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Articles tagged "indie rock"PopMatters Pick Music ReviewSunset Rubdown: Random Spirit Loverby Mike Mineo[8.Oct.07] :. One of indie-rock’s most consistent songwriters, Spencer Krug has produced, in Sunset Rubdown’s third album, an epic release that proves to be the most ambitiously satisfying of his career.  ShortTakes ReviewCode Pie: The Most Trusted Name in Yousby Justin Cober-Lake[4.Sep.07] :. Code Pie's second album deserves any confectionary descriptors it might get, but it's not the usual sort of sugary pop.  Music ReviewLiars: Liarsby Michael Patrick Brady[27.Aug.07] :. After several years of challenging audiences with their bold and brash attempts to deconstruct everything you ever knew about rock music, Liars return with a remarkable new album that rebuilds it in their own image.  ShortTakes ReviewThe Blue Jackets: Shadows of the Cityby Aarik Danielsen[24.Aug.07] :. Putting a fresh spin on the vintage sounds of the British Invasion by adding garage rock muscle and modern rock sensibility.  ShortTakes ReviewThrough the Sparks: Lazarus Beachby Aarik Danielsen[21.Aug.07] :. Hard to pigeonhole but easy to appreciate, Through the Sparks are a bright star ready to shine for the right audience. PopMatters Pick Music ReviewOkkervil River: The Stage Namesby Dan Raper[8.Aug.07] :. Okkervil River's new album is filled with moments that remind us again why this band is considered one of the finest indie rock groups in the US. PopMatters Pick Music ReviewBishop Allen: The Broken Stringby Michael Frauenhofer[25.Jul.07] :. You, whomever you may be, will like this album. I can think of no better recommendation for pop songs this good. Saving Humanity: An Interview with John Vandersliceby Joe Tacopino[25.Jul.07] :. "I am in general very anti-government." John Vanderslice brings his political and economic sides to the fore in taking on the world's crazies. PopMatters Pick Music ReviewJohn Vanderslice: Emerald Cityby Matthew Fiander[24.Jul.07] :. Full of murky and beautiful songs, this should be the album John Vanderslice is remembered for. I Like Food, Food Tastes Good by Kara Zuaroby Jesse Hassenger[10.Jul.07] :. Even if a band like, say, Pelican doesn't sound like my cup of tea, I'm happy to try their recipe for oatmeal cake. Cary Brothers: Who You Areby Elizabeth Newton[2.Jul.07] :. It is not the best music I've ever heard in my life, nor is it life-changing. But it succeeds in that it serves as a perfect complement to everyday actions, to our words and emotions, and to our life. The Race: Ice Stationby Aarik Danielsen[12.Jun.07] :. Ice Station serves as a very rewarding point of intersection, creating a central crossing for three roads which have seen, and continue to welcome, adventuresome sojourn. The Hold Steady hoist a beer to the art of rock ‘n’ roll storytellingby Michael Deeds [McClatchy Newspapers (MCT)][6.Jun.07] :. Talking as much as he sings during songs, Hold Steady frontman Craig Finn is like the neighborhood storyteller who draws a crowd as soon as the bartender draws him a pint. Ever since critics began... Modest Mouse’s gritty style intact after commercial hitby Shay Quillen [San Jose Mercury News (MCT)][23.May.07] :. "It's the most family-like this whole band's felt since it was just a three-piece when we were younger," Brock says. "I think the whole band is a lot more comfortable right now." Voxtrot: Voxtrotby Dave Heaton[23.May.07] :. Meet the album-format version of Voxtrot's music: Polaroids made grand for the arena stage. Featured Article Music ReviewThe National: Boxerby Jennifer Kelly[21.May.07] :. Brooklyn's band of brothers spins dark, sardonic songs about love and life, adorned with orchestral flourishes and aching with romantic desperation... an early bid for album of the year. The Narrator: All That To The Wallby Kevin Jagernauth[15.May.07] :. This Chicago trio offer up another solid disc of shaggy-haired and slackjawed indie rock. Could Denton, Texas, be the nation’s next hot spot for indie rock?by Cary Darling and Preston Jones [McClatchy Newspapers (MCT)][9.May.07] :. When it comes to Texas and music, Austin typically grabs all the glory. But the "live-music capital of the world" might need to watch its back. Julius Airwave: The City the Forestby Jason MacNeil[25.Apr.07] :. Indie rock with a spring in its dance-rock-sprinkled step. Erase Errataby Patty Chung[18.Apr.07] :. There are two kinds of bands in this world, those that shamelessly ride the gravy train and those that strive to make their own tiny permutative mark in music history. Which one will Erase Errata become? PopMatters Pick Music ReviewThe Besnard Lakes: The Besnard Lakes are the Dark Horseby Dan Raper[18.Apr.07] :. The second album from Montreal post-rock group the Besnard Lakes dazzles with inventiveness and grandeur. 