You know, just another week in the life. If any of you aren’t very interested at this point, the rest of this review probably won’t help you. For those of you who are (like me) totally floored at this point, here’s the skinny: Luke Rathborne has a golden voice, a brilliant songwriting style that draws […]
Stephen Carradini
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Kurt Vile — Smoke Ring for My Halo
Your bros went down to 35 Conferette in advance of their SXSW trip. It was a long week, so you didn’t feel like driving fast to catch up with them. You just want to chill. If it was last year, the mood from Beach House’s “Teen Dream” would be washing over your room, but it’s […]
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Gil Scott-Heron and Jamie xx — We’re New Here
I was summarily confused when I found a remix of Scott-Heron’s work by Jamie xx (percussionist for the aforementioned band) on my desk. In my opinion, The xx could stand to be remixed by Scott-Heron (adding some heart and soul), not the other way around. Jamie xx makes Scott-Heron into his own personal sampling bank […]
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Adebisi Shank — This Is the Second Album of a Band Called Adebisi Shank
The positive prog-rock movement that Fang Island helped break last year has been a blast to listen to. With Adebisi Shank’s “This Is the Second Album of a Band Called Adebisi Shank,” listeners are treated to more of the mostly instrumental, relentlessly fun, technical rock. The Irish trio made a pretty long album, as these […]
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Elephant Revival — Break in the Clouds
It helps that all five members contribute songs, taking the stress off one songwriter. The band takes the term “folk” seriously, sticking to tunes that could have been culled from the Appalachians in the 19th century or earlier. Thankfully, the production isn’t rustic. The songs sport a sprightly, well-produced sheen landing just short of being […]
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OKC to SXSW
After humble beginnings in 1987 as a Austin, Texas-based music festival, SXSW now annually hosts almost 2,000 bands, thousands more industry professionals, a film festival and an interactive festival. This year’s music portion takes place March 15-20. How important is SXSW? Two years ago, this unknown band called Mumford & Sons played a pizza parlor […]
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Iron & Wine — Kiss Each Other Clean
But those who remember that the same man who wrote “The Trapeze Swinger,” “Naked as We Came” and “Love and Some Verses” is now composing international/ funky/indie/other songs will pretty much hate it. The beautiful piano and acoustic guitar of “Godless Brother in Love” — the tune from “Kiss Each Other Clean” that most resembles […]
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Mark Growden — Lose Me in the Sand
His 2011 release, “Lose Me in the Sand,” sees him reinventing himself as a desert troubadour, but he’s a little less successful there. It’s a good album, but it doesn’t excel, as his previous incarnation did. “Lose Me in the Sand” is written primarily on banjo, and Growden uses it in pieces frantic (“John Hardy”), […]
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Harry Connick Jr. — In Concert on Broadway
If the answer to any of these questions is yes, “Harry Connick Jr. in Concert on Broadway” needs to be in your collection. It’s exactly what it sounds like: Connick sings show tunes from the good ol’ days on Broadway (he extols “Guys and Dolls” as a perfect musical before belting out “My Time of […]
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Kite Flying Robot — Solid Gold
Surprisingly, it’s marked not by excess, but by tasteful arrangements that result in strong pop songs. Anchored by mild-mannered electronic beats (think The Postal Service) and Nikolas Thompson’s calm, seductive voice, the songs reveal various parts and melodies at a leisurely pace. These unhurried tracks are long on a slinky, sunglasses-atnight-cool mood, and short on […]