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 […]
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The Damn Quails — Down The Hatch
Showcased front and center amid a backing band circus that includes John Fullbright and Joe Hardy, White and Marshall confidently steer their way through 14 songs set in smoky bars, busted-up relationships, bluegrass towns and even the pokey. Despite their relative youth, the pair boasts many years’ experience, and it really shows in the strong […]
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Ray band
Keyboardist Ray Manzarek met his bandmates in The Doors at a Transcendental Meditation lecture, so pioneering 21st-century blues isn’t much of a stretch. Collaborating with slide guitarist Roy Rogers (John Lee Hooker) on the new “Translucent Blues” album, Manzarek serves as co-conductor of a rhythm section that includes bassist Steve Evans (Elvin Bishop) and drummer […]
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Riot’s race
Nothing quite matches the touch of class a small string section can bring to a recording, usually added as an afterthought. Ra Ra Riot has used a cello and violin to transport its Vampire Weekendtangent Afropop from an Ivy League frat party to a garden soirée, as cellist Alexandra Lawn and violinist Rebecca Zeller are […]
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Brilliant disguise
Stillwater indie-rock outfit Deerpeople is no stranger to costumes. In the past, pre-show rituals involved cloaking themselves in any number of disguises, and although the band moved away from that in recent performances, Friday’s Hallopolis show at Opolis gives them a chance to relive it. “It’s fun to go back and revisit that,” drummer Jordan […]
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Body Language — Social Studies
At the same time, the band shines in its own unique ways, taking an artier approach to crafting equally catchy tracks and spinning out more funky moments. Indeed, Body Language’s debut record, “Social Studies,” digs further than “Manners” ever did, pulling from a deeper well of electronic and house authorities in creating a proper debut […]
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Balkans — Balkans
Naturally, the discovery of Atlanta act Balkans was a highlight of my week, being that they merge the two worlds in a way few others have. The band’s self-titled debut came out in early summer, but buzz around Balkans’ CMJ appearances has led the figurative noise of the group to match that which it literally […]
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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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Treasures 5: The West, 1898-1938
1. the current revisionist Westerns, like the Coen brothers’ “No Country for Old Men” and their remake of “True Grit”;2. the traditional Westerns of yesteryear that made stars of John Wayne, Roy Rogers and even Clayton Moore; and3. the spaghetti Westerns of Italy that build a bridge from No. 2 to No. 1, not to […]
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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 […]