PJ Harvey and John Parish took the stage in grand style with Harvey appearing barefoot in a flowing black gown and the band wearing dark suits and hats. The stage was set with the drums and keyboards to the right and left respectively leaving a large open area in the center for Harvey to dance around during the performance. This tour is not only in support of their album A Woman A Man Walked By but also drew heavily from...
Minutes after making my way past the hipster kids and pushing my way to the front of the stage, I found myself surprised as the lights dimmed and Dexy and Chris Valentine, who go by the name of Magic Wands, walked out onto the stage. Not only did I not know that they were on the bill, but I knew absolutely nothing about them. But, fortunately it only took about half of their first song before I was intrigued, and...
Why am I such a late-comer to things? Am I stubborn or just out of it? “It” being the so-called “loop,” of course. How so? Well, I’ll refer to my favorite example, which is that I just now got into Crass, and I’m twenty-seven. Twenty-seven! Adding to this, I first heard Animal Collective last year when I decided to pick up Strawberry Jam after, sadly enough, reading the stellar review on Pitchfork, of all places. This is particularly baffling to...
Gliss is like the Petri dish lovechild of shoegaze greats, alternative rock fire-starters, maybe even some dancey hipster DJs and most definitely includes a dip in the gene pool of the psychedelic pop rock of the 1960s. In their latest release, Devotion Implosion, some tracks scream Pablo Honey while others stand as clear spawns of Psycho Candy with an overall adoption and simultaneous adaptation of Siamese Dream. Sprinkled with a little Crimson & Clover over and over, this sophomoric effort...
Sure, you’re reading work from an amazing socialite from Los Angeles. We’re of the best in the world. We have an actor for a Governor. We have palm trees, expensive houses and one of the best coasts in the world. (Eat it, Dubai.) As far as the music scene, we know more than say, Suzie from Alabama. All she knows is how to make a great kicker-can-fried-chicken dish. How low-class. I’m taking this time away from talking to gorgeous women...
There's something to be said for consistency. Since the split of Uncle Tupelo occurred and Jay Farrar and Jeff Tweedy went their separate ways fifteen years ago, Tweedy's Wilco has released a series of critically lauded records that have found that band treading consistently further from their No Depression roots into new and fascinating territory while, outside of a keeping-up-with-the-Joneses solo effort from Farrar (check out Thirdshiftgrottoslack – it's not bad), his endeavors in Son Volt have remained in line...
Maybe I'm simple or maybe I'm not much of a fan, but has anyone else ever noticed how stylistically wayward Dave Matthews' music has been on an album-to-album basis? Granted, there have usually (and 'usually' is the operative word) been a few common sonic elements that factor in – there is often a horn section appended to the band, Matthews always sings with that characteristic 'Southern Man' twang and Tim Reynolds often waits somewhere in the wings with his guitar...
Someone wise (I think it was Jim Brickman) once said that, if you're going to do anything, do one thing and do it really well. It's such a simple sentiment, but one that so few musicians ever heed; out of some twisted sense of artistic growth or fulfillment, a band will discover a method of operation that makes them household names only to mess with it until no one cares anymore. It's a sad fact, and the list of acts...
Some of the things that made the Canadian indie-rock outfit, Metric, concert so dazzling were Emily Haines’ dreamy vocals and her dramatic tambourine usage, a long jam session complete with a few guitar solos from Jimmy Shaw, clap/sing-a-longs from the sold-out crowd and lots of dancing. They even had the crowd pulling out their lighters for the last song. Classic. I love concerts like these. Energetic, fun-loving, smooth and breezy. But Metric’s performance still had that indefinable edge that calls...
Over the last few years, there has been a tremendous, rejuvenated interest in rockabilly music (again) but, in this case, the term 'revival' would be ironic given that the lion's share of the bands making the music are doing it the same way, using the same macabre themes. Granted, rockabilly has never been a genre blessed with an untold wealth of subjects to sing about (relationships, cars, misadventures in relationships and cars with alcohol involved and, finally, hard luck stories),...