The boring middle-ground crap that plagues electronica and instrumental hip-hop has no such effect on And Everything Else …, the third outing from LA beatmaker Elvin “Nobody” Estela. He bridges dusty psychedelic loops and Nineties hip-hop beats with intricacy and restraint so that this disc doesn’t lean in either direction:…
Three albums deep into his post-Pavement solo career, Stephen Malkmus has somewhat abandoned his obscurantist tendencies for Face the Truth. On the opener “Pencil Rot,” he pleads “save me from me” amid synth squiggles lifted from the Fiery Furnaces’ Blueberry Boat. He speaks of languish somewhere in the nonsensical language…
Listening to the Mountain Goats’ fantastically touching new album feels like digging through leader John Darnielle’s childhood cedar chest, but what you’ll find, set against emotionally heavy piano and vengeful violin, can be hard to digest. “Dance Music” pairs giddy acoustic riffs with chilling lyrics (“I dash upstairs for cover/Leaning…
Nearly every song that falls in The Woods — Portland, Oregon trio Sleater-Kinney’s departure of a seventh album — creates one hell of a glorious noise. Instead of delicately stringing songs up like he has done for Mercury Rev and the Flaming Lips, producer Dave Fridmann pushes everything into the…
Everybody knows what Memorial Day weekend is all about by now: hip-hop, hip-hop, and more hip-hop. Celebrity seekers will be out in full force, and no-name rappers and DJs will ply you with business cards, e-mail addresses, and mix CDs. But alcohol, entry into nightclubs, and VIP tables near your…
Tiempo libre roughly translates to “free time” in English. It’s a luxury that Jorge Gomez, pianist and director of the Cuban timba band Tiempo Libre, usually doesn’t have. Even so, he made sure to arrive fifteen minutes before a scheduled interview with New Times at the Segafredo café on Lincoln…
It was 9:00 on a mid-April morning in Miramar, and the Levinson Jewelers Theater in the Clear Channel Communications building was overrun with females. They were squealing with delight at Pretty Ricky as the fledgling boy band weaved through a performance of “Grind on Me.” Who is Pretty Ricky? If…
What is Autolux? Technically it’s an indie-rock trio out of Los Angeles. (However its three members may very well argue they are a “pop” group, much the same way concept-oriented bands such as Pink Floyd and The Who called themselves “pop” bands, with the quote marks.) But the music it…
Weezer hasn’t changed much over the past decade. Since the self-titled Blue Album and “Undone (The Sweater Song)” brought the group to prominence, leader Rivers Cuomo has specialized in articulating teenage tumult and all of its attendant longings, lusts, and awkwardness. Often mistaken to be the travails of a geek…
Smart-asses in more ways than one, Daron Malakian and Serj Tankian may not be the first to have read media critic Danny Schechter while pumping Slayer. A dumber band wouldn’t think to pit coiled thrash against mock funk and Muzak straight out of commercials for beer and tourism, and a…
When discussing Japan’s psychedelic/Krautrock-informed collective the Boredoms, the group’s name is usually spoken with reverence. Or perhaps bewilderment. However with Seadrum/ House of Sun — two tracks spanning over 21 minutes, and the band’s first material in five years — boredom is sadly a modifier. “House of Sun” is a…
With his Headphones project, Pedro the Lion’s David Bazan goes in like a lamb, completely replacing his lovingly strummed guitars with something even gauzier and nicer: warm, analog-sounding electronics. With help from Lion drummer Tim Walsh, Bazan creates some of his most understated work, lulling with his cottony voice and…
The eight-man Newport, Wales collective known as Goldie Lookin’ Chain is providing what was missing from music: Welsh rappers. Often likened to the Beastie Boys, its debut long-player, Straight Outta Newport, is chock full of humorous tales told in the distinct voices of its individual members. Catapulting into the public’s…
Bronx rapper C-Rayz Walz’s debut album, 2003’s Ravipops, was criticized by several media outlets for not having strong enough music to match the ferocity of his quick wit and voice, the latter of which is evocative of several prominent New York MCs (but to these ears sounds a mite like…
With Pushin On, the second album from Quantic Soul Orchestra, Will “Quantic” Holland ups the ante on breakbeat culture. The only thing that gives away the fact that the album was recorded in 2005 instead of 1969 is its lack of vinyl crackle. Holland wields his skills as an electronic…
The three-day Calliope Fest may bill itself as “An Open Celebration of Women in Music,” but it also includes the added lure of an art auction, a day-long Young Musician Showcase, and proceeds benefiting Boys & Girls Clubs of America and MPower, the latter a national awareness initiative focusing on…
In an industry that marginalizes jocks who can’t bang it out, throw it down, or pump it up, Kaskade’s steady rise on the American DJ scene is a welcome surprise. The San Francisco producer has capitalized on the success of his critically acclaimed album In the Moment, one of the…
Charissa “DJ Rap” Saverio is a familiar face in Miami; not only did she live here for a time, but also she usually plays at crobar a few times a year, in addition to appearing during Winter Music Conference. One of a handful of stars to emerge from England during…
If there’s something vaguely familiar about Kate McDonnell’s sensuous style, it’s really no wonder. One listen to her haunting new album, Where the Mangoes Are, and echoes of Joni Mitchell and Janis Ian quickly spring to mind as McDonnell’s tender yet tenacious delivery leaves a beautiful yet bittersweet afterglow. A…
Dino Felipe and Nick Forte bring their respective geektronica pedigrees to Shaggy Black. The hyperactive Felipe is known in these parts as a solo artist and one-half of the freestyle/electro throwback Finesse and Runway, and counts himself part of other obscure combos such as Fukktron and Old Bombs. Like Felipe,…
BEST LOCAL ELECTRONICA ARTIST The Waterford Landing Fronted by unassuming composer/keyboard player/droll singer/arbitrator Alex Caso, the Waterford Landing is actually a democratic trio, with Caso joined by scene veterans Richard Rippe (electric bass, synthesizers) and Ed Matus (electric guitar, synthesizers, vocals) to channel shoegazer and New Wave to the suburbs…
BEST LOCAL ELECTRONICA RELEASE OF THE PAST TWELVE MONTHS Finesse and Runway Finesse and Runway Melba “Finesse” Payes and Dino “Runway” Felipe’s debut album is a product of a life spent in this city, from Finesse’s sassy vocoder vocals to Runway’s electronic palette. The duo brings forth its sounds by…
