Reviews Archives - Page 961 of 1000

Empire! Empire!/Football, Etc: Split 7 Inch

Bob Lange June 4, 2010 No Comments

After last year's What It Takes to Move Forward, Empire! Empire! certainly seems like they are the very pinnacle of emo creativity and execution, breathing new life into a genre currently choking on its co-opted mainstream success. With the genre's elder statesmen like Sunny Day Real Estate and Promise Ring defunct (aside from the occasional Sunny Day reunion), Empire! Empire! may, in fact, be the genre's best active band. This EP couples them with relative newcomers, Football, Etc, perhaps a daunting task for the latter band.

Band of Horses: Infinite Arms

Jeremy Lukens June 2, 2010 No Comments

As Band of Horses strays farther from the sound of their debut, undoubtedly some fans of their earlier material are going to feel let down. Grandiose rock anthems like “The Funeral” are nowhere to be found here. Instead, their third effort sets a mood of subdued melancholy. Infinite Arms is an album whose sound is a better fit on the front porch of a country home than in an arena.

Sean McConnell: Saints, Thieves, & Liars

Jason Rooks June 2, 2010 No Comments

Relatively unknown to mainstream success, singer/songwriter, Sean McConell has been writing and recording music for over 10 years. McConnell’s songs have been covered by everyone from American Idol contestant, Jason Castro to country superstar, Tim McGraw and he has exploded in the Texas music scene. Sean McConnell delivers his most accessible and strongest album to date with Saints, Liars, and Thieves, which blends his Americana/R & B sound with introspective lyrics alongside a soulful vocal rang. McConnell’s sound is very unique in that it pulls from soul, country, folk, and R & B but it his beautiful lyrics and touching songs that separate him from most mainstream music out there right now.

Thee Silver Mt Zion Memorial Orchestra: The Ottobar, Baltimore, MD 5/18/10

Bob Lange June 1, 2010 No Comments

Thee Silver Mount Zion is an amazing band that pushes the possibilities of music to the point that they are hard to define. While post-rock seems to be the most common pigeonhole, even that term's undefined, forward-focused nature seems woefully inadequate. Frankly, before this show, I could appreciate SMZ's albums more that I could enjoy them. Are they one of today's best bands? Yes. Do I play them often? No.

Pat Metheny: Keswick Theatre, Glenside, PA 5/18/10

Nick Gunther June 1, 2010 No Comments

To give you an idea of the magnitude of Orchestrion and how Pat Metheny’s system works, imagine a controlled orchestra that at times can respond only to the input of one single instrument, in this case the guitar. Each instrument is programmed and synchronized to react to what is played on Metheny’s guitar or previously composed and similarly he has the ability to control which instruments are playing at a given time. Last Tuesday was no ordinary show when Pat Metheny brought the tour through the Keswick Theatre in Glenside, PA to an audience that was curious to see the virtuoso in a different element.

Caribou: Cat’s Cradle, Carrboro, NC 5/12/10

Bryan Rodgers May 28, 2010 No Comments

Carrboro, North Carolina’s Cat’s Cradle has always been a favorable spot for bands on the fringe of public consciousness. Caribou, for instance, would likely have a hell of a time drawing a few hundred people in Raleigh, Charlotte, or Asheville. But in Carrboro, the artist sometimes known as Daniel Snaith performed to a near-sellout crowd, and it wasn’t the first time he’s packed the house at the venue. However, last time he was in town the sound was better and the music infinitely more engaging.

Dr. Dog: Shame, Shame

Doug Collette May 28, 2010 No Comments

Dr. Dog's initial project for the Anti label after a string of releases on Park the Van that, along with their infectious live shows, has helped the Philadelphia group redefine grassroots appeal, Shame, Shame is also the first project on which Dog has collaborated with an outside producer. Rob Schnapf, who's worked with Beck, The Vines and Elliott Smith among others, helps bring a clarity to the sound (preserved, no doubt, by the mastering of Greg Calbi), most obvious in the impact of the rhythm section, as on the opening "Stranger". The density of the music hasn’t decreased, compared to 2008’s Fate, but the components of the arrangements are rendered more distinct.

Minus the Bear: Ritz Ybor, Tampa, FL 5/12/10

Patrick Flanary May 27, 2010 No Comments

It’s always impressive when a band can reproduce its studio trickery before an audience. Seattle prog-rockers Minus the Bear prove as muchfrom the stage—the five-man machine operates live just as tightly as it does in the studio—but it wouldn’t hurt MtB to forget about recreating its songs note for note.

Marco Benevento: Between The Needles and Nightfall

Nick Gunther May 27, 2010 No Comments

Whether you choose to label it a form of jazz fusion or sonically controlled chaos, there’s no doubt that Marco Benevento’s style of expression is a world of improvisation. It’s always been the improv side of music that gives way for more diverse chemistry between musicians which is no different on Benevento’s third full-length release, Between the Needles and Nightfall. The record itself seems to have more of a live feel and you can feel the interaction between the rhythm section and the effective lead piano.

She & Him: Volume 2

Jeremy Lukens May 27, 2010 No Comments

She & Him’s detractors were few and with the release of Volume Two, they are probably still unconvinced. Of the album’s 13 songs, 11 were penned by Deschanel but it still has that vintage feel, as though you expect to hear a needle occasionally scratching the old record only to remember that this is a CD from 2010.

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