Mike Doughty – New Album, Duo Tour

The first full week of October 2009 will be an exciting one for Mike Doughty and his fans, as the now-grizzled songwriter unveils his sixth “solo” release and embarks on a 31-date tour with band mate Andrew “Scrap” Livingston. The album, titled Sad Man Happy Man, will be released October 6, and the tour begins [...]

Album Review: SeepeopleS – Apocalypse Cow Vol. 2

During “What’s Missing,” the lush, schizophrenic track that opens Apocalypse Cow Vol. 2, SeepeopleS front man Will Bradford creepily announces, “what’s missing is old fashioned justice.” He’s on about something sinister and corrupt, but he could easily be talking about the puzzling path his band has traveled for the last 7 years. For the third [...]

News Fragments: Jay-Z Replaces Beastie Boys at All Points West, Bright Eyes Close Forever, California Left Standing For Phish Festival 8, New Built to Spill Album, Leonard Cohen Returns

-In the wake of Beastie Boy Adam Yauch’s announcement that he has cancer, the band’s album and tour plans have been postponed indefinitely. Replacing the Beasties at the upcoming All Points West Festival will be NYC’s own Jay-Z, making his first ever U.S. festival appearance.
-Conor Oberst (or as I like to call him, Conor Oh-Burst-Into-Tears) [...]

Live Review: Eric Bachmann at Duke Gardens, Durham, NC, July 22, 2009

Near the end of his hour-long set at Duke Gardens, Eric Bachmann appeared to get a little emotional. His voice cracked ever so slightly and his face contorted the way people’s faces do when they’re fighting back tears. As he thanked a few people for helping him “live the dream, which was sometimes a nightmare,” [...]

Live: An Horse and Telekinesis – Chapel Hill, NC, June 18, 2009

Chapel Hill’s Local 506 is one of the darkest, stuffiest clubs in North Carolina. It eats talented bands alive, because they find that playing in a sauna isn’t as easy as they surmised, and the crowds tend to be comprised of relentlessly unenthusiastic, motionless hipsters. Thankfully, there’s a great beer selection.
When a band succeeds [...]

Album Review: Bell Orchestre – As Seen Through Windows

If there’s room in the musical cosmos for another classically inclined, genre-welding Canadian group, then Bell Orchestre is in luck – their place in the galaxy is safe. Including full and part-time members of the popular Canadian art rock outfit Arcade Fire, Bell Orchestre takes the “rock” in “art rock” and replaces it with impressively [...]

M. Ward – Hold Time

On Hold Time, Matt Ward ushers the listener through a gallery of remarkably friendly, entertaining songs that radiate warmth. This album not only sounds organic, it feels organic. Ward’s voice emanates a comfortable climate-controlled aura, guitars are wrapped in fuzzy distortion and cool acoustic breezes, and the drums are set at just the right temperature.
Ward’s [...]

Annuals – Such Fun

Very often a band’s second album is the do or die point, especially in the here-today-gone-tomorrow world we live in. So many “stunning debut” albums are released each year that bands get fluffed to no end, only to have their follow-up effort crushed by critics and forgotten by fans. With so much music being created, [...]

The Bird and The Bee – Ray Guns Are Not Just The Future

The Bird and the Bee’s Ray Guns Are Not Just The Future
already has a humming buzz ahead of its January 2009 release. Having had their music pimped on numerous soundtracks and TV shows, the duo of Greg Kurstin (Geggy Tah) and Inara George have swung for the fences with an album that moves them well [...]