As each one is different, so is the occasion for which they’re best suited. Here are my picks and tentative plans for this Thanksgiving: Coop Ale Works: Native Amber This guy’s crisp and delicious with a sweet hint of caramel, and comes in a tall, very regal-looking black can. Grab a koozie and it’s perfect […]
Matt Carney
Posted inMusic
M83 — Hurry Up, We’re Dreaming
And not just in indie. Released this week, Coldplay’s “Mylo Xyloto” (also see Florence + The Machine, Lady Gaga) is the group’s biggest, brightest, largest-swelling album yet, just as optimistic in tone as its lyrics are complimentary and superficial. Meanwhile, once the biggest, loudest, hardest chest-beaters of the indie-rock scene (just watch them playing “Wake […]
Posted inArts & Culture
‘Rum’ punchless
Thompson was no exception among young writers; the novel was only a seedling of what would eventually bloom in merciless attacks on the American Dream in “Hell’s Angels” and the narcotized paranoia of “Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas.” Talk-show host Charlie Rose rightfully harangued the writer in 1999 for the late-career cash grab. Unfortunately, […]
Posted inMusic
Lemma — Lemma
I say R.E.M. because of the little tinge of country that affects that band’s tunes (and subsequently Lemma’s), and the fact that singer Aaron Newman does a terrific Michael Stipe impression when he wants to. “Nothing Is Set” is a tribute to “The One I Love,” with Newman giving a dead ringer of a performance. […]
Posted inMusic
Doggie style
What started as a collective of friends in Philadelphia fooling around with amateur recording techniques will roll its way into Tulsa’s historic Cain’s Ballroom on Monday night, with sunny, late-’60s/early ’70s AM radio sounds in tow. The band is Dr. Dog, which unabashedly records charming, harmonic rock ’n’ roll more than 40 years after the […]
Posted inMusic
Ben Folds — The Best Imitation of Myself: A Retrospective
Those, of course, are his songwriting and piano playing (dude’s never been much of a singer, but to his credit, his voice has never seemed to hinder listeners from engaging with his music), which established Folds as the premiere balladeer for both Generation X and Y. He’s got plenty of other sensibilities, including a penchant […]
Posted inMusic
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 […]
Posted inMusic
Wash cycle
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 […]
Posted inNews
Mitt happens
The fundraiser for Romney’s campaign began at 8 a.m., cost $500 per-person or $2,500 for photo opportunities and was closed to the media. The second fundraiser, — which cost $20.12, with the money going to the state GOP — was held afterwards. Romney gave a stump speech to the crowd and took a few questions […]
Posted inMusic
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 […]