. A knack. An ear. And some unsung talent. Sam’s room, of course, was the Memphis Recording Service; his knack was in knowing the soul of sound, for which he needed an ear. Or to put it how the man…
The concept of a track-for-track reggae version of Radiohead’s OK Computer seems like the bong-hit daydreams of a lonesome stoner in a murky dorm room. Thanks to the Easy Star All-Stars (the minds behind 2003’s Dub Side of the Moon), modern rock music’s most experimental and introspective band is paid…
A cursory listen to Rhymefest’s Blue Collar reveals why it was delayed for nearly a year before finally seeing the light of day. Many of its songs feature unnecessary R&B singers trilling in the background, while Rhymefest spits lower-middle-class aspirations like “If King was alive, this is how he would…
The best Pacific Northwest album of the year is just a ferry ride away from Seattle, and perhaps the short distance (and free Canadian healthcare) was all it took for British Columbia’s Shapes and Sizes to craft such a captivating love letter to the region. The quartet’s self-titled debut is…
Guitarist/soundtracker Michael Brook won’t be totally unfamiliar to closet addicts of the films Heat or Affliction, much less his 1992 avant-ambient full-length Cobalt Blue, which cameoed his old homes Brian Eno. With this new one, fans will find themselves in the same boat as the rest of humanity, fumbling in…
It’s really threatening, this thing Motor has done on Klunk. Producer Bryan Black and drummer Mr. No (who have also recorded under Xlover) follow their singles with a torrent of buzz-saw synth-blasted floor missiles on their debut full-length. Klunk’s industrial-tinged, uniformity-defying techno loads up on monstrous vocalizing and rumbling, unfriendly…
To paraphrase Megadeth’s Dave Mustaine: Peace sells, but who’s Brian? Even if Posehn’s name is unfamiliar, you’ll likely recognize the balding, heavyset, bespectacled comedian from Mr. Show and innumerable VH1 I Love the … specials. The pothead pop-culture pundit describes himself as a “stoned, angry-looking heavy-metal geek,” though he surprisingly…
The Meat Purveyors bill themselves as a bluegrass band, and though their picking is surely as stellar as any traditional bluegrass band — especially Pete Stiles’s blazing mandolin — they owe as much to hard-core honky-tonk musicians like George Jones as they do to Bill Monroe. On Someday Soon, they…
A vile slaughterhouse hostility emanates from Michigan’s Wolf Eyes. The clanks, hisses, scrapes, and flayed vocal disarray of their music is interspersed with pregnant, dreadful silences, and their track titles sound like scraps of icky, loathing poetry. Human Animal’s doomed thrills are horror-flick vicarious: Tuning in is like being trapped…
No band lives up to its hype when said hype has reached fever-pitch, blog-to-blog pinball proportions, but it should be noted that a number of Pitchfork-endorsed outfits do make the art-rock grade. Tapes ‘n Tapes, a Minneapolis foursome that self-released The Loon last year and recently signed with XL, is…
The Scourge of the Sea creates a sound that’s a lot less menacing than its moniker might imply. Using an arsenal of keyboards and acoustic guitars, this multifaceted three-piece creates an ethereal ambiance filled with shimmer and strum, a sound that references Belle and Sebastian, the Church, the Cure, and…
