Tucson native Roger Clyne had some amount of success in the mid-’90s with his rock band The Refreshments, whose sound fit well with the post-college rock explosion of the decade. But with the Peacemakers, Clyne’s songwriting is culled from three similar styles — Americana, Tejano, and the ol’ “white man…
Since turning irony-minded heads in 2002 with its debut single “Losing My Edge,” LCD Soundsystem has made a name for itself as the leading purveyor of winking dance tracks. With big dumb beats, lyrics skewering all that is hip, and plenty of a-go-go bells, the Soundsystem and its production alter…
Aside from his role as music educator, Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra director, and “yes man” of Ken Burns’ criminally incomplete Jazz documentary, the apparent soothsayer of the genre’s modern movement — trumpeter/bandleader Wynton Marsalis — is also the master of wallpaper jazz — compositions with easygoing tempos, robotic time signatures,…
With its childlike cover art, intimate bedroom-recording style, and front woman Shana Levy’s wispy, girlish vocals, Let’s Go Sailing’s full-length debut risks alienating anyone who detests preciousness. But while The Chaos in Order is a soft, small-scale affair, Levy’s songs consistently find the universal in ordinary singer-songwriter topics: first loves,…
Fans of such neo-swingers as Squirrel Nut Zippers and Cherry Poppin’ Daddies should take note: Austin’s Asylum Street Spankers are the real deal. A mixture of old school jazz, folk, swing, honky-tonk, and blues, the Spankers’ music is delightfully tongue-in-cheek. In the 12 years since the band’s inception, it has…
When you think about it, skanking is one of the most ridiculous things you can do with a human body. You pump your elbows back and forth like a pregnant gorilla running the mile and you hurl your legs out from under you like a drunken cabaret girl on her…
“Cold, remotely desolate, permanent.” That’s how Denali (the Richmond, Virginia-based band, not the Alaskan mountain) described its brand of spooky, down-tempo pop during its four-year lifespan. Formed with her older brother Keeley in 2000, Maura Davis’ former band (R.I.P.) released a pair of highly regarded albums before calling it quits…
“Little Dutch sailor boy” takes on an entirely new context when Harry Merry takes the stage. The Holland-based, one-man band, dressed in full nautical regalia, puts on a bizarre freakout circus that’s both riveting and uncomfortable to watch. Goofball lyrics modulate from a high Pee Wee Herman-inspired timbre to Draculian…
Mixing Beth Orton’s electronic grooves, Lisa Germano’s eclecticism, and the smooth confessional tenor of Suzanne Vega, Birmingham, Alabama’s Maria Taylor has gained notoriety with her debut, 11:11, and her latest effort, Lynn Teeter Flower. Discovered by Bright Eyes’ Conor Oberst and signed to his Saddle Creek label, Taylor fronted the…
Hate techno? Pablo Gomez sure doesn’t, and neither do his buds Joe Bear or Shane Silkey. In fact, the DJ trio (also known as AreFriendsElectrik?) partnered up with .anti_space’s Justin McBee to present ^UP, their weekly Saturday dance night in the upstairs lounge of Homme, 138 West Camelback, to showcase…
This week, Club Candids decided to skip the weekend debauchery because we had the opportunity to hang with some Phoenix Suns on Wednesday, March 21, at Axis/Radius in Scottsdale, where everyone was celebrating Raja Bell’s new reality TV show, Beyond the Court. Before we even had our camera ready, we…
British post-punks/pre-New Wavers Echo & The Bunnymen released Songs to Learn and Sing in 1985, and 10 of the tracks that made the first comp are included here, most notably hit singles like “Rescue,” “Do It Clean,” “The Cutter” and “The Killing Moon.” But this new collection contains 10 more…
Sharon Stone makes another movie, bands of the 1978-1982 epoch reunite, technology advances, trans-fats are banned — yet The Fall persevere, with Mark E. Smith the sole remaining founding member. Tart-tongued leader Smith still rants like he’s got the world’s number, though portions of Reformation find phone-it-in weariness creeping in…
Ex-Smiths guitarist Johnny Marr knows a little something about dealing with strong-willed vocalists (ahem, Morrissey), so it’s no surprise that his contributions to the poppiest Modest Mouse record yet are solid. But it’s still a treat to hear how focused Isaac Brock and company are on the lushly arranged Ship,…
During its heyday in the ’70s, reggae powerhouse Trojan Records never released an album in the U.S., but Trojan imports were must-haves for every serious reggae collection. Although it’s not obvious in his work with Radiohead, Johnny Greenwood is a huge reggae fan, and he’s one of the few non-reggae…
Musicians working solo in the singer/songwriter category don’t have it easy — the label alone scares off a lot of listeners, thanks to a stigma of ceaseless sameness and average acts flooding the genre with acoustic guitars, granola warbling, and philosophical-hippie-shit-meets-posturing-confessional lyrics. And they lack the attention-grabbing power of a…
The kings and queen of raw, naked pain and quavering, sheltered emotionalism will bring their irresistibly precious brand of experimental indie pop to the Valley next Sunday. Songwriter Jamie Stewart, his cousin Caralee McElroy, and drummer Ches Smith come in advance of the April 10 release of Remixed & Covered,…
Listening to Angélique Kidjo’s forthcoming album, Dijn Dijn (Razor & Tie), is like attending a crash course in World Music 101. Her 11th full-length, scheduled for a May 1 release, is filled with familiar Western classical-inspired formulas — poppy hooks, radio-friendly durations, and a star-studded list of guest musicians from…
When indie-rock radio embraces a song before a band has even released a proper full-length — which is what happened to Lovedrug and the ethereal “Down Towards the Healing” — it’s easy to think the group is riding high on musical Easy Street. But instead of resting on its laurels,…
When they aren’t busy letting loose in Black Rock City, local Burning Man freaks DJ Kodama and Chromatest J. Pantsmaker (a.k.a. the Salacious BeatSlingers) have been giving Valley hepcats a reason to stay out late on a school night with their weekly gig, A Case of the Tuesdays. Consider them…
This ain’t a scene, it’s a bottomless, underground-market glut: ’00s noise upstarts spinning off fly-by-night collabos à la ’80s Marvel Comics limited series. Members of dronecore sorcerers Double Leopards and ever-metamorphizing duo Mouthus teamed up previously as White Rock and, in 2005, released Tarpit (named after the studio the two…
“Ten bucks says I can get one of these guys to show me their wiener,” my friend Toxic JuJu tells me, as we grab some seats at the bar inside Pumphouse II to take in a gay male revue. I look around the bar. The place is packed with men,…
