Kevin Pearson

Recent

Reviews

Beirut: 6 May 2009 - Brussels, Belgium

Zach Condon and his cohorts approach these songs like they’re playing musical Risk, not just invading countries, but soaking in their sounds.

Music

Arbouretum: Song of the Pearl

Arbouretum's third album is an earthy record with dirt under its fingernails, and eyes always fixed firmly on the horizon.

Music

by:Larm 2009: Hot Music from the Frost-Bitten North

Despite the cold conditions and snow-filled streets, Scandinavia’s premier music festival was a warm and welcoming affair, affording time to not only see some top notch music, but also explore Oslo as well.

Events

By:Larm -- Photo Teaser

Words and Pictures by Kevin Pearson

Travel

M for Montréal - Leonard Cohen Eats There

Montréal may sit a mere 37 miles north of the American border and, for me, a short 90-minute flight from Philadelphia, yet the former Canadian capital really is a world away. PopMatters visits the M for Montréal in search of great new Canadian music and the soul of a city.

Reviews

Gogol Bordello + West Philadelphia Orchestra

Maybe I’m just hard to please. Or maybe my expectations were too high. Then again, maybe I’m just a party pooper.

Reviews

New American Union Festival

Like the festival site -- an old steel mill that was raised and re-built upon -- each band attempted a similar brand of resuscitation, albeit of the musical variety.

Kevin Pearson

Music

Various Artists: Lagos Shake: A Tony Allen Chop Up

As anyone familiar with Allen’s work might expect, this remix album is groove heavy and filled with a variety of expansive beats.

Reviews

Love Is All

Live, Love is All is akin to a cavalry charge. They are both emphatic and euphoric, always crossing that musical finishing line with their arms aloft and voices raised.

Kevin Pearson

Reviews

The Breeders

This show was much more than a mere trip down memory lane. It served to showcase that the Breeders’ new songs can clearly be counted alongside their exemplary canon of work, whilst also providing proof that their older tunes have not only stood the test of time, but have been befriended by it.

Reviews

The Long Blondes

While the set list throws out no surprises, the crowd definitely does: tonight’s audience is predominantly male. It is slightly weird watching guys watch a female singer sing female-centric lyrics written by a guy.

Kevin Pearson

Reviews

Flight of the Conchords

“Some people say we’re not a band. They say that we’re a duo,” Jemaine says. “But we’re a band. You can have a one-man band and a three-man band, but two people -– that’s a duo? It doesn’t make sense."

Kevin Pearson

Reviews

Kate Nash

At just 20 years old, it’s no wonder Nash looks slightly nervous when she steps onstage to face the sold-out crowd. It’s a crowd that delights in Nash’s deliberate Englishness as much as it engages with her music.

Kevin Pearson

Reviews

Hot Chip

Despite the fevered reinterpretations of their tunes, Hot Chip don’t totally forgo their feelings--it takes five songs for them to show their sensitive side. It’s a side that the fans clearly aren’t here to see.

Kevin Pearson

Reviews

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10 Key Tracks From the British Synthpop Boom of 1980

The 60 Best Albums of 2007

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Zach Condon and his cohorts approach these songs like they’re playing musical Risk, not just invading countries, but soaking in their sounds.

Arbouretum's third album is an earthy record with dirt under its fingernails, and eyes always fixed firmly on the horizon.

Words by Kevin Pearson / Photos by Kate Legere

Despite the cold conditions and snow-filled streets, Scandinavia’s premier music festival was a warm and welcoming affair, affording time to not only see some top notch music, but also explore Oslo as well.

Words and Pictures by Kevin Pearson

Montréal may sit a mere 37 miles north of the American border and, for me, a short 90-minute flight from Philadelphia, yet the former Canadian capital really is a world away. PopMatters visits the M for Montréal in search of great new Canadian music and the soul of a city.

Maybe I’m just hard to please. Or maybe my expectations were too high. Then again, maybe I’m just a party pooper.

Like the festival site -- an old steel mill that was raised and re-built upon -- each band attempted a similar brand of resuscitation, albeit of the musical variety.

As anyone familiar with Allen’s work might expect, this remix album is groove heavy and filled with a variety of expansive beats.

Live, Love is All is akin to a cavalry charge. They are both emphatic and euphoric, always crossing that musical finishing line with their arms aloft and voices raised.

This show was much more than a mere trip down memory lane. It served to showcase that the Breeders’ new songs can clearly be counted alongside their exemplary canon of work, whilst also providing proof that their older tunes have not only stood the test of time, but have been befriended by it.

While the set list throws out no surprises, the crowd definitely does: tonight’s audience is predominantly male. It is slightly weird watching guys watch a female singer sing female-centric lyrics written by a guy.

“Some people say we’re not a band. They say that we’re a duo,” Jemaine says. “But we’re a band. You can have a one-man band and a three-man band, but two people -– that’s a duo? It doesn’t make sense."

At just 20 years old, it’s no wonder Nash looks slightly nervous when she steps onstage to face the sold-out crowd. It’s a crowd that delights in Nash’s deliberate Englishness as much as it engages with her music.

Despite the fevered reinterpretations of their tunes, Hot Chip don’t totally forgo their feelings--it takes five songs for them to show their sensitive side. It’s a side that the fans clearly aren’t here to see.