Music

The British alternative dance-funkers in Friendly Fires sonically mine a retro-futuristic field on record. Upon the release of their 2008, self-titled debut, the band was lumped in as a Johnny-come-lately to the nu-rave scene that never really was. They seem to have surpassed that distinction with this year’s Pala, an…

Master songwriter and storyteller Lucinda Williams has made her near-legendary career on raw, open-chested emotion. But over the course of her last couple of albums, including her most recent release, Blessed, Williams has seemingly found it easier to revel in the safer side of vulnerability. Credit that much to the…

It looks like T-Pain is playing the waiting game for his forthcoming album Revolver, which he finished recording two summers ago. He’s been keeping busy in the mean time: This past summer, T-Pain released a mixtape called prEVOLVEr, which featured a few tracks without any Auto-Tune assistance for a change…

To call Astronautalis a local product is a dubious statement. The rapper is considered a local in no fewer than three other markets: Jacksonville, Florida, where he was raised; Seattle, where he recently lived for a spell; and Minneapolis, where he’s based. Dallas owns the following distinctions: Andy Bothwell, the…

Discard Red Carpet Massacre, the thumping, beat-heavy 2007 disaster from suave ’80s synth stars Duran Duran was a misguided attempt at relevancy that saw Simon Le Bon, Roger Taylor and Co. pairing up with, of all people, Justin Timberlake and Timbaland. Thankfully, their newest Mark Ronson-produced effort, All You Need…

In a sea of pop starlets, Taylor Swift shines like a modest diamond. The 21-year-old singer-songwriter has been making records about innocent teenage love and heartbreak since her freshman year in high school. Stylistically, she has the rare gift of being a country-to-pop crossover, combining the literal storytelling template of…

We could sit here and kick around how The Rapture’s new album, In the Grace of Your Love, marks a return to music for a band with all sorts of historic importance. Yes, Grace heralds the end of nearly a half-decade of purgatorial hiatus, and, yes, with it we see…

“Maybe Jesus wanted it to happen,” says Keith Morris, explaining how his new band, OFF!, was formed. He’s kidding, of course. But there is something special at play in the former Circle Jerks and Black Flag frontman’s latest project. Much like Black Flag’s Nervous Breakdown, The First Four EPs is…

The difference between a good band and a great one is in the evolution. Given enough time, any band can write a decent debut fueled only by youthful ambition, piss and vinegar. A good band can then replicate that energy the next time out. A great band is able to…

It’s only taken the internet a decade or so to almost singlehandedly cripple the record industry: The rise of Napster in 1999 brought about a surge in peer-to-peer file sharing, and with it the notion that music was no longer something that ought to be paid for; the prevalence of…

Two hours have passed since Ruby Jane Smith finished up an early Sunday morning set at the fourth straight Austin City Limits Music Festival in which she’s performed. She’s still a ball of energy. That’s impossible to ignore. It’s her entire essence at the moment: You can hear it in…

David Willingham has been a staple of the Dallas reggae community for as long as he’s lived here. From the Monday jam sessions he helps host at the Balcony Club to production on several different projects including Two Men & A Machine and Aton, Willingham integrates Jamaican vibes and tradition…

Next year will be the 30th anniversary of the inception of They Might Be Giants. Extremely impressive stuff. What’s even more impressive is that the band has averaged one full-length record every two years and critical acclaim along the way. They’re celebrating the occasion, of course, with a tour. And…