Hank Williams’s grandson has a problem with Nashville. His two-disc Straight to Hell swipes at “pop country,” guys who “write those hit songs down at PolyGram,” and women who need “more dick down on Music Row.” And that’s not even counting Hank III’s dismissal of Kid Rock: “He’s a Yank,…
John Ringhofer, a.k.a. Half-Handed Cloud, gives the impression of being a bit of an eccentric. He turns his songs into a series of sacred psalms and then spears the sentiments with an irrepressible blend of wit and whimsy. At less than 30 minutes long, Halos & Lassos unfolds in a…
Back in the early days of Mogwai’s career, an album titled Mr. Beast would have matched the band’s category-five noise hurricanes perfectly. But as the Scotsmen refined their sound over the next decade, moments of levity and clarity — airy synths, strings, eerie silences — made the band’s emotional maelstroms…
The funky, closely stitched guitar flow underlining “Black Biscuit” isn’t the only thing this truncated wonder has going for it — Kauffman spoons in gyrating tambourines, chock-chock cowbells, and exultant, soulful heys — but the über-groovy, precision rhythmic riffing is what sticks to the mental ribs, invites stabs at the…
Map of the Universe whets local appetites with this two-song single of spaghetti-Western-inspired Dark Wave postpunk. Danceable? Yes. Head-bopping? For sure. Melancholic undertones fuel catchy hooks and riffs on these rhythm-solid tracks. Your job? Keep your eyes open for the April full-length on New Art School Records…
Michelle Riu isn’t exactly what one might expect of a local singer/songwriter. There are no syncopated salsa rhythms or thumping reggaeton bass lines here. Instead her Cuban ancestry fuses with Southern sensibilities, making her songs a welcome addition to the often-nebulous pop-country genre. Her thick, smoky warble is evocative of…
Juan Gabriel is arguably among the more important figures in modern Mexican music, having written some of its most famous songs, including “Querida,” “Hasta Que Te Conocí,” and “Amor Eterno.” Gabriel has also worked extensively as a producer (for Rocio Dúrcal, Lucha Villa, Lola Beltrán, and even Paul Anka) and…
Kirk Franklin was abandoned as an infant by his biological mother and, never knowing his father, was raised by his Aunt Gertrude, a deeply religious woman who paid for his piano lessons by collecting aluminum cans. He became fascinated with gospel music and by age eleven was directing adult choirs…
Brazilian Girls make rhythmic, danceable melodies infused with creative, truthful, and sometimes very personal lyrics, but more important, the trio knows how to put on a beautiful, almost hypnotic live performance. Sabina Sciubba boasts the vocal mastery and stage presence of songstress legends like Debbie Harry and the cool calm…
Arab Strap, Scotland’s answer to Leonard Cohen, has spun a web of unhappy relationships and bitter regrets for nearly a decade. But the band’s music has evolved dramatically from the slow, churning sparks of its initial releases to The Last Romance, which presents full-bore rock numbers alongside that early sound…
On this, the band’s fifth album, as on the others before it, Lanterna offers up a sensuous mix of undulating, ethereal melodies; shimmering synths; and propulsive rhythms — a beautiful blend that combines new-age notions with an irresistible embrace. Hypnotic and transfixing, it unfolds as a series of mesmerizing melodies…
There may be bands that are more technically astute, but few can boast the melodic wherewithal of the Go-Betweens. Four albums and six years into its second incarnation, the group — specifically coconspirators/chief composers Robert Forster and Grant McLennan — is still at the peak of its prime, writing and…
Rowdy, rambunctious, and oozing spit, grit and verve, Southern Culture on the Skids showcases the full frenzy of the band’s unhinged road show with this long-overdue live set. Anyone familiar with this trailer-park trio’s white-trash anthems should already know what to expect, and indeed the Skids deliver with a succession…
It is depressing that all Pink has to do to be refreshing is say, “I’m not a bimbo.” But though it would be nice if she didn’t have to prance around in a bikini (ironically or otherwise), we should be grateful for any effort a pop star makes to buck…
This could be an outtake from Parade or Sign o’ the Times, but thanks to Timbaland and countless other R&B producers, the compressed sexuality of Prince’s drum tracks never lost currency. Plus his frenetic falsetto, one that has yet to be matched, will always be a joy to hear…
They’re on Disney-owned Hollywood which explains why this earnest sugar rush is more Hilary & Haylie than Tegan & Sara, but the strength of their voices implies that these sisters were genetically designed for music before TV producers noticed their photogenic faces…
According to the liner notes, one member of this quintet handles “drone machine” duties. Good luck identifying her contributions in this plodding, molten, proto-Black Rebel Motorcycle Club sludge: flat drums; the same lurching, off-phrase riffs lumbered out ad infinitum; singer Alex Maas’s desperately urging someone to “Wake up!” like a…
Are they goth? Are they rock? Does it matter? The Sisters of Mercy have put together more than two decades of smash hits, public roustabouts, great lines, and other oddities. Okay, so they don’t have any smash hits, but try telling that to the rabid fan base the Sisters have…
Styles come and fads go, yet thankfully the funk always lurks, its spirit manifest in different forms and from unlikely tributaries. Believe it or not, New Orleans’ Johnny Sketch & the Dirty Notes hail from classical-music backgrounds. At Loyola U., goateed bandleader Johnny Sketch (a.k.a. Marc Paradis) majored in cello…
What began as a shits-‘n’-giggles-in-the-basement kind of band has grown into an unstoppable street punk/Oi! force to be reckoned with. The Dropkick Murphys even have a competitive hockey squad in the Boston area. So ten years, five full-lengths, and a bucketful of singles later, these Irish-American rovers stand atop the…
Not unlike Richard Jordan’s Sandman character in Logan’s Run, there is something sexy about Miami’s long-running New Wave/postpunk luminaries that creeps out from around the corners of well-crafted songs. Multi-instrumentalist and recording engineer Omar Cuellar has been around for God knows how long with the on-again, off-again Francis 7 project…
Queen without Freddie Mercury? Isn’t that like the Doors without Jim Morrison (the laughable Doors of the 21st Century notwithstanding)? Or INXS without Michael Hutchence, especially after the band anointed his would-be successor on a TV talent show? After all, when Paul McCartney recycles the Beatles catalogue in concert, he…
