The Belle Brigade
The Belle Brigade
Reprise
By Al Kaufman
Brother/sister act Ethan and Barbara Gruska call legendary film composer John Williams (Jaws, E.T., Superman, Star Wars,Indiana Jones, to name a few) grandpa. With such a musical pedigree, it is expected that the duo should accomplish some beautiful things. More often than not, they do. … Continue Reading
Fleet Foxes
Helplessness Blues
Sub Pop
By Al Kaufman
Like Low Anthem, or their Rainy City compatriots, Cave Singers, Fleet Foxes create tiny bits of baroque, indie magic. Their songs shimmer, shine, and dance in the light. As on their 2008, self-titled, debut CD, the sextet harmonizes like the best Crosby, Stills and Nash songs, but the melodies on Helplessness Blues are more intricate, and a bit less accessible, forcing the listener to play the songs again and again, and find a small new joy with each turn. … Continue Reading
Green Day
Awesome As Fuck
Reprise Records
By Ellen Eldridge
So Green Day’s gone and released a live album. But, much to the chagrin of those who think a live album just means the band ran out of money, here is a true treat for some of the would-be concert goers who are just too young (or poor) to get to a real gig. Green Day performs hits from the Grammy Award-winning 21st Century Breakdown, an album which does well to solidify its effect on audiences of wanna-be punk kids crying out with obnoxious audacity; the same kind of adamant anti-authority sentiment as would lead a band to title a release Awesome As Fuck. Such is the legacy of Green Day and its relationship with audiences. … Continue Reading
The Submarines
Love Notes/Letter Bombs
Nettwerk
By Al Kaufman
At first glance, The Submarines are bubble gum pop. They are popsicles and lemonade in the summertime. They are perky blonde Blake Hazard’s girlish vocals. But while their songs may taste like candy, they are actually quite good for you. … Continue Reading
Peter Bjorn and John
Gimme Some
Almost Gold
Gimme Some is perhaps one of the sunniest records of the year, but Swedish trio Peter Bjorn and John took a strange, twisty road to get here. This, the band’s sixth LP, is a far cry from the weird hollowness and intimately narrative lyrics found on their 2006 U.S. breakthrough Writer’s Block. That set of songs still resonates in XM Radio annals and every comfy coffee shop – especially the whistling, ubiquitous single “Young Folks” featuring The Concretes’ Victoria Bergsman. The band’s intervening two albums (2008’s Seaside Rock and 2009’s Living Thing) reveal something of its stylistic journey over the past five years as Peter Morén, BjörnYttling and John Eriksson traversed various inroads of pop experimentalism. With Gimme Some, however, it’s obvious they’ve emerged in the bright light after their creative tunnel. … Continue Reading
White Mystery
Blood & Venom
By Al Kaufman
White Mystery is the band that White Stripes aspired to be. And maybe they could have done it if Meg White was more interesting, and if Meg and Jack White both had burning red hair. … Continue Reading
Joan as Police Woman
The Deep Field
PIAS America
By David Courtright
Joan Wasser has been on or behind the indie scene for a very long time now. Before adopting her current moniker Joan as Police Woman in 2002, she was involved with such indie stars as Antony and the Johnsons and Rufus Wainwright. She was also involved romantically with Jeff Buckley at the time of his tragic death by drowning in 1997. … Continue Reading
Low
C’mon
Sub Pop
By Ellen Eldridge
Seeking a sound that hangs low? Low’s new release, C’mon, hits like a thunderstorm’s rain breaks through a hot day’s humidity. The feeling of pregnant clouds expanding to release comes across in the vocals starting with the first track, “Try To Sleep.” To say this album shines would be to add irony to its deep, sullen mood. The fact that C’mon was recorded in an old Catholic church aids to the charm of songs like “Witches,” which is easily one of the best tracks on the album because of its haunting dynamic sound including tinny banjo by David Carroll, lap steel and guitar by Nels Cline, and violin by Caitlin Moe (of Trans-Siberian Orchestra). … Continue Reading
Riley Etheridge Jr.
Powder Keg
Rock Ridge Music
By Al Kaufman
Riley Etheridge Jr is one of those man’s man type of guys. One can picture him behind the wheel of a Chevy pick-up, or raking his yard. He doesn’t seem like a leaf blower type of guy. He rakes, gets calluses, then goes in and eats some meat and potatoes, and maybe a small vegetable side, but not too much. He’s really about the meat and potatoes. … Continue Reading
Daddy A Go Go
Grandkid Rock
Boyd’s Tone Records
By Al Kaufman
Here’s why Atlanta’s John Boydston, AKA Daddy A Go Go, is important for America. While the tinny tunes of Kindermuusik and The Wiggles prepare our little ones for the sexed up, but equally soulless, Rebecca Black or Justin Bieber, Daddy A Go Go plays rock ‘n’ roll. He plays real guitars, and his sidekick, Rev. Walt Brewer, bangs on actual drums instead of producing a beat out of a computer. Daddy A Go Go introduces kids into the wonder of rock ‘n’ roll. It helps them to appreciate real music. And while a lot of other musicians, such as Peter Himmelman, They Might Be Giants, Jason Ringenberg and Asylum Street Spankers, have since joined the bandwagon of creating music that doesn’t talk down to kids musically, Boydston’s been doing it for 13 years. And for that, all us parents, who would rather staple our ears shut rather than listen to another Raffi song, owe him a debt of gratitude. … Continue Reading
The Kills
Blood Pressures
Domino
By Al Kaufman
The White Stripes started a movement. A lot of duos are coming out now featuring anvil-heavy blues guitar licks over a passionate voice. But few are doing it as well as The Kills. And that would make sense, since lead singer Allison Mosshart tackled the vocal chores for Jack White’s Dead Weather. And with his chainsaw riffs, it is safe to assume that guitarist Jamie Hince is also a White fan. … Continue Reading
In the words, the vocals, the production of LB Collective’s latest effort Waiting for Enchantment, there lies a bit of a step back in time when female singer-songwriters reigned supreme. It wasn’t too long ago that the likes of Paula Cole, Sarah McLachlan, Fiona Apple, and many others ruled the charts with their mix of talents in front of the mic and behind the scenes. It was around the time of Britney Spear’s debut that those singers began to be not-so-en-vogue with mainstream radio. … Continue Reading
Vivian Girls
Share the Joy
Polyvinyl
By Al Kaufman
Finally, the world gets to find out what it would sound like if Beach Boy Brian Wilson and the late Joey Ramone had three daughters.
For their first two CDs, Vivian Girls showed that they were a pretty good garage-rock band. More passion than talent, the chords were kept simple and the songs came at you so quickly that they were gone before you had time to really analyze them. … Continue Reading
By Eric Chavez
For many artists, the studio is where are the magic happens. Productions are created, lyrics are written, and classics are made. Singer-songwriter Jason Isbell took another road, writing and recording a majority of the material for his latest effort Here We Rest in his home. Along with his band The 400 Unit, Jason Isbell has created an extremely intimate record for their fans and newbies to listen to and enjoy. … Continue Reading
Little Tybee
Humorous to Bees
Paper Garden Records
By Al Kaufman
Little Tybee is more of a music collective than a band. They are a group of friends on the Georgia coast who enjoyed making music together. They brought their act to Atlanta, where anywhere from five to 10 of them can perform at any given time. Yet they know each other so well that they sound great no matter who shows up. … Continue Reading
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