120 Daysby Megan Milks[13.Apr.07] :. Though they're national-award winners in Norway, and presumably professionals, 120 Days seemed surprised/insulted by Philly's inattention. What did they expect, us awaiting their arrival with bated breath? PopMatters Pick Music ReviewBright Eyes: Cassadagaby Michael Keefe[11.Apr.07] :. Conor Oberst has (mostly) left his indulgences behind, settling down to create an American indie rock album of substance, maturity, and passion. This is the Bright Eyes we've been waiting for. Cloud Cult: The Meaning of 8by Dan Raper[9.Apr.07] :. Sixth album for now-veteran indie-rockers is a complex pleasure. Baby Teeth: The Simpby Justin Cober-Lake[6.Apr.07] :. "The Birds Are Crying" is a lot like Foreigner's "Double Vision". But with more dancing. COUNTERPOINT: Of Montrealby Kevin Pearson[4.Apr.07] :. Care-free stuff or kiddy fluff? Longtime Of Montreal fan Kevin Peterson takes the band to task on some of the points that our first reviewer, Lyra Pappin, raised with reverie. PopMatters Pick Music ReviewStars of the Lid: And Their Refinement of the Declineby Nate Dorr[4.Apr.07] :. Repetition mesmerizes us, lulls us, and yes, bores us when misused. Fortunately, with the long-awaited new album from SotL, repetition rests in very capable hands. Of Montrealby Lyra Pappin[2.Apr.07] :. A friend of mine complains that his students draw dark, depressing images. I suggested they start listening to Of Montreal... A Hammock and a Brook: An Interview With Explosions in the Skyby John Kenyon[27.Mar.07] :. After getting on the big screen and the small one, Explosions in the Sky learn how to relax even as they grow. Panda Bear: Person Pitchby Phillip Buchan[26.Mar.07] :. Animal Collective's Noah Lennox returns for his third solo outing. The tunes are fantastic, but their thrill is not without limits. Good Times, Other Realities: A Conversation with Panda Bearby Jennifer Kelly[26.Mar.07] :. Whether with Animal Collective, through his solo work, or via a handful of other projects, Noah Lennox (or Panda Bear) makes a kind of disruptively joyful, emotionally affecting music operate on some sort of limbic plane to change your mood. Arcade Fireby Eddie Ciminelli[8.Mar.07] :. There's nothing like spending Valentine's Day out in the cold... Arcade Fire can’t rein in its ambitionby Ben Wener [The Orange County Register (MCT)][6.Mar.07] :. Maybe all I need to convince me of its wondrousness is a memorable experience at Coachella. That's what it took for Funeral to stick, after all. Band of the Year: An Interview with Arcade Fireby Greg Kot [Chicago Tribune (MCT)][5.Mar.07] :. The artistic license offered by an indie label led to the darker and more ambitious Neon Bible. It brims with arrangements that include a symphony orchestra and a choir recorded in Budapest, Hungary, and a massive church organ. "It felt sometimes like we were making a film rather than a record," Win Butler says. Arcade Fire: Neon Bibleby Adrien Begrand[2.Mar.07] :. After the dreamlike euphoria of Funeral, this much-hyped follow-up wakes up with one mother of a hangover. Clap Your Hands Say Yeah resists labeling - and big label interestby Jim Farber [New York Daily News][1.Feb.07] :. A scrappy band from Brooklyn releases a scrawl of a CD and distributes it entirely on their own. An Internet buzz spreads word of the disk, and over the course of a year, it goes on to sell a miraculous 100,000 copies. PopMatters Pick Music ReviewOf Montreal: Hissing Fauna, Are You the Destroyer?by Vladimir Wormwood[1.Feb.07] :. Depression, isolation, infidelity, violence; Of Montreal once more in top form. Xiu Xiuby Matt Mazur[27.Oct.06] :. As New England's iconic foliage reaches the peak of its bold color change, avant-garde drama queens Xiu Xiu one-up Mother Nature with a little change of their own. Just Making Records: An Interview with Portastaticby Jon Langmead[13.Oct.06] :. Mac McCaughan creates string charts and listens to tropicalia while running Merge Records, and he doesn't mind if you haven't listened to Superchunk. Perpetual Motion: An Interview with Akron/Familyby Jennifer Kelly[11.Oct.06] :. With its third album in two years Akron/Family takes another snapshot of its continuously evolving musical journey. Meek Warrior's free jazz freak outs may surprise some fans, but bass player Miles Seaton shrugs it off, saying, 'We just want to keep capturing wherever we are along the way.' The Disappearing Designer: An Interview with Joan of Arcby Sarah Feldman[9.Oct.06] :. Tim Kinsella, the musician-filmmaker- performance-poet- burlesque dancer behind Joan of Arc claims an irony-free zone while explaining his process of unintentional creation. PopMatters giggles nervously. In for the Long Haul: An Interview with The Long Winters’ John Roderickby Sarah Feldman[4.Oct.06] :. The singer-songwriter discusses fame, failure, and frequent flier miles, and explains why he's glad it took him this long to get this far. PopMatters Pick Music ReviewThe Arcade Fire: Funeralby Zeth Lundy[16.Sep.04] :. Funeral is a truly eccentric rock record: bizarre at turns and recognizable elsewhere, equally beautiful and harrowing, theatrical and sincere, defying categorization while attempting to create new genres. The Long Winters: When I Pretend to Fallby Christine Di Bella[29.Apr.03] :. When I Pretend to Fall is truly a fine achievement, from a band from whom more great things should surely come. With or without another break for frontman John Roderick. Elk City: Hold Tight the Ropesby Jeremy Schneyer[16.Oct.02] :. Okay, okay, so Elk City doesn’t really sound all that much like Television, but the above comparison is as good as any to get a handle on the great music that this beguiling NYC trio create. The Long Winters: The Worst You Can Do Is Harmby Jeremy Schneyer[19.Feb.02] :. You need only flip through the booklet to The Long Winters’ debut, The Worst You Can Do Is Harm, to realize that this is far from your normal pop release. Elk City: Statusby Geoff StahlElk City’s Status comes across as an effortless echo of the Velvet Underground, Mazzy Star, Kristin Hersh/Throwing Muses/Tanya Donnelly, Lisa Germano and Yo La Tengo. Elk City: The Sea is Fierceby Eden MillerIt’s not perfect, but it’s intriguing, and it gives listeners enough of a taste of Elk City that they will want more. |
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