Chris Demiglio, the slightly rotund, bald frontman (and namesake) of this Denton quartet, is, for better or worse, a dead ringer for Frank Black. The fact that his band channels the best attributes of the Pixies only makes simplistic comparisons that much easier to make. Yardling, the band’s just released…
Proceed with caution if you plan on mixing alcohol or sedatives with this dreamy indie line-up. Clientele winces the night away with a gorgeous blend of ’60s pop, poignant and pensive, led by the soothing vocals of Alasdair MacLean, who manages to sound a bit like each member of the…
Dee Prescott, frontwoman for this Canadian doom metal quartet, looks like a Joan Jett starter kit, but once she lets loose her commanding roar, it’s obvious that she’s from an entirely different universe. Don’t Worry Lady, I Hate Sally’s sophomore effort, is a raging beast of a disc, a 10-song…
The life and music of Red Hunter, better known as Peter and the Wolf, moves like the wind through chimes: weightless, pensive and meditative. The nomadic singer-songwriter’s gorgeous lo-fi tales of distance and clime convey his intrinsic knack for adventure. Last summer, as part of a widely publicized and documented…
Wilco’s latest album, Sky Blue Sky (due out May 15), so far appears to be polarizing fans and critics alike; people either love or loathe the group’s meandering, rootsy direction. In the spirit of dialogue, here are two takes on Sky from two longtime fans—one who’s enthusiastic and one who’s,…
Booze? Music? We’re all over it: OK, sure, Billboard magazine wrote up the Good Records/Urbano Restaurant Rock ‘n’ Roll Wine Dinners a while back, but hey, DO broke the news on Unfair Park. But this isn’t about us; this is about Dinner No. 3, which takes place Monday, May 21,…
Things have never been easy for platinum-selling, Grammy-nominated, neo-soul crooner Anthony Hamilton. Before briefly touching superstardom with his 2003 So So Def hit Comin’ From Where I’m From, Hamilton bounced from short-lived record label to short-lived record label. Hamilton, who honed his gritty chops singing in his Charlotte, North Carolina,…
The whole point of Because of the Times, according to Kings of Leon frontman Caleb Followill, is to throw the unsuspecting listener for a loop. And the group’s third full-length should have no trouble pulling off that one. The Kings have abandoned their earlier worship of Damn the Torpedoes and…
At this point in her career, Björk probably isn’t going to win over any new fans. Those who didn’t like her before won’t start with this release. Volta is challenging, confusing and likely to grate on the nerves, similar to the beatbox-driven Medulla. Björk has always relied on the patience…
Although born in Wills Point, Texas, roots singer-songwriter Jimmy LaFave is more closely associated with Stillwater, Oklahoma, the place where he honed his pleasing mixture of folk, country and rock. LaFave calls what he does “red dirt music” and throughout his fine new effort, Cimarron Manifesto, he presents an earthy…
Bright Eyes’ seventh full-length, Cassadaga, which was produced by Mike Mogis and features cameos from Gillian Welch and M. Ward, takes its name from an incorporeal community in Florida. In the opening song, “Clairaudients (Kill or Be Killed),” a collage of clairvoyants and social commentary on corporate and colonial corruption,…
Seems like you can’t front a popular indie band these days without being expected to do the acoustic solo-tour thing: Mark Kozelek, Jeff Tweedy, James Mercer, Jim James—they’ve all stripped down and indulged their fans’ desire for naked emotions and oddball covers. Tonight, Death Cab for Cutie’s Ben Gibbard headlines…
Since being championed by Peter Gabriel in the early ’90s, Ohio-born singer-songwriter (and painter) Joseph Arthur has been walking the fine line between indie and mainstream for more than a decade. He’s toured with R.E.M., Tracy Chapman and a host of other big-name artists, yet his musical efforts have stayed…
In the diverse realm of literary indie rock—inhabited by bands such as Okkervil River, Mountain Goats, Centro-matic, Rock Central Plaza and the Decemberists —Frog Eyes’ tales of wrath and ruination/rumination may be the most difficult to decipher. On Tears of the Valedictorian, which follows the Victoria, British Columbia, quartet’s enigmatic…
Funk master George Clinton started off in the 1950s singing doo-wop. A couple of months ago, he was in the studio with rapper Scarface. Fifty-something years is a long time to stay relevant in the music business, but that’s what Clinton has done. Part musical genius, part social commentator and…
So, the House of Blues opened this past week, kicking off with Erykah Badu’s solo set, followed by the debut of her seat-of-their-pants soul collective the Cannabinoids (no review available by press time, of course, but hit up Unfair Park for the lowdown). When I initially heard it would be…
Forget the Foo Fighters—the true champ when it comes to blending melody and mayhem is a tumultuous trio known as Dinosaur Jr. These prototypical hard-core heroes were making heads bop and torsos flail back when Dave Grohl was still taking his cues from Kurt Cobain. The group’s bassist, Lou Barlow,…
It’s hard to say what’s more surprising: that Redman’s sixth solo album is actually decent or that it even exists. The long-rumored Red Gone Wild seemed to be floating in the ether for years, along with all the ganja smoke from the New Jersey rapper’s pothead flick How High. But…
There’s no shortage of bands composing ditties about love and loss in bustling alternative music sweet spots such as London and Brooklyn. Even so, if an indie group is capable of producing gorgeous modern ballads while residing in sleepy strip-mall South Florida, you can bet the players are tapping into…
While he was growing up, Olav Larsen would search the record stores of his native Norway for imported records by Jimmie Rodgers, Neil Young and John Prine. It only takes one listen to Larsen’s impressive debut, Love’s Come to Town, to appreciate the capability of the Scandinavian import/export trade. Although…
This is a story about Erykah Badu’s newest project, but let’s start with another soul icon. One of the most important—and overlooked—moments in the recent history of pop music—hell, pop culture—occurred at the end of the 2006 Grammys. Just when it seemed the awards ceremony was destined to go down…
Ask any random long-haired, denim-clad, reefer-smoking dude hanging out at the food court at Valley View mall what his favorite band is and I’ll wager that one out of three says, “Black Fuckin’ Sabbath!!!!” The strange thing is that if you asked the same question at a Microsoft office party,…
