Music

Every few years, we all hear songs about California that define that state for a few years until the next. Back in the ’90s, it was Tupac and Dr. Dre’s “California Love.” Last decade, it was “California” by Phantom Planet. Hell, there is a laundry list of iconic songs about…

Dunno how I feel about these Hipster Runoff-aping posts, but I will say this: If there’s one thing that upstart Denton blog WeDentonDoIt is good for, it’s the site’s rock-solid video content, which, yes, we’ve linked to on more than one occasion in this space. And now, here we go…

With much of today’s musical landscape littered with pre-fab pop acts that are adept at costume changes and magazine cover shoots (if little else), it’s easy to understand that many folks are quick to embrace any artist or act that possesses even a slight resemblance to certain sounds of the…

On Friday, May 21, Doug Burr celebrated the release of his new album, O Ye Devastator, with a performance at Dan’s Silverleaf. it was quite the performance, too, featuring members of Austin’s Monahans (including O Ye Devastator producer Britton Beisenherz). But part what made the night such a treat–beyond just…

There’s a lot of bad movies out there made better by music. There are also a lot of indie movies out there made famous by music. The unsung heroes, however–beyond the Oscar–winning soundtracks and the Garden States of the world–are those great bands made up completely for the benefit of…

Seems there are some advantages after all to being signed up as part of the Mountain Dew-backed Green Label, as Denton/Dallas ex-pats Neon Indian were for the release of their post-Psychic Chasms, free-to-download single, “Sleep Paralysis.” Namely? Getting a budget to give the song, co-produced by Neon Indian mastermind Alan…

We’ve got quite a backlog of CDs we’ve never gotten around to, so we’re going to try to chip away at the pile with this regular feature. The plan: to take a few at a time and play each CD for as long as I can stand it.Los Lobos (Los…

Back in December, in the months leading up to the release of Midlake’s The Courage of Others, perhaps the most important release in Denton history, clips like the above, which finds the band’s “Acts of Man” set to the 1927 silent film, Sunrise: A Song of Two Humans, started making…

Early last week, we introduced you to Steve LaBate, formerly of Paste magazine and half the duo behind the upcoming 40 Nights of Rock & Roll documentary, which is currently filming and rolled through North Texas for a few stops last week. And, earlier this week, LaBate and his partner…

It’s no secret: Local folktronic favorites Ishi boast quite the draw around town these days–and rightfully so. As you can see in the above clip, filmed by Rene Coronado on location at the band’s Sons of Hermann Hall CD release show on Saturday, May 15, the band can turn any…

It’s a shame, but a truth: Commercially, Midlake’s February-released The Courage of Others has been a disappointment. Still, as affecting albums go, the disc remains a monumental achievement—something of a depressing, ’70s British folk-inspired one, but an impressive one nonetheless. There’s no way around it: When listening to Courage, it’s…

There’s a great deal that’s confusing about Miike Snow, not the least of which is the fact that the Stockholm-based band uses that enduring symbol of redneck superstition, the jackalope, as its logo. Furthermore, there’s no one named Mike (or Miike) in the group, and in reality, only two of…

MGMT’s Ben Goldwasser and Andrew VanWyngarden willed themselves to fame with “Time to Pretend,” the biggest movie-trailer indie crossover hit since “Paper Planes.” Now they want us to know that they can play with that popularity. The chewy new Congratulations isn’t at all bad, despite their vehement desire to release…

Frontman James Murphy’s been pretty adamant in saying that This Is Happening, LCD Soundsystem’s third disc, will also be its final. Seems somewhat tragic, given just how great an effort the album truly is. Then again, perhaps that’s what makes the disc such a treasure—especially considering that, within it, a…

Two years ago, Whiskey Folk Ramblers (in a tie vote with Tejas Brothers) earned the honor of “Best New Act” in the 2008 Dallas Observer Music Awards, largely on the strength of their debut CD, Midnight Drifter. The disc was a rollicking collection of songs that blended Old World elements…

Just before launching into the final song at his album release performance on Saturday night, Oak Cliff rapper/producer Dustin Cavazos stood alone onstage at Maximedia Studios in Farmers Branch, appearing on the verge of tears. Sentimental and a little flustered, he reached into his pocket and pulled out a list—a…