With half undecipherable melodies, half indie pop, Dirty Projectors mash up a style that reflects the work of Deerhoof, capturing a disjointed knack of melody that is otherwise fascinating and pretentiously artsy. At first listen, you’ll probably want to run to the more “welcoming” sounds of Wilco..
Straightforward. Subdued. Accessible. If Octohedron had been recorded by just about any other band, those words would never cross anyone's mind. However, the Mars Volta has pushed the boundaries of their music and their mania time and again, leaving the expectation that each album will be a further exploration of psychedelic insanity. This album explores to be sure, but in a different way than they have previously
It is great to literally hear the walls of genre coffining labels collapse when Akron/Family starts a’rolling. Their newest release Set’Em Wild, Set’Em Free isn’t as experimentally weird as past efforts, but still brings enough freak with their Nuevo-hippy folk to keep listeners on edge.
Few bands have successfully produced two decades of quality music and lived to liven listener's senses for a third. Even fewer bands staking that claim hail from that musical-bridge between the late 80’s and early 90s. Yet that is exactly what Dinosaur Jr. has re-affirmed with their newest release: Farm.
Drive-By Truckers front-man Patterson Hood’s second solo record, Murdering Oscar (and other love songs), flows like a DBT rock show—hook ‘em, rest ‘em, then beat ‘em senseless—and while saving the best for last may not always be the best recipe for an album, Hood leaves nothing on his plate.
Whether or not you’re put off by the opening “Wilco (the song)” and its “Wilco will love you, baby!” chorus, at least the alt-rockers from Chicago are being honest—this album is undeniably a full band effort.
Hombre Lobo songs shake with a weird sort of tension. “Lilac Breeze,” with its unyielding craziness, should eventually become an anthem for a future Quinten Tarantino film, while “The Longing” finds Everett searching for “her smile, her touch, her smell, her laugh, her tears, her sorrow, her faults, her doubts.” And that’s the thing about Everett—he’s tasted every flavor, tried every approach until he’s howling with delight. There’s not much here to dislike.
Unfortunate for those that despise hearing anything to do with Dave Matthews Band and his musical duffle of summer-time fun, but a new DMB album seems to always hit around #1 on the charts – such as the case here with this latest effort – Big Whiskey and the GrooGrux King.
Their full length debut, Manners is fun stuff, mildly annoying, but filled with endless keyboards and studio effects that use the 1980’s as a constant reference point.
Eric Clapton and Steve Winwood clearly elevate each other's performances throughout Live From Madison Square Garden. This live recording, a set list heavy on blues and vintage Traffic tunes intermixes crowd-pleasers like the too-obvious encore "Cocaine” as well as "After Midnight." Yet the headlining pair and their savvy accompanists refuse to indulge in mere nostalgia.
