Posts by Jeff Strowe

Buried beneath the clunkiness of this project’s name is Spencer Krug, well-known as the noodling, keyboard-playing, co-leader of Wolf Parade.  Yep, you remember them: the versatile Canadian indie-rock outfit who rocked hard over the course of a handful of solid albums and EP”s before taking an indefinite hiatus last spring.

Diamond Rugs' self-titled debut, out on Partisan Records, is a 14-song gem lined with country-rock wailing, Replacements’ punk stomping, and bluesy jazz riffs reminiscent of Exile-era Stones.  The sum of its’ parts, Diamond Rugs’ song-craft will also remind listeners of the various members’ main projects. 

In a similar vein to Neil Young & Crazy Horse, the four members of Austin, Texas’ White Denim took the stage Saturday night in Hoboken, and proceeded to pummel the capacity crowd with an onslaught of frenetically paced and emotionally fueled songs and instrumental histrionics.

Kurt Wagner and company have always operated on a different plane than others, making many beautiful albums worth of strange bedfellows, marrying rock, country, folk, and orchestral sounds into a conglomerate of tunes so distinct and intriguing that classification seems a pointless exercise. Mr. M is no exception as again the traits that make Lambchop one of a kind are on full display. 

Coming of Age is an amazingly crafted debut from a young band we’ll hopefully hear more from as time progresses.  It will be interesting to see how their songwriting and thematic elements develop as they age and matriculate among the rock and roll lifestyle.  They’ve captured a particular slice of life well this time around.  Here’s to hoping they keep it up and reward us with a long career.

For their third album, the five members of Delta Spirit have lit the fuse, opening up the overall sound and punching through with a sonic boom.  Gone is the rootsy Americana of 2010’s History From Below and their 2008 debut, Ode To Sunshine.  In its place is a big modern rock cacophony that may initially catch listeners off guard but is more in tune with what the band has had in mind all along.

Here, the Bottle Rockets pile into the Lucas School House, a former one-room building dating back to 1898 and strip the sound down to the bare essentials.  The 13 tracks provided serve as a well-rounded and diverse sampling of the band’s excellent catalog, but prove even more memorable for the insights provided before, during, and after each performance.

As evidenced by the varied nature of the Nomad Series, the Cowboy Junkies do a lot of genres and styles well.  For those that like the meandering whims and see-where-we-go improvisation of their stage dynamics, this album is made for you. 

Future Islands have made their name by delivering the kind of “blood, sweat, and tears” live show that can inspire legions of fans to blindly follow the band across the miles.  The members don’t look like your typical indie-rock darlings; instead they resemble the type of guys in the cubicle next to yours who you depend on for a daily dose of levity or to complete a fantasy football trade.

Every now and then it’s good to get your head rattled a bit by a good rock show.  Monday night, the native sons of Providence, Rhode Island rolled into town and blew the roof off of Carrboro’s newly reconfigured Cat’s Cradle.  Over the course of 19 songs and 90 minutes, guitarist-singer John McCauley, lead guitarist and Last Waltz-era Robbie Robertson doppelganger Ian O’Neil, keyboardist/saxophonist Rob Crowell, bassist Chris Ryan and his drummer brother Dennis plowed through their set with an unbridled and furious burst of energy that enthusiastically resonated with the amped-up crowd who filled the floor, looking to sing, dance, and fist-pump their way through the evening.