Live Review: Sharon Van Etten at 529, September 14

By Micah McLain I’ve been in love with Sharon Van Etten’s music ever since I heard about her surprisingly powerful sets at this year’s SXSW. I have no doubt that those lucky enough to be in attendance at 529 on this late Tuesday night now share these same feelings. Although the crowd was relatively sparse, […]

CD Review: The Vaselines — Sex With An Ex; Playing The EARL, October 12

CD Review: The Vaselines — Sex With An Ex; Playing The EARL, October 12

The Vaselines Sex With An X Sub Pop By Ellen Eldridge There exists a certain joie de vivre and an accepted amount of poison, hidden behind a tongue-in-cheek attitude, in pop punk songs and the Vaselines are no exception with the release of their sophomore album Sex With An X over 20 years after their […]

CD Review: Buke and Gass — Riposte; Playing The EARL, September 27 with Efterklang

CD Review: Buke and Gass — Riposte; Playing The EARL, September 27 with Efterklang

Buke and Gass Riposte Brassland By Giles Turnbull Let’s begin with a crash course history lesson to get up to speed with what brings us here, listening to Buke and Gass, whose very name, at first sight, appears to be taken from unpleasant bodily emanations that you wouldn’t want much of, especially not at the […]

CD Review: Dungen — Skit I Allt

CD Review: Dungen — Skit I Allt

Dungen Skit I Allt Mexican Summer By Eileen Tilson For those of you who do not have their English-Svenska Dictionary handy while listening to the latest album Skit I Allt from Swedish dream rockers, Dungen, let’s not the title’s potency get lost in translation, Skit I Allt= F*** it All. Frontman Gustav Ejstes explains, it’s […]

Live Review: Crystal Castles at The Masquerade, September 8

Live Review: Crystal Castles at The Masquerade, September 8

By Julia Reidy; photo by Ben Grad As the floor shook steadily underfoot 50 feet back from the stage upstairs at the Masquerade, the crowd got restless. The room was filled with a seething mass of older teens and younger 20-somethings; a full hour had elapsed since Bear In Heaven’s abnormally early set concluded (much […]

Live Review: Lauris Vidal and Andy Shauf at The Drunken Unicorn, September 8

By Giles Turnbull If you thought drunken unicorns were thin on the ground, they weren’t badly outnumbered by the crowd as Andy Shauf took the stage. This was a great shame, because Andy, recently voted one of USA Today’s Pop Candy “Pop Five Canadian Artists You Should Be Listening To,” is a fine songwriter. In […]

Live Review & Q&A with The 22-20s at The Masquerade, August 31

Live Review & Q&A with The 22-20s at The Masquerade, August 31

By Matt Greenia Blues wave pop group The 22-20s played Tuesday, August 31 at The Masquerade as part of their current tour with Hot Hot Heat and Hey Rosetta! The sparse but enthusiastic crowd eagerly devoured these out of town sounds from Canada and England. Hey, if Kenny Crucial’s there, you know it must be […]

CD Review: Various Artists — Nophi Compilation Four

CD Review: Various Artists — Nophi Compilation Four

Various Arists Nophi Compilation Four Nophi Recordings By Giles Turnbull This 20-track compilation CD is the fourth in a series released by Nophi Recordings since 2000. Nophi was set up in 1999 as an experimental label for electronic music, of which founder Randy Garcia is a veteran exponent. Over the years, Nophi has given deserved […]

CD Review: Robyn — Body Talk Pt. 2; Playing Buckhead Theatre, November 8

CD Review: Robyn — Body Talk Pt. 2; Playing Buckhead Theatre, November 8

Robyn Body Talk Pt. 2 Konichiwa / Cherrytree By Cory Albertson Three months after releasing Body Talk Pt. 1, which contained a piece of pop perfection in the single “Dancing on My Own,” Robyn returns with Body Talk Pt. 2, continuing the series’ excellent electropop experimentations. With fellow Swede Klas Åhlund (Sugababes, Kylie Minogue) acting […]