Listen Up: Welcome to the New Folk Revival
Alela Diane Menig, the Portland-by-way-of-California singer-songwriter who released one my favorite albums of this year, To Be Still recently got a haircut... read more
Found in: Music, Features, Listen UpAlela Diane and Alina Hardin Ready Alela and Alina EP
Despite the fact that Portland, Ore. folk singer Alela Diane told us this year that she fell into music accidentally, it seems she's really getting the hang of it. Not only is her second LP, To Be Still, one of the year's best, but on Oct. 6, she'll release Alela and Alina, a six-song EP featuring Diane and fellow folkie Alina Hardin.... read more
Found in: Music, NewsFifteen Songs About The Body Parts I Might Sell Just To Own Specimen's Little Horn Speakers
Right this minute, I am listening to music on my laptop's built-in speakers. I cycled through endless pairs of $10 Target earbuds until Santa Claus brought me a half-decent pair of Bose headphones a few years back, my iPod dock of choice was purchased at a store called Linens & Things, and I don't know my treble from a hole in the ground. Needless to say, I am not an audiophile. So why am I so transfixed by the Little Horn Speakers unveiled this week by Chicago-based custom guitar and amp shop Specimen? Well, just look at them. They're gorgeous.... read more
Found in: Blogs, List of the DayDevendra Banhart, Alela Diane, More Collaborate on Leaves of Life
It's nice to see artists collaborating for a good cause. Devendra Banhart has been contributing to many charity compilations lately, including Causes 2, which benefits Doctors Without Borders, Human Rights Watch and Oxfam America. Once again, the long-haired folkie, along with Arborea, Alela Diane, and others are lending their voices for an important cause on Leaves of Life.... read more
Found in: Music, NewsAlela Diane: To Be Still
There's a powerful weariness to 25-year-old Alela Diane's voice... read more
Found in: Music, ReviewsArtist of the Week: Alela Diane
Alela Diane Menig did not mean for this to happen. “This music thing was really a back road I accidentally went off,” the 25-year-old explains one January afternoon... read more
Found in: Music, FeaturesBlitzen Trapper sets U.S. tour dates
After dropping the well-received Furr in 2008, Portland, Ore. natives, Blitzen Trapper, are setting out across the United States.... read more
Found in: Music, NewsRough Trade to release Alela Diane's To Be Still Feb. 17
Nevada City, Calif. singer/songwriter Alela Diane released her first album, The Pirate's Gospel, in 2006. Two years later, its haunting folk still lingered enough to land her a spot among the Best of What's Next, but we couldn't be happier that Rough Trade, which signed Alela this fall, has finally announced the release of her second LP, To Be Still, coming Feb. 17, 2009.... read more
Found in: Music, News22 up-and-coming artists you ignore at your own peril!
[Above: White Rabbits]MugisonHometown: Ísafjörður, Iceland Album: Mugiboogie Why He's Worth Watching: Mugison likely embodies the person Led Zeppelin envisioned when writing “Immigrant Song.” One moment, this man from the land of the ice and snow is sounding the hammer of the gods, alternating between an infernal howl (much like Robert Plant’s) and a guttural heavy-metal groan, the next, he’s crooning to twanging guitar over eerie strings. He’s a shape-shifter and a funnyman, and Mugiboogie builds on his four previous genre-transcending works. For Fans Of: Tom Waits, Bonnie ‘Prince’ Billy, Led Zeppelin Acceptance Speech: “When I was 14 years old, I... read more
Found in: Music, FeaturesRhymes With Five: Ladies love their mamas, too
As Ben Gibbard ponders the meaning of life in our May issue, Brian Howe explores the nature of mother through the song lyrics of rap stars, indie rockers and, uh, Glen Danzig. Though the most important conclusion I drew from the piece is that I am really glad Danzig is not my son, it also reinforced for me the notion that, much like armpits, everybody has a mom—and like armpits, some people’s moms stink. Like, really stink—Ghostface Killah’s mom beat him for peeing the bed! Harsh, Mama Killah! Quite unlike armpits, though, mothers are the subject of a few great... read more
Found in: Blogs, Ctrl-V
Where Have All The Weird Girls Gone?…
