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 […]
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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 […]