Soul never goes out of style. Souls, on the other hand, are so last century. And while spiritualism might be as passé as heroin, it’s never uncool to belt out smooth R&B over groovy rhythms. Enter Jamie Lidell, a funky 35-year-old Englishman with a healthy appreciation for Stevie Wonder and cabaret-style getups. Supporting this year’s […]
Toronto’s Holy Fuck is an appropriately named blend of perverted psycho-drama ideals and elaborate electronic fusion that sends seemingly every noise in their twisted world through their wires. The massive onslaught of fuzzy, angular noise oozes a sense of debauchery, but the look-what-I-found perception of their found sound is hardly accidental. Live, the ensemble makes […]
For a band that built a career fusing American punk roots with traditional Celtic instrumentation and structures, it’s all but bizarre that this year’s Float marked the first time that Flogging Molly actually recorded in Ireland. For almost a decade, the California ensemble has tapped its heritage and crafted atmospheric, pint-raising tunes here in the […]
As a staple of the Life During Wartime scene since co-launching the regular Chicago dance party in January 2003, DJ Bald Eagle (a.k.a. Metro talent buyer Chris Barroner) has transformed himself into one of the city’s — if not the country’s — biggest draws on the decks. More than just some old records and a […]
As !!! is quick to point out, pronouncing its name as “any sound repeated three times” gives the moniker endless possibilities and unlimited room in which to evolve. But what the Brooklyn ensemble failed to notice when giving itself such a repetitive title is that — despite all those potential variations — the name is […]
It’s rewarding to see Spoon residing near the top of the Billboard charts. Not that it’s any kind of validation for the years of watching them progress from a quaint guitar-pop band into one of Merge Records’ most consistent names on a roster made up almost entirely of fascinating acts. It’s rewarding because the Austin […]
Since the band’s conception a decade ago, Mexico’s Kinky has been a testament to dance music’s international capabilities. In the United States, the genre is the musical equivalent to soccer. We know about it; we’re told it’s the largest in the world, but we just don’t care. And it’s certainly going to take more than […]
What an odd Dr. Seuss line for this whimsical quintet to steal for its name. It’s not that the outfit couldn’t use its brand of catchy pop to move the proverbial mountain. What’s odd is that the band’s road-tested chops and lemons-into-lemonade demeanor appears better served for taking the long way there — perhaps around […]
Labeling The Hold Steady as “the greatest bar band on Earth” is insulting. Sure, the common title is masked as a compliment (probably even intended as one), but comparing the quintet to cover bands and weekend pub stage warriors just isn’t fair. It’s akin to saying that they are the best minor league pitcher or […]
Why wouldn’t Dinosaur Jr. get back together? The Police did. So did Van Halen, Led Zeppelin, Asia, Aqua, The Dismemberment Plan, B2K, Genesis, The Jesus and Mary Chain, My Bloody Valentine, The Pixies, Rage Against the Machine and just about every band short of Kris Kross. Wait, what’s that you say? Kris Kross is currently […]