Encompassing the genres of trip-hop, dance, poptronica, piano pop and down tempo, Breathe Me In is quite the calling card for anyone who is just learning about this promising singer-songwriter.
“Ghost on the Canvas” is AM country/rock king Glen Campbell’s swan song before he retires ahead of and advancing case of Alzheimer’s disease. While the album’s lyrical content is full of hints, this is the final public statement of a man looking back on a very colorful life; the music itself is surprisingly strong and upbeat, and Campbell’s voice is as rich and emotional as ever.
Rise Ye Sunken Ships, the debut album by We Are Augustines, is a raw meditation on the loss, pain and hardships that have encompassed the band members. Guitarist Bill McCarthy and bassist Eric Sanderson began penning the songs for what would have been the sophomore album of their previous band, Pela. While writing and recording the tracks, the band feuded with management, the record label and with themselves while McCarthy tried to cope with news that his little brother, James, had committed suicide at a psychiatric hospital.
Make no mistake, seeing a Foster The People show is definitely worth it. Any missteps are more reflective of the interesting and special problems that breakout bands face, and leads one to look forward to their next moves with suspense.
It was an especially pleasant interlude in a performance that would satisfy any fan of Jackie Greene and sufficiently surprise anyone else they’d be convinced to see him again.
Let’s get something straight: Rick Springfield is not Metallica, not even Bon Jovi, but the man has something inside of him that comes alive in front of an audience.
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.
Though the after taste of Dracula might be a bit lacking, Nurses' quirky take on contemporary music is definitely worth a listen.
Three years after meeting up, Grouplove has released their full-length debut, Never Trust a Happy Song. This indie pop effort has all of the passion and intensity that inspired the individual musicians to join up originally. The album’s title may bring to mind introspective, shoegaze songs about loss and rejection to the tune of bitterness. However, Grouplove delivers songs that are anything but downers.
On All Things Will Unwind, Shara Worden delivers a tour de force that stands far above the majority of contemporary music. It’s a masterpiece that will prove quite difficult to surpass, but the fact that this is only her third album as My Brightest Diamond makes the future look even more the brighter.
