Posts by Shawn Donohue

When you hear the title phrase Mountain Meadows, you may think of pastoral fields growing high in the sky with peaceful ease, not so for this Canadian trio.  Elliott Brood has constructed an aggressive electric folk period piece that deliberates on, or at was least inspired by, the Mountain Meadow Massacre of 1857.  Things kick off hot and mean with the best track on the album “Fingers and Tongues”; guitars ring with confidence over a feedback drone and ghost-like backing vocals.

It is safe to say that this year’s lineup for the annual CMJ festival was the most underwhelming in years, maybe ever.  Usually there are 10-20 established acts, and a handful of showcases packed with up and coming contenders that everyone is clamoring to get into, not so for ’09. 

On the Friday night Cymbals Eat Guitars, Holly Miranda, and Delorean played the Self-Titled Magazine/Pop Mart Media Showcase in the Village at Le Poisson Rogue.

Girls debut Album is getting some internet hype, and a lot of it focuses on Christopher Owens upbringing and escape from the Children of God cult.  While certainly unusual and worthy of telling, if you just take a look at the music, you probably wouldn’t think twice about religion because the focus here is on…well, girls. 

This is a huge organic blob of an album.  The Flaming Lips have never been shy about their grandiose tendencies (Zaireeka) and this one flashes them all, making it impossible to absorb upon the first few listens.  Embryonic is a double disk in a day in age when singles seem to be clocking in at less than 2 minutes, a bit out of place in the time realm, but smack dab on the cutting edge when it comes to the music.  Chock full of sound Embryonic bombards the listener with twitches and musical gleeks over distorted drums strings and chimes.  It is an audio genetic soup in there, and that’s what the album seems to be getting at.

Earlier this year Doug Martsch, the creative force behind Built to Spill, said in an interview that “There are plenty of Built to Spill records- no one is in a hurry to hear something new”.  With a hugely impressive back catalog he is right and from the sound of his newest album There Is No Enemy, hurrying was one of the last things on the bands mind; they seem to be stuck in neutral and coasting. 

"Cross Collaboration,” “Super Group,” call it whatever, Monsters of Folk simply sound good…real good.  Conor Oberst, Jim James (Yim Yames), Mike Mogis and M. Ward have all established themselves as artists to reckon with in this new millennium and they gathered back in 2004 to start tossing ideas around. Their self-titled album was released this month; it is an enchanting mix of guitar strums, wonderin’ blues and flat out gorgeous vocals.

My Old, Familiar Friend is Brendan Benson's newest solo effort (recorded between Broken Boy Soldiers and Consolers of the Lonely) and it again finds him digging in his familiar rut of broken hearts and failed relationships most of which are apparently his fault; some things don’t change.

For Pearl Jam’s last album, the first single (for a band that still cares about Rock and Roll singles) was the cataclysmically-intense “World Wide Suicide” which jarred listeners.  This time around the band’s first release off of Backspacer is the pop-rock, easy-swinging “The Fixer” which will cause more hopping and sing-a-longs then soul searching and rages against the machine.  

Scotland has become a hotbed for some engaging indie/pop/rock lately with Frightened Rabbit and We Were Promised Jetpacks each putting out excellent albums recently and Twin Atlantic continues this tradition albeit it in a heavier style.  Somewhere between EP and full length comes Vivarium, a “mini album” from this Glasgow four piece.     

Diablo Royale’s newest release is the 7 song EP Greedy Dogs, targeted to those who still yearn to rock out, non-ironically.

The Upwelling is a three piece New York City-based indie/pop/rock trio that delivers their music in a straight forward manner.  Dominated by multi-instrumentalist/songwriter Ari Ingber, who, along with his brother Joshua Ingber on drums and Conor Heffernan on keys, create lush soundscapes decorated with crooning.

While the group has shifted over the years, Love and Curses proves once again that Cartwright and crew are the most criminally-underrated songwriter and rockers rolling today.

Reigning Sound is the brain child of prolific talent Greg Cartwright.  While the group has shifted over the years, Love and Curses proves once again that Cartwright and crew are the most criminally-underrated songwriter and rockers rolling today.  

Post-Modern, with its simple cover and clever hooks, lulls the listener into a sense of security before kicking said listener right in the ass. “Will we, find our way back home?!?!” is not just a chorus; it’s a mission.

For those who maybe questioning White’s choice to play drums, don’t, the skins are pounded with power and precision.

2009, like most years, was an event first and a music festival second (or third depending on how much you like Skeeball).

Jack White’s newest offering stomped into NYC on a humid July night and crunched to a sold-out-fired-up house in Terminal 5.  This time the “supergroup” comes equipped with Allison Mosshart from The Kills, Dean Fertita from Queens of the Stone Age and Jack Lawrence best known as playing bass in White’s other “supergroup” The Raconteurs.  Before we get to them though, a word or twenty about the opener Screaming Females. 

f this were the late 80’s/early 90’s, MTV still mattered an played videos while having a Buzz Bin, then “Skeletons”, the title track off of Tiny Masters of Today new album, would have been a huge hit.

So the title is throwing you off huh?  This is not a greatest hits package, it is a scrapbook of the first 16 years (all ready?!!?) that the Donnas have been together.  It gathers unreleased B-sides, live cuts of their better tunes, remix’s, 2009 versions of older jams, and even new material; it is a hodgepodge effort all around.