Well-scrubbed and enunciating clearly, the master entertainers in the Clumsy Lovers offer few concessions to the affected tastes of our time. Even the hook of authenticity, so fruitfully proffered by most bands with rootsy-folksy tendencies, is traded for Nashville-caliber professionalism by this Vancouver quintet. Armed with such uncool moves, the…
While shrieking, hanging-from-the-rafters front man Ian Svenonius and groovy bassist/chanteuse Michelle Mae led the Vespa-riding, white-belted indie kids in a gospel yeah-yeah revolution with The Make-Up during the late ’90s, their latest act, Weird War, has evolved — or is it devolved? — into a purveyor of glorious psych sleaze…
Scout Niblett is the nom de indie rock of one Emma Louise Niblett, a native of Nottingham, England (though currently residing in Oakland, California), whose raw, ranging, unhinged blues moans and wails place her in the same ballpark as fellow Brit Polly Jean Harvey, circa Rid of Me. Like ol’…
The Knitters — X members John Doe, Exene Cervenka and D.J. Bonebrake, augmented by then-Blaster Dave Alvin and current Red Devil Johnny Ray Bartel — recorded Poor Little Critter on the Road in 1985. The album consisted of the country and folk songs that inspired the music of X as…
Perhaps the only thing more self-indulgent than issuing a double album is planning a surprise party for yourself and then feigning astonishment when your guests emerge. Many such releases have been ostentatious excursions of masturbatory significance, while others (Bitches Brew, London Calling, Sign of the Times, Life After Death) have…
When Stephen Marley soulfully croons “Let me out, let me out, I’m an angry lion” during “Iron Bars,” strains of Nesta sparkle in the indifferent rage. Indifference, for the Marley family, does not imply a lack of compassion. It’s their laid-back assessment of social and spiritual topics that made reggae’s…
Blessed with exquisite musical taste and an enviably large record collection, Four Tet (a.k.a. British producer Kieran Hebden) has maximized those assets over four increasingly accomplished albums since 1999’s Dialogue, while incidentally becoming the foremost proponent of “folktronica.” Four Tet’s mastery of the laptop and sampler culminates on Everything Ecstatic,…
Governor Janet Napolitano put a quick end to the bill that would have allowed you to take your guns into bars around the state, but that’s not stopping Niños Con Pistolas (Children With Guns) from setting up shop at the Old Brickhouse Grill (1 East Jackson Street) on Saturday, July…
Two of the most promising bands in the local metal scene are performing together this weekend. Autumn’s End keeps it dark and heavy, and pretty much exemplifies Arizona metal: shredding guitars and growling guys in black cowboy hats. The band was formed by vocalist and guitarist Chris Cannella, former N17…
The Lawrence Arms are three Midwestern guys who know how to party. These Chicago punk rockers keep with the old-school style of short songs played fast, and on Cocktails & Dreams, vocalist and bassist Brendan Kelly (formerly of the Broadways) preaches the joys of a good night at the bar…
So often have the similarities between punk rock and country/folk been stated that acoustic guitars have become nearly as colloquial as reggae in the language of punk. But this dozen-song set by Florida hardcore veterans Rumbleseat is exceptional for its palpable melancholy and consistent quality. Broad and ringing, the dual…
What’s a suicidally named band to do but make undeniably good records? In the tradition of every quirky crew that’s as beloved by its audience for shooting itself in the foot as for its creative heights, Florida’s Grabass Charlestons have risen to the extraordinary occasion made necessary by their own…
1. Mike Jones, Who Is Mike Jones? (Warner) 2. Ying Yang Twins, United State of Atlanta (TVT) 3. Mariah Carey, Emancipation of Mimi (Universal) 4. Common, Be (Universal) 5. System of a Down, Mezmerize (Sony) 6. Cassidy, I’m a Hustla (BMG) 7. Pretty Ricky, Bluestars (Atlantic) 8. 50 Cent, The…
Bane frontman Aaron Bedard can wear a purple sweater with an appliqué teddy bear onstage and the tattooed folks in the crowd won’t say a word. Bane just has that kind of rep. This Boston hardcore band, started in 1995 as a side project for Converge guitarist Aaron Dalbec and…
The Saddle Creek collective in Omaha remains as busy and intriguing as ever, swinging between solo and group projects. This tour brings together two of Bright Eyes’ Conor Oberst’s cronies, Denver Dalley and Maria Taylor. Dalley is Oberst’s songwriting partner in Desaparecidos, but his side project, Statistics, offers a dramatic…
If rock critics ran the world, the Backyard Babies would be headlining stadiums instead of sweating it out in closet-sized rock dives. But none of the three albums the Swedish band’s released since 1997 has managed to awaken slumbering U.S. rock fans. See how influential the press is? Liquor &…
This Minneapolis indie favorite is tuning in loud and clear to the ghosts of a lost era in rock — those few precious years of the late ’70s and early ’80s, before punk, New Wave and goth all went their completely separate ways. Ouija Radio cranks out darkly catchy melodies…
With its new disc Salazar Brothers, local band Rising Conviction takes a step toward being in Ozzfest someday. The band has been creating a straightforward hard rock sound since 2000, although this latest release has more of a jam-session feel, with lengthy tracks, smooth transitions, and short interludes that are…
The Buzzcocks’ sly Pete Shelley was “surfing on a wave of nostalgia for an age yet to come,” but for most backward-looking bands of recent decades, the ’60s will do just fine. And ’60s necrophilia is practically a tradition compared to the current ’80s vogue, which explains why it’s getting…
If not for the mass appeal of emotional exhibitionism, Billy Corgan would have been an acquired taste. Think about it: those vaporous guitar tones, the over-the-top Victoriana, and, of course, that whine, uniquely irksome in pop history. It wasn’t until Zwan — his 2003 attempt at banddom, now regularly and…
Your heart won’t be the only thing pounding if you’re in the middle of the dance floor at Myst on Thursday, June 30. There’ll be loud, irresistible beats courtesy of the Planet of the Drums collective: Dara, AK1200, and Dieselboy (with MC Messinian), a trio of turntable messiahs who should…
Surprisingly durable and devoted, rockabilly is a vigorous American subculture, much like the Elvis-ites. The slicked-back pompadours, tattered sleeveless oxfords, tattoos and souped-up cars at rockabilly shows make it hard to tell whether you’re in a dusty Stray Cats video or cavorting with Eddie Cochran’s first fans. Kim Nekroman, a…
