The Soft Pack The Soft Pack Kemado Records By Al Kaufman “Garage rock” is a misleading moniker. While it is supposed to refer to a group of talentless guy with a bunch of passion jamming in their garage, the fact of the matter is that bands like The Strokes and, in this case, The Soft […]
Leroy Powell and the Messengers Atlantis by Al Kaufman Leroy Powell is so entrenched in classic rock that he makes the Black Crowes sound like Hannah Montana. This is tough to believe considering his resume. Powell has worked with the likes of David Allen Coe, Billy Joe Shaver, and Waylon’s son, Shooter Jennings. It seems […]
Jenny Owen Youngs Transmitter Failure Nettwerk by Al Kaufman What sets Jenny Owen Youngs apart from the other girls with guitars is her versatility. She can get all potty-mouthed like Liz Phair one second, then snuggle up on your lap and ask you to stroke her hair the next. She’s tough and vulnerable, glib and confessional. […]
In the United States, someone needs blood every two seconds. That’s over 38,000 blood donations needed every day. Our friends over at Warner Music Group are doing their part by sponsoring a blood drive in the Imperial Ballroom of the Biltmore Hotel on 817 Peachtree Street. It’s a chance to be a good person, and […]
Ellis Paul The Day After Everything Changed Black Wolf Records By Al Kaufman Boston’s Ellis Paul has been writing contemporary folk for almost 20 years. You don’t do that by just strumming a guitar and acting all sensitive. Paul is a gifted, poetic writer with with a flair for crisp melodies. His voice, which resembles […]
Charlotte Gainsbourg IRM Electra By Al Kaufman Finally, the often asked question, “What would Beck sound like as a French woman?” has been answered. All right, so maybe the question was never asked, but with release of Charlotte Gainsbourg’s IRM, it has been answered anyway. Gainsbourg is the daughter of French singer-songwriter, actor and director […]
Spoon Transference Merge By Al Kaufman Driven by the horn-fueled single, "The Underdog," Spoon went from twitchy indie kids to mainstream successes with 2007's Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga. Transference does not offer anything as remotely radio-friendly as "The Underdog," but it more than makes up for it with its deliciously friction-filled songs. The Austin band […]
Vampire Weekend Contra XL By Al Kaufman With their sunny, eponymous debut CD in January 2008, Vampire Weekend became the darlings of the indie crowd. By the end of that year, however, the band's demise seemed secure. People quickly tired of their quirky beats and African-lite influences. Happy music just doesn't have the depth and longevity […]
The Villains The Villains DCM Records By Al Kaufman Remember the '70s? For those who don't, it was a sort of weird time musically. It was the time when country and rock began to merge. It was led by a band from California of all places, The Eagles. If the Eagles formed today, they would […]
By Al Kaufman What with more and more chain stores getting exclusive rights to releases from Tom Petty, Rolling Stones, Sugarland and the like, it is nice to see the record companies throw the independent record stores a bone once in a while. Warner Brothers Records is doing just that with their Loss Leaders Re-Revisted CD. […]
The Head Puckered By Al Kaufman Teen musicians are usually poster ready heartthrobs who sing songs other people wrote and require a lot of vocal tweaking in the studio. The Head are about to change that notion.
By Al Kaufman Jeremy Aggers has one of those soothing voices that works better than Xanax. It's a sweet voice that resembles the folk-rock renderings of David Wilcox or James Taylor. Just put him in the player and everything is okay. His voice is a bubble bath after a long day at work. On his […]
Gills and WingsGills and Wings By Al Kaufman Freddie Mercury lives. Gills and Wings, a five-piece band from Richmond, Va., must have an iPod loaded with "Bohemian Rhapsody." In their wonderfully theatrical rock style, they sing of losers and loners. On "Dealer," their sympathetic paean to the neighborhood drug dealer, lead singer and synth player […]
Tegan and SaraSainthoodSire By Al Kaufman It's got to be hard for twins to be taken seriously in the music business, especially twins that look robotic, dress to compliment each other, and wear pixie cuts. It's too easy to dismiss them as a cute novelty act. Tegan and Sara Quin are no novelty act. They've […]
Serena RyderIs It O.K.Atlantic By Al Kaufman Ontario's Serena Ryder won the 2008 Juno (Canada's version of the Grammy) Award for Best New Artist for Is It O.K.. Granted, Canada is home to the likes of Bryan Adams, Anne Murray, Celine Dion and Corey Hart, but Neil Young, Daniel Lanois, Feist and Leonard Cohen call […]
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