Authors: Courtney Blair
Review: Ulrich Schnauss
A Long Way To Fall is the fourth studio release from German producer Ulrich Schnauss. This time around, Schnauss dropped the synthesized shoegaze and embraced new age. The album concentrates on delicate, ethereal melodies that weave in and out of human subconscious. … read more
Review: Kazyak – See the Forest, See the Trees
Peter Frey is the main man behind the adventurous chamber-pop band, Kazyak. The gentle finger-picking intro on “Pieces of My Map” immediately recalls the talents of Andrew Bird. … read more
Review: JC Brooks & The Uptown Sound – Howl
You know, I’m a fan of groups that have a “throwback” or “revivalists” label, I just beg that the product you serve up stands tall and offers something stellar. Howl, the third album from Chicago soul revivalists, JC Brooks & The Uptown Sound, however, does not. … read more
Review: Gliss Langsom – Dans
Gliss = Blonde Redhead + Beach House + Depeche Mode … read more
Review: DJ Koze – Amygdala
Minus a single here and there, Amygdala is the first full-length album from the German DJ and producer DJ Koze in eight years. The album title references a part of the brain where memory and learning develop. … read more
Review: Decades – Self-Titled
On their self-titled debut full length, Toronto four-piece Decades deliver bursts of ‘80s Brit-pop through echoey shards of shoegaze. … read more
M83, I Break Horses @ In The Venue 04.29
The crowd is now at full capacity. The beer lines are intolerable and the denim gods are in full swing. We are ready. Ready for the Frenchmen, Anthony Gonzalez and company to hand-deliver some authentic ’80s synth-pop-gaze. … read more
The Man Who Put the R in Music: A Conversation...
While most everyone was mourning the loss of the King of Pop, I was preparing myself to interview reggae legend Frederick “Toots” Hibbert of The Maytals. When I emailed my good fortune to a few friends, they all sent back the same question— “Who’s that?” I wondered how I could possibly call such clueless people my friends.
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The Slits; Unleashed Animal
It’s been 30 years since the release of The Slits’ influential debut album, Cut. Ari Up, only 14 years old when she started the group, was a woman destined for greatness––after all, she grew up in a household that became a stomping ground for punks and, well … her stepfather was Johnny fucking Rotten of the Sex Pistols. … read more
National CD Reviews – November 2009
National music reviews from Brother Ali, Devendra Banhardt, Fuck Buttons, The Gossip, Immortal, Jookabox, Lewd Acts, The Raveonettes, Sea Wolf, Strike Anyhwere, White Denim and many more. … read more