River City Extension: Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Your Anger
In the current indie sphere, bands that come with a rootsy/folk/Americana tag proliferate, tending to become one large, lumpen mass. But on River City Extension’s sophomore album, Don’t Let the Sun Go Down on Your Anger, the eight-piece band proves it is still very possible to stand out in the oversaturated genre.... read more
Found in: Music, ReviewsLive From SXSW: Ben Kweller (Full Set)
Watch Ben Kweller's entire performance at the Sennheiser & Paste Present the Stages on Sixth. read more
Found in: Featured VideosHot Chip: In Our Heads
Hot Chip has gotten decidedly less hook-y and hilarious over the years. Not that there’s anything wrong with that, necessarily, but it’s interesting to listen to this, their fifth proper album, and compare it to a band that once said it would “break your legs, snap off your head.” People grow up sometimes, and for a lesser group, that might equate with boring. Luckily, that’s not the case here. Songs like classy, building opener “Motion Sickness” prove that many of the less interesting cuts on 2010’s One Life Stand were an anomaly. Dance jams like “How Do You Do” and... read more
Found in: Music, ReviewsDent May: Do Things
Dent May has gone disco, and we should all be totally OK with that. He mostly abandons his trademark ukulele on his latest, Do Things, opting instead for some sequiny synth and hair gel. He still knows you can’t force a dance party, but this try definitely pushes it much harder than past efforts with his four-stringed friend. It’s very ‘70s soft rock, very glossy. It’s almost as if someone just rubbed Vaseline across the whole saccharine soundscape. “Rent Money” is inspirational, getting all nostalgic about childhood dreams and present longing. He struggles with exactly right now, crooning lines like... read more
Found in: Music, ReviewsKing Tuff: King Tuff
“There’s nothin’ better than alone and stoned,” Kyle Thomas sings on the second song of his self-titled sophomore album. “Listenin’ to music on your headphones,” he continues the line, and it might as well be the modus operandi of his Sub Pop debut as King Tuff. Used to be, the man with a penchant for glammed-out, lo-fi pop perfection played his should-be hits for a select few; now, Thomas has a legit producer and a much-bigger set of songs to show for his efforts. The results, especially when they give equal time to his natural charm and knob-twiddler Bobby Harlow’s... read more
Found in: Music, ReviewsChasing Aphrodite by Jason Felch and Ralph Frammolino
“To me my works of art are all vividly alive. They’re the embodiment of whoever created them—a mirror of their creator’s hopes, dreams and frustrations. They have led eventful lives—pampered by the aristocracy and pillaged by revolution, courted with ardor and cold-bloodedly abandoned. They have been honored by drawing rooms and humbled by attics. So many worlds in their lifespan, yet all were transitory. What stories they could tell, what sights they must have seen! Their worlds have long since disintegrated, yet they live on.”—J. Paul Getty, The Collector’s Choice Artifacts belong in museums. We know this much from Indiana... read more
Found in: Books, ReviewsJukebox the Ghost: Safe Travels
With Safe Travels, Jukebox the Ghost has learned to let go completely. The New York-by-way-of-Philly trio has made a modest name for itself out of catchy, clever, girl-on-the-mind pop, but omnipresent pressure and tight control of their craft has poked some holes in their first two angsty, insightful albums. So they changed addresses, shifted focus and voila!—a third record founded on liberty, melody and fraternity. While previous releases proved their potential, the addictive ambition of Safe Travels issues mainstream radio a call to action: We dare you not to play this. The timing here is fantastic. Maybe even poptastic: Just... read more
Found in: Music, ReviewsGlen Hansard: Songs of Good Hope
Glen Hansard has become one of the most perennial of Irish archetypes, the emigrant. Pulled away across an ocean by the success of an Irish film which found a warm hearth and a good roof over its head in the USA, he has tarried there since. read more
Found in: Music, FeaturesGiant Giant Sand: Tucson
This record is long. To finish all one-hour-and-10-minutes of it, one must commit to feeling a little somber and dusty. It is not music to get stoked to; perhaps swap a letter in “stoked” and then it’s better aligned. Howe Gelb calls it a country rock opera. I call it a slightly schizophrenic, sometimes honky-tonk, alt-country patchwork quilt. It is what it is. Also, please note that the band expanded, hence the extra “Giant” added to the front of the group formerly known as only “Giant Sand.” Gelb absorbed a new string section and steel pedal player to his Danes... read more
Found in: Music, ReviewsDragon's Dogma Review (Multi-Platform)
Dragon’s Dogma manages to tread that fine and often wonderful line between genius and insanity. Beguiling yet frustrating, it’s akin to a difficult relationship. You’ll want to quit but you’re never far from a moment that draws you straight back into its punishing embrace. That might sound clichéd but I’m not sure that I’ve ever played a game that better embodies that analogy. It’s punishing, but that’s not necessarily a flaw. It never feels cheap, for instance. The flaws are more inherent to the game mechanics. Some seem like a good idea at the time but quickly grow frustrating. Yet,... read more
Found in: Games, Reviews
