Lucinda Williams, one of our favorite singer-songwriters, is back at The Pageant on Wednesday, October 12th, touring behind her latest album, Blessed, which the New York Times calls “…one of her best.” One of the great things about seeing Williams at The Pageant is that she always seems extra stoked for the occasion — many … Read more
Photo credit: Marcelo Biglia Rough seas they carry me wherever I go… The more I listen to Josh Ritter’s latest album, So Runs the World Away, the more I’m convinced it’s about one simple thing: refusing to stand still. So many times in my life I’ve struggled with this notion — to rest on my … Read more
US English, the Saint Louis duo of James and Brea McAnally, just released the EP, Used Future, on Post Literate today! It’s the second effort in the now two-thirds complete trilogy, promised in the fall of 2010 when the two dropped the inaugural EP, What Frontier, on our asses. Here’s what US English says about … Read more
On Valentine’s Day, we told you that Radiohead’s eighth studio record, The King of Limbs, would be available for digital download this Saturday. Well, Thom Yorke and Co. have pulled a fast one on us, and the record is actually available…NOW. Delightfully tricky. Go grab the soundtrack to your weekend over at http://www.kingoflimbs.com/. We couldn’t … Read more
I don’t love you, but I always will. It’s the lyric that Joy Williams and John Paul White of The Civil Wars will never escape. The stabbing lyric at the heart of their breakthrough song, “Poison and Wine.” The one moment where truth bites beautifully and leaves an immediate scar. It’s the lyric that you … Read more
Lucinda Williams has always been good at telling the truth. Songs like “Those Three Days” and “Essence” reveal a woman who knows what she wants and also a person who isn’t afraid to ask questions. Williams, in my opinion, is a confronting songwriter – one of the best alive, male or female. So when I … Read more
Photo credit: Guy Aroch We unofficially named U.S. Royalty one of our Top Bands to Watch in 2011, all the way back in October of 2010 when we first listened to “Equestrian,” the first single off the now-released debut LP, Mirrors. Yes, that long ago. We were so taken with the lead track, we placed it … Read more
Way back in 2008, Fleet Foxes sneaked into our lives, unexpectedly dropping the list-topping, self-titled debut LP on all of our asses and shaking up the indie music world in the process. No one realized the band’s level of crossover potential until it was upon us, and looking from these 2011 eyes, it could be … Read more
You will miss sunrise if you close your eyes and that would break my heart in two Choosing to cover Townes Van Zandt is pretty popular these days. But when you do it beautifully, as Carrie Rodriguez and Ben Kyle do on their new album, We Still Love Our Country, it sounds as fresh as … Read more
Singer-songwriter Lauren Pritchard is a hard one to label, and that’s a good thing. She’s been compared to Adele, Norah Jones, and Carole King, but I’m not sure if any of those fit. I wish I could offer up a better comparison (in my mind, at least), but maybe Lauren Pritchard is sort of on … Read more
The first time I met Andy Berkhout, I immediately noticed his gentle disposition accompanied by a permanent, genuine smile. If I had a million dollars, I’d bet you’d like this guy. Photo credit: Katie Guymon And, if there were a perfect song to typify Berkhout’s peaceful, easygoing demeanor, it would be today’s Jam of the … Read more
You’ve heard that song “Cleveland Rocks,” right? You know, the Midwestern anthem that boasts the city’s ability to “live in sin with a safety pin?” Whatever that means? Well, after spending the weekend with my new indie crushes, The Lighthouse and the Whaler, a fivesome out of the aforementioned Ohioan city, I want to write … Read more
“Under Cover of Darkness” will be the first single from The Strokes’ new record, Angles, (their first in five years… has it been that long?) which will drop March 22nd on RCA Records. The early word on Angles is that it will be a return to the sonic buzz and the angular, riffy, garage sensibilities … Read more
“Silverlake” is actually the very first song recorded by the women (Orenda Fink, Maria Taylor) of Azure Ray after spending six years apart, musically speaking. On the track, Fink and Taylor sing, “Laughing all night long/ For the sake of the song/ Like we used to…” And wow, along with those “reunited and it feels so good” … Read more
Toro y Moi is the moniker of “chillwave” artist Chazwick Bundick, who just may be the coolest guy to come from South Carolina since Tom Haverford. Chillwave (or glo-fi!), a relatively new movement, is just what it sounds like: chilled out, new-wave grooves. Mr. Bundick has been operating within this aural arena ever since the … Read more
