On the Record
Early copies of They Might Be Giants’ last CD, The Else, came with bonus disc Cast Your Pod to the Wind, a grab bag of 23 songs collected from the band's podcasts. The freebie proved …
Buddy Holly's been dead 52 years. He died at 22 in a plane crash described "as the night the music died" by singer Don McLean in his classic-rock anthem "American Pie." Though his recording career …
On Beirut's third full-length, the seasoned vocal cords of Zach Condon sing of longing and wandering in a pixilated world out of reach. The Baroque instrumentation that has defined the band's sound remains, but here …
Bright Eyes’ fourth album starts and ends with the voice of Randy Brewer, an old country singer who frontman Connor Oberst met while on his travels. Brewer's commanding tone opens the album discussing physics, Hitler, …
Note to the warm, dear, swing-dancing friend of mine who lamented, "Charlie Parker killed everything I love": you probably won't listen to this alto-sax/two-upright-basses/one-cello session, but I thought of you. I thought of you since …
Just in time to thwart the summertime blues comes the auditory salve of Rubblebucket's sophomore full-length, a collection of prog-pop glory that often sounds like an indulgence-free Yes. Kalmia Traver provides captivating, ethereal vocals for …
Given the lyrical content of his songs on Eleven Eleven, you'd expect to find Dave Alvin in a joint that reeks of cheap beer, second-hand smoke, and maybe the coppery scent of freshly spilled blood. …
Despite the standard '70s instrumentation, tricky rhythm burps manifest right out of the gate. It's not quite "math rock" but counterpoint enough to bring King Crimson and Polvo into the conversation. Chris Kosnik's soaring, echo-layered …
How badly do we need Jonathan Richman now? After Election 2008, I was ready to say, "Not as much as before," given that the government (at least) no longer promulgated that eight-year Dominant Paradigm of …
When I lived in San Francisco, one of my favorite outings was walking down to Amoeba Records on Haight Street for the free artist-promo concerts. The most memorable was an extended set by blues-rock act …
The first track off of Nothing is Wrong, the second album from Dawes, defines the record. Front man Taylor Goldsmith knows how to reel you in with his voice and lyric in "Time Spent in …
Death Cab for Cutie's latest release is defined by awakenings in sound and trajectory. It is almost unrecognizable when compared to the earlier work of a band that spoke to a decade of teenage angst …
Unusual title. Strange artwork — foliage sprouting from several depictions of a naked figure wearing an expression of shock, pain, or bemusement. A pleasant, elementary riff ("Peace on the Rise") repeats for two minutes, prompting …
Catching up with a so-called one-hit-wonder band 29 years down the line is a little like checking in on a former beauty-pageant winner or somebody who got kicked by the president. You wonder how (if) …
Canadian-based electronic musician Tim Hecker recorded his sixth album, Ravedeath, 1972, live in a Reykjavík church primarily using a pipe organ. Of course, you wouldn't know that listening to the album, as the recorded output …