Photo credit: Annie Beedy As reported just a couple of weeks ago, The A.V. Club has kicked off a new Undercover project. Tagline: 25 bands, 25 cover songs, 1 small, round room. The first band to take the bait was Ted Leo + The Pharmacists putting a newish spin on Tears for Fears’ “Everybody Wants to … Read more
I like to run to Fang Island. I don’t care if that sounds odd. I like to strap on the ole’ iPod, go running to a post-rock band and imagine that my steps are somehow the catalyst for the time-signature changes, awesome guitar solos, and vocal harmonies that would make The Beach Boys up their … Read more
New York City singer-songwriter, Pete Francis, is set to release his next album, The Movie We Are In, next month, but two great songs from the album await your ears. The second single from the album, “Love Shakes You Down” is also accompanied by a wonderfully animated video, drawn by artist Micah Player (who also designed … Read more
It was 2002, and I made my way down to Texas for the inaugural Austin City Limits Music Festival. I had ventured to Austin to see many of my favorite bands and artists, including Ryan Adams, Wilco, Tift Merritt, and Patty Griffin. I had no idea who Allison Moorer was. By chance, that quickly changed. … Read more
Yesterday, the Internets went into a frenzied overload when one of my absolute favorite bands, Band of Horses, released a free download of its new video for “Compliments.” It’s been awhile since the South Carolina via Seattle indie-Southern-country-rock fivesome has released an album, and I am currently in the midst of dying for the release … Read more
The newly signed Minneapolis-based duo of Peter Pisano and Brian Moen, otherwise known as Peter Wolf Crier, fit perfectly into the mounting Jagjaguwar catalogue. With current label-mates the likes of Bon Iver, Gayngs, and Volcano Choir, they’ve acquired a position on one of the hottest labels around – and a prefab fanbase ready to welcome … Read more
Portland alt-folk musician, Nick Jaina, is a “starving artist” in every sense of the term. We often hear about indie musicians who fund their projects via fan donations or miss gigs because of the broken-down van that they couldn’t afford to fix in time. But, Jaina takes this idea to the extreme: he’s sacrificed relationships, … Read more
I’ve never seen Band of Horses live (I’m still pissed at that ice storm that kept me home a couple years ago), but that’s about to change come May 4th when they will open for Pearl Jam in St. Louis. Although I really don’t like arena shows (maybe it’s because I always get crappy seats, … Read more
Back in February, I posted a video of the live performance of JC Brooks & the Uptown Sound performing “I Am Trying to Break Your Heart” live in the local St. Louis KDHX studios. More specifically, I wrote about my absolute glee perpetuated by the band’s release of this superb, soul-infused Wilco cover. Two months … Read more
To start the week – a quick geography lesson. The Triangle area of North Carolina includes three primary cities: Raleigh, Durham, and Chapel Hill. It’s located in the Piedmont region of the state, nestled quaintly three hours from the mountains and two hours from the beach. Culturally, it’s the epicenter of the state, fueled no … Read more
Spring always pulls me in two directions musically. On one hand, I want to say goodbye to the gloom of winter and the down-tempo, moody music that I seem to feature during those months. To dust off those summertime beats that make me roll down the windows and work on a sweet left arm tan. … Read more
“You can go — well, of course you can/ But I swear/ That these words will stand/ Up to you/ And your grandest plan/ You can’t come back/ You can’t come back…” The first time I heard Jill Andrews’ voice, I was lying in bed, sick from the stomach flu, and my head was pounding. … Read more
Fresh off a tour with Speakers in Code faves, Deer Tick, One Wolf is garnering mucho atención with its gruff and gritty mix of punky-folk, reminiscent of the DT sound. One Wolf is not one note, however; the band bounces to and fro along the sound spectrum, sometimes rocking out in a gnarly way, sometimes … Read more
Although I wouldn’t call 2009’s Wilco (the album) Wilco’s crowning achievement (it’s still very good), I’ll tell you that “Bull Black Nova” always gets me a little nutty. Nutty as in I want to trash my house. Nutty as in I want to break the speed limit and get caught. Nutty as in I want … Read more
It’s no secret around these parts that I love a good soul jam. I’ve been eating up The Mynabirds’ “Numbers Don’t Lie” (and eagerly awaiting the debut album, What We Lose in the Fire We Gain in the Flood which drops April 27th), and that cover of Wilco’s “I Am Trying to Break Your Heart” by … Read more
