By Noah W. Bailey
Picking the best folk and Americana records of the year isn't nearly as hard as discarding those great records that just didn't feel right stuck in the category.
Releases by Calexico and DeVotchKa felt far too worldly to pigeonhole as folk or country, for instance, while Blitzen Trapper's fantastic Furr smells more like the Kinks than Neil Young. [Editor's note: That's why we put it on our indie-rock list.] We likewise discarded Shearwater's near-masterpiece Rook, despite the
With 2008 in the can, it's time to start thinking about what 2009 will bring, musically. The upcoming year is stocked full of highly anticipated albums, not to mention some very impressive debuts. As usual, the early part of the year looks to be leading the way with a throng of solid albums. The following list of 30 albums represents some of the more anticipated albums of 2009, with the month of release noted. Not all of the albums have a release date set or an album name quite yet. Please note
The animals of B'More foursome Animal Collective.
Do y'all smell that?
No, it's not the repulsive scent of the titanic dump those Pittsburgh Steelers bastards dropped on the PHX's collective hopes and dreams for Super Bowl championship. I'm talking about something much, much better: The glorious smell of freshly released albums.
The post-Christmastime drought of new discs ended within the past few weeks, resulting in a flood of releases flowing into record stores and your iTunes library. In
We understand that in the 24-hour news cycle it can be difficult to keep up. Worry not! We have the solution. Check back on Valley Fever every evening for highlights from each of New Times' blogs. Today's entries:
Valley Fever:
Stapley Case Bombshell: Indicted Supervisor Disclosed Wolfswinkel Partnership to County Attorney in 2006
Kid Thinks He's Banging Cheerleader -- Really, It's His 49-Year-Old Schoolteacher
Feathered Bastard:
"Baby Man" William Windsor Found Dead in Home, Autopsy Underwa
The phenomenally talented Andrew Bird.
It sucks pretty hard that Tucson gets all the cool shows these days.
Like Andrew Bird, who's making a stop in the Old Pueblo this Saturday to gig at the Rialto, but won't make a stop in Phoenix. This truly blows, since we've been digging on the talented singer/songwriter since we first saw him perform "Plasticities" on Letterman last year. Since our hectic schedule doesn't permit a five-hour round trip down to Southern Arizona, we'll have to console ourse
Attention, all Phoenicians unable to attend SxSW this year: Don't worry. Sure, it's not as good as standing inches away from your favorite band in a trendy Austin club, but we've got the coverage to keep you satisfied.
Mark C. AustinThe Von Bondies
South By Southwest, Day Two In Photos
The action continues in Austin, TX as SXSW gathers steam. Here's what you might have seen around town on Thursday, March 19, including Gomez, Andrew Bird, Daniel Johnston, and the Oak Ridge Boys.
South by South
