Artist: The MelvinsTitle: The Bride Screamed MurderRelease date: June 1Label: IpecacTo me, The Melvins have always been one of those bands that more people say they like than actually listen to. Could be wrong, but that’s my perception. I certainly respect their longevity (they’ve been around damn near 30 years),…
Artist: Crystal CastlesTitle: Crystal Castles IIRelease date: May 25Label: FictionExactly 36 seconds into the new record by Crystal Castles, I said to myself, “This is way fucking better than Sleigh Bells.”I’m sure many of you are saying, “Quit being an asshole about Sleigh Bells; why do you feel you have…
Artist: The Cool KidsTitle: TackleboxRelease date: May 31Label: Chocolate RecordingsNoted hip-hop fan (and New Times music editor) Martin Cizmar knows I’m lukewarm when it comes to the genre, so he’s always on the lookout for hip-hop that I’ll dig. Not sure what it is about The Cool Kids that he…
Hope you all had a good Memorial Day weekend. Now that you’re back on the clock, use company time to give a listen to the sixth Nothing Not New podcast. In this installment, music editor Martin Cizmar and I play 11 songs from recent new releases and discuss the industrial…
Besides doing super-fun married stuff like yard work, going to Costco, and leaving the bathroom door open, New Times writers Laura Hahnefeld and Jay Bennett go to the movies.Jay: Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time was a whole lotta Bruckheimer. What’d you think?Laura: That guy’s made gazillions as a Hollywood tripe…
Artist: What Cheer? BrigadeTitle: We Blow You SuckRelease date: May 25Label: Anchor BrainThe world of rock music is plenty big enough for everyone, I suppose. But really, what’s the point of a record by a marching band that’s marketed to the indie music world? Seriously, who’s listening to this at…
Treats, the debut record by the Brooklyn boy-girl duo Sleigh Bells is one big sugar rush, a summertime explosion of electro pop that, by autumn, likely will reveal itself as just another guilty pleasure or, worse, just another indie band with more buzz than sting. The 11-song record is a…
Artist: Stone Temple PilotsTitle: Stone Temple PilotsRelease date: May 25Label: AtlanticWere you clamoring for a new Stone Temple Pilots record? Was anyone? I know I wasn’t. Sure, STP, hit the road as an oldies act, play the hits at a few state fairs, and grab an easy paycheck. Who could…
Artist: Karen ElsonTitle: The Ghost Who WalksRelease date: May 25Label: XL Recordings/Third ManNo one could fault you for rolling your eyes when you heard that Jack White’s wife (a fashion model by trade) was going to make a record. Obviously, the odds of her getting a record deal if she…
Artist: Damien JuradoTitle: Saint BartlettRelease date: May 25Label: Secretly CanadianSo much of the music I’ve listened to this month has been unabashed summertime music — whether it’s Sleigh Bells, The Hold Steady, The Dead Weather, even Band of Horses’ sittin’-round-the-campfire rock — so it was unusual to hear a rather…
Besides doing super-fun married stuff like yard work, going to Costco, and leaving the bathroom door open, New Times writers Laura Hahnefeld and Jay Bennett go to the movies. Laura: Have you even seen a “MacGruber” skit on Saturday Night Live?Jay: I think I’ve seen one. And that was plenty…
Despite a rough 12-4 blowout on Sunday against the Toronto Blue Jays, the Arizona Diamondbacks wrapped up their most impressive week of the 2010 season, winning two of the three against the slugging Jays and five out of their past seven. And what do you know? The bullpen got opposing…
Artist: Woven BonesTitle: In and Out and Back AgainRelease date: May 18Label: Hozac RecordsThis is what the Black Lips hath wrought. The garage rock of much of the past two decades was about teenage kicks. In the parlance of the kids, it was punk ‘n’ roll, straightforward and unhinged blasts…
Artist: Band of HorsesTitle: Infinite ArmsRelease date: May 18Label: ColumbiaTake a look at the cover art to the right of these words. If you were browsing through the racks at your local record store, this cover is nearly all that you’d need to know about the new of Band of…
Well, it was fun while it lasted. From February through the end of the regular season, the Phoenix Suns were one of the most consistently solid teams in the NBA, then they made quick work of playoff foes the Portland Trail Blazers and San Antonio Spurs. But now, it looks…
The blues take a back seat on The Black Keys’ sixth record, Brothers, and the results are impressive. The two-man band from Akron, Ohio, has mostly dispensed with the dirty, garage-blues riffage that made them famous, turning to down-home glam before easing into a lonely soul vibe that finally gives…
Artist: Sleigh BellsTitle: TreatsRelease date: May 11Label: Mom & Pop MusicOnce upon a time, there was this band called Le Tigre. They released three very good records between 1999 and 2004, filled with catchy electro-pop, showy beats conspicuously generated by a drum machine, absurd guitar riffs, and crunchy power chords.Was…
Artist: The Black KeysTitle: BrothersRelease date: May 18Label: NonesuchThe Black Keys have always been a band that I should like. The kind of music they play is generally one kind of music that I’ve always been into. But for one reason or another — they weren’t bluesy enough, they were…
Artist: LCD SoundsystemTitle: This Is HappeningRelease date: May 18Label: DFA/ParlophoneIt’s true what they say: You learn something new every day. Here, I thought LCD Soundsystem was just another electronica act. Then I heard their new record, This Is Happening, and it dawned on me: No, this isn’t just a synth-crazed…
It just doesn’t look very good for the Arizona Diamondbacks right now. If you’re a fan, you’ve gotta like the team’s young offensive core — Mark Reynolds, Justin Upton, Stephen Drew, and Chris Young still haven’t even hit their primes yet — and are a respectable, if not intimidating, rotation. But…
It’s been a pretty big past two weeks for indie rock: Hold Steady, New Pornographers, Flying Lotus, The National, The Dead Weather. That’s a lot of heavy-hitters. Meanwhile, some lower-profile stuff has been piling up on my desk, so it’s time to give you a rundown of the other stuff…
Artist: Male BondingTitle: Nothing HurtsRelease date: May 11Label: Sub PopRemember all the buzz about Wavves last year? I thought they were just okay. Hopefully, their next record (slated for release this year) will be better. In the meantime, I’ll be listening to the new record by Male Bonding, which takes…
