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 […]
indie
Posted inMusic
Portugal. The Man — In the Mountain in the Cloud
“In The Mountain In The Cloud” doesn’t sound much like a band treading new sonic ground, or even experimenting with the recontextualizing of others before them, but more on that later. Also, they ditched the small label, Equal Vision Records, for Atlantic Records in April of last year. I wonder if producer John Hill’s (who […]
Posted inMusic
Staying current
No one will ever accuse Electric Six of being too serious. The Detroit sextet’s shimmying dance rock is as lighthearted as it is lively. Their spirit recalls the movie “This Is Spinal Tap” in that singer Dick Valentine delivers the lyrics with macho mock seriousness. In 2003, Madness ringleader Suggs caught an Electric Six gig […]
Posted inMusic
Sweet charity
It took but one quick trip home for the guilt racket front man Bobby Reed to realize he wasn’t living right. “My dad, he always did a lot of charity work, the entire time I was growing up and even still. I went home for Christmas about a year ago, and he asked what community […]
Posted inMusic
Paws command
Kitten front woman Chloe Chaidez had played in a cover band — performing alongside the likes of Band of Horses and Midlake — for three years before she decided to pursue something more mature and artistically satisfying than those cute, little cover songs. She was 13 at the time. One year of songwriting led her, […]
Posted inMusic
Westerns’ union
It’s been a busy year for Smith Westerns. Luckily, with their respective ages barely reaching into the 20s, they group’s members had plenty of energy to meet all the opportunities that have presented themselves since the release of their critically acclaimed sophomore effort, “Dye It Blonde.” The Chicago-based, indie-rock band has made the most of […]
Posted inMusic
WU LYF – Go Tell Fire to the Mountain
Those two distinct features are the mixture of organ with soft guitar notes and the guttural, unnatural vocal grunts that they’re set behind. With the album’s well-timed pacing and all the shout-along choruses, “Go Tell Fire To The Mountain” is easily one of the best, most cathartic surprises in indie rock this year. Not a […]
Posted inMusic
Wilco – The Whole Love
The latter eschews much of that melody for a grittier rock and prog sound, and a wider thematic range, lyrically. Linking the two is the band’s universally beloved and critically lauded 2002 opus, “Yankee Hotel Foxtrot,” but, save for Jeff Tweedy’s most devout, wide-eyed followers, few find themselves with an equal appreciation for both albums. […]
Posted inMusic
Superchunk – Foolish
Well, here’s an album reissue originally produced about 20 some-odd years later far more appropriate for the consumer. Guitar-wise, a lot changes in two decades, and Superchunk were at the head of the pack when it came to ’90s riff-driven rock ’n’ roll. Inspired by the ’80s punk do-it-yourself-and-work-effin’-hard-at-it ethic, “Foolish” was recorded amid a […]
Posted inMusic
We’re no angels
What’s a better way to draw attention to your band than nabbing George Michael to play bass? No, not the one from Wham!, but “Scott Pilgrim vs. the World” actor Michael Cera. Cera — who played a character named George Michael in TV’s “Arrested Development” — is actually a skilled bassist, and singer/guitarist Nick Thorburn […]