Photo credit: Rob Stephenson Ocean Carolina is the Brooklyn-based creation of singer-songwriter-producer Michael Simone who began performing as a solo artist in good ol’ North Carolina in the late ’90s, before moving to New York in 2002. And almost ten years later, we have the result of his experiences both performing in the Tarheel State … Read more
Short and sweet, Delta Maid knows how to get it done. The twenty-five year old from Liverpool is a self-taught guitarist, and her voice reminds you of the sweetest winds blowing across the South. Clocking in at a little over two minutes, today’s PJOTD reveals a youthful talent with a bright future ahead of her. … Read more
We could’ve had it all. There is a moment in Stephen King’s Pet Sematary where Louis Creed almost goes insane. His son, Gage, has just died, and he’s imagining what could have been – Gage growing up, Gage getting married…basically, the rest of Gage’s life. It’s all right there so vividly, except, of course, it … Read more
Photo Credit: Robert Bellamy After a string of plaudits for remixes of artists as diverse as Bloc Party, Burial, Wild Beasts, and Amy Winehouse, it wasn’t long before Banjo or Freakout, aka Alessio Natalizia, joined the shortlist of bands with true buzz surrounding them. Their first EP, Upside Down, was also received to critical praise … Read more
Photo Credit: Brian Stowell The Animal Years is Josh Ritter’s best album. I hear that all the time. I believe it, too. Actually, many people have told me how this album has changed their life. Just have a listen to “Girl in the War,” “Thin Blue Flame,” “Here at the Right Time,” or today’s free … Read more
Anyone with an ear to the ground in the Raleigh, Durham and Chapel Hill area of NC have heard the rumble of a local music scene waiting to blow the eff up. From the wildly successful, and heavily local Hopscotch Music Festival, to stage-stealing opening slots before major national acts, Triangle bands brought their shit … Read more
Our favorite New Zealander, Brooke Fraser, has hit us with another treat — this time a video for her newest single called “Betty.” It’s off her latest album, Flags, which we chose as one of our favorite albums of 2010. We think she’s pretty adorable in this video, no?
On the morning of what many jilted lovers across the land view as the most superficial and contrived of all holidays, the music world brings us two substantial, significant, and genuine news gifts. Photo Credit – ET Online – Getty Images – Kevin Winter 1) Last night at the 2011 Grammy Awards, a much deserving … Read more
Los Angeles husband and wife electro/dance/disco/afro-beat duo, Rainbow Arabia, has offered up the first single from their soon to be released LP, Boys and Diamonds (March 1st on Kompakt Records). Danny and Tiffany Preston have crafted a synth- and-bongo infused anthem to introduce listeners to their unique sound and the compositions of the new record. … Read more
Photo Credit: Katie Guymon A lead singer and an athlete are not the same. An athlete can easily cover up an injury or sickness and deliver a legendary performance. Hell, one of Michael Jordan’s best games came in a playoff-pressured situation where he needed multiple IVs because of the flu. A musician having a cold … Read more
All Photo Credit: Agatha Donkar “Hello everyone. We’re very excited to be playing for you in North Vagina. That’s funny because it sounds like Carolina…” This was the first thing uttered through a microphone Sunday night as Yuck took the stage. As far as I could tell, there was no laughter. Sunday night shows are … Read more
Dude, the Scandinavian countries are straight tearing up my iPod so far in 2011. Hot on the tracks of Monday’s Jam of the Day, the new Lykke Li single, “I Follow Rivers,” we’ve got the new Datarock happytime dance gem, “Catcher in the Rye.” (Otherwise known as “the most extravagant single in in history”…’cause that’s … Read more
Could it be that we already have 2011’s Cover of the Year? A definite possibility if ever one did exist. It will be tough to top James Blake’s cover of “Limit to Your Love,” written and originally recorded by Feist on her 2007 record, The Reminder (check out a live version by Ms. Feist HERE). … Read more
TV On The Radio’s hiatus seemed like an eternity. Sure we saw the guys in multiple projects, both musically and at the helm in production roles, Heck, they even showed up in independent movies. But, it was not even close to fullfilling to those of us who worship their collective work as a band. Well, … Read more
Photo credit: Rachel Demsick Last October, as part of her house concert tour across the U.S., singer-songwriter Annie Stela set up and played her songs in my living room. Her performance still often lingers in my mind; I remember her effortlessly playing songs like “Breathe Through,” “Heart,” and “Clean It Up,” undoubtedly making a true … Read more