As Bleached, sisters Jennifer and Jessica Clavin deliver sparse, straightforward, buzz-saw rock chords and dense bass under harmonic cooing, mostly about sunny Los Angeles and its male inhabitants. And if you think they might wind up in a territory battle with soul sister Bethany Cosentino — who fronts the similar-sounding Best Coast — then you’re […]
Matt Carney
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Terra Lightfoot — Terra Lightfoot
It’s a far, more pleasant cry from the rough-worn, truth-saying voices of Pete Seeger and Woody Guthrie and the usually sparse, simple arrangements that accompanied them. Terra Lightfoot is one such contemporary. The artist from Waterdown Canada has also played with country band The Dinner Belles. Here we have her solo debut, which calls upon […]
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Twin Sister — In Heaven
That show was just last Friday. Both bands were on form and very friendly to chat with, despite slightly less than ideal attendance. But I digress. On to “In Heaven,” Twin Sister’s debut LP for Domino Records. It’s a delightful, gentle indie record with wide ranges in sound, but not mood (set at “wispy”), save […]
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Zach Winters — They Were Longing For a Better Country
No, Mumford & Sons hasn’t released their second album yet. Norman singer/songwriter Zach Winters’ fourth LP, “They Were Longing for a Better Country,” blends all the aforementioned into a haunting, but peaceful work that’s more personally convicting and beautifully recorded than what you’ll typically find in the local coffee shop after hours. “Country” is rich […]
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Chromeo must vie
Search “David Macklovitch” on Tumblr, and the fawning, meme-ified desires of early 20s, Urban Outfittersshopping hipsters will assault your laptop like a splotchy Moog synthesizer riff — the kind that Chromeo uses to build chart-occupying, electrofunk bangers. Macklovitch (or “Dave 1,” as the duo’s smooth-voiced singer and guitarist goes by) and his best friend, Patrick […]
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Various Artists — The Lost Notebooks of Hank Williams
Now unearthed, some genius (not sarcasm) at Columbia thought it’d be a great idea to recruit a handful of singers indebted to Williams for the purpose of recording an album that simultaneously acts as tribute and debut. None of these songs were ever recorded, according to Columbia. Who finished writing them, we don’t know, but […]
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Mutemath — Odd Soul
Having now heard their third album, “Odd Soul,” it’s pretty easy to understand what King meant when he said, “A lot of the songs we have on this new record are fun to play, and will be fun to play for a long time, no matter what.” The LP’s first four tracks were the songs […]
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Attitude adjustment
Illegally using prescription stimulants to study for exams and write papers is as much a college experience as living in the dorms or underage drinking. At least that’s what many metro college students will tell you about a brand-name drug prescribed to treat attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder. Despite an ignorance of legal ramifications and potential dangers […]
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Swift justice
Despite several attempts to contact Taylor Swift’s record label, management, backing band members, tightly cloistered press squadron, immediate family, scores of jaded boyfriends, and stable of talking unicorns and pegasii, I failed to procure an interview with the 21-year-old, flaxen-haired songstress in advance of her Saturday-night date with Oklahoma City. I mean, it’s not like […]
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St. Vincent — Strange Mercy
No longer girlish in her vocal performance, Annie Clark grips a “horsehair whip” brought to life by her sinister voice that’s simultaneously desperate for intimacy and confident expressing it. The line “no kisses, no real names” makes it pretty clear that she’s playing the dominatrix here. All that’s missing is a black mask on the […]