I tell ya, that Annie Stela always has something up her sleeve. Besides currently offering to play a show this summer at your house, Stela released two fine EPs in 2009 — Hard City and Little House — and they both blew my mind. But what’s this? They’re being combined? And you can get a … Read more
DISCLAIMER: I write the below post with full understanding that I am a 6’7” lanky white boy who lives in a college town located in the heart of North Carolina. I have attempted to execute six dance moves in my life which include: The Macarena. The Roger Rabbit. The Butterfly. The Electric Slide. The Cha-Cha … Read more
Austin-based singer-songwriter-fiddler Carrie Rodriguez has dazzled us over the years with her varying talents, all of which, in the way that she delivers them, can be described as uncommon. You probably know her best for her fiddle, or her work with Chip Taylor or Alejandro Escovedo. But whatever the landscape, it’s usually not all about … Read more
Thanks to Matt for letting me know about the ridiculously awesome mashup of The Notorious B.I.G. and the xx created by San Fran DJ Wait What. Don’t think I didn’t cruise around my tiny hometown, absolutely bumping “One More Chance” on my Mustang’s factory speakers. ‘Cause that really happened. Here’s what DJ Wait What had to say … Read more
Analog is going digital! Tune into Screaming Vinyl Live to listen to The Dead Weather’s Sea of Cowards on vinyl for twenty-four hours. Via a live camera and audio stream, surprise guest DJs will preview the album that comes out officially on May 11, 2010 on Third Man Records. Online video chat by Ustream
There are a few things that people who grew up in places like North Carolina understand that others may not. The first is it’s not really summer until the sound of cicadas drown out any other noise around. Second, fall smells differently here – and most of us spend the year looking forward to that … Read more
Buke and Gass – +/- Buke and Gass make music on homemade instruments that individually explore minimalist but sonic pallets. The handful of tracks that make up +/- are filled with asymmetrical transitions that could easily have any listener imagining another three or four songs within each one, yet the overall flavor presented requires each … Read more
I suppose when you’re having a bad day, or even a bad month, you try to think about how all the ways life could still be as good as you want it to be. Because if you don’t have hope in life, you don’t have much. I’ve been in healing mode for the past few … Read more
When Orenda Fink released Ask the Night in October of 2009, it was an album that took me a few listens to get comfortable with its words and sounds. I’ll admit right now that my brain always hears Maria Taylor’s voice when I hear Fink’s. If you didn’t already know, Taylor and Fink made up … Read more
Last Friday, SXSW darlings, Free Energy, debuted a stream of the new song, “C’mon Let’s Dance.” The track’s toy-piano prelude leads into some full-blown Strokes-esque guitar, and later, unapologetically straightforward lyrics stand their ground against a kaleidoscope of rhythmic ingredients. Free Energy wants to unglue you from your wall and get you on the d-floor, yo. … Read more
Joseph Arthur, crafter of gorgeous folk songs and painter of brilliant works of art, has announced an upcoming album to be released this fall. Arthur recently wrapped up the finishing touches on the currently untitled effort at The Carriage House recording studio in Los Angeles. Special guests include Ben Harper and Remi Jaffe (The Wallflowers, … Read more
Art rock. Noise pop. Whatever you wanna call it, Alexis Krauss and Derek Miller, the Brooklyn duo that makes up Sleigh Bells know how to get loud. “Punishingly loud,” as Pitchfork once put it. Knowing that Sleigh Bells is currently the band of the hour, I put in some good time getting acquainted with the … Read more
Damn The T.A.M.I. Show. That’s right – I said it. I have some serious animosity toward that insanely awesome 1964 concert film starring James Brown, The Supremes, The Beach Boys, and pretty much every other major act of that era. It has apparently created a void in me, and for the past two weeks, I’ve … Read more
Last summer, I saw Deer Tick open for Jenny Lewis, and the then unknown-to-me band covered John Mellencamp’s “I Fought Authority” with the intensity of The Sex Pistols. I still don’t know if that was a sincere gesture or more of a kitschy move, but as a small town girl who grew up near many pink houses, … Read more
Photo credit: Douglas Garfield Yesterday, fellow Speakers in Code writer, Matt, gave us a Jam of the Day that slowly eases from winter to this relatively newfound spring weather. However, today, I bring you a JOTD that definitely doesn’t hide the fact that it’s ready to shed its winter skin and spend a little time … Read more