The bicoastal Boston/Berkeley MC Mr. Lif makes the sort of politically charged Bolshevik boom-bap that warms the coffee of both old-school hip-hop fans and MoveOn.org activists. Which — despite what that demographic might indicate — doesn’t mean that Lif can’t get down and party. On Black Dialogue, his new group…
Sneaky and subtle where other bands are brash and overstated, Austin’s Spoon has enjoyed a comfortable anonymity for the bulk of its nine-year life span. That started to change with 2002’s Kill the Moonlight, a record that found the group fiddling with its own aesthetic to create songs that wobbled…
According to such dot-com authorities as Pitchfork and Allmusic, Hot Hot Heat’s long-awaited new album is a disappointing lump of crap. Maybe everyone’s just sick of hearing shitty bands that sound like Hot Hot Heat — because it’s hard to find a single serious fault with Elevator. From the double-knotted…
Prince Paul doing an official turntable album is a little like Steve Vai, or any of the other guitar gods that Paul and his peers supplanted, doing an official guitar album: It was always the point — the only difference is that he’s admitting it. So here’s Prince Paul sans…
The Valley’s original underground massive dance event, Swell Records’ Acid Reign VII, is returning this Saturday, May 14, with headlining performances by legends such as Woody McBride (a regular at the Acid Reign events), who’s appearing as part of the “Midwest Acid Pyramid” three-DJ, four-turntable set with DJ Hyperactive from…
Classically trained cellist Melora Creager conceived Rasputina in 1991, and the group opened for Nirvana on its final tour. Comprising three cellists clad in Victorian garb playing driving rock with gothic undertones, Rasputina released three albums in its first decade of existence with a somewhat revolving cast of musicians. In…
The gorgeous strain of Gibril Bennani’s violin begins this album canvassing North African folk music in the context of ProTools. This is not to suggest electronic tampering akin to the Algerian pop sounds of raï. Cheb I Sabbah indeed includes the urban-centric style — as well as tinde, aïta and…
Formed from the ashes of stoner rockers Kyuss, Josh Homme built Queens of the Stone Age on the same core, but created something entirely new, imbuing the band’s hard rock with elements of psychedelica and other offbeat touches. While the music churns with intensity, Homme takes advantage of dynamics, opening…
If you dig B-movies, bands that care more about their fans than money (as long as those fans are purchasing beer), and fast music, you need to be at The Attic on Friday night. The Groovie Ghoulies will be joined by a handful of local hooligans to give you a…
When Adam Levine and his equally apologetic bandmates in Maroon 5 won Best New Artist at the Grammys in February, perhaps they sensed the beginning of their end. Songs About Jane, pleasant but anonymous, had maintained a healthy run on the Billboard charts, throwing out singles you instantly recognized on…
Here’s how our local music scene works: For some inexplicable reason, during the early winter months when we’re enjoying our best climate, not a whole lot goes on musically. Maybe bands are clocking in a lot of time visiting with their snowbird relatives. Then comes spring break, and BOOM! –…
I must say I had fun listening to this record, but not in the way that its creators may have intended. However much hearing Tori Amos changed singer Julia Bogen’s life (as it says on the band’s official Web site), it’s probably the Y Kant Tori Read era that wielded…
It should be noted that Blue Fur came in as a finalist against winners Downward Dog in a KALT Battle of the Bands, and similarly, this band seems to have a retro ’80s sound — kind of a quirky Lene Lovich/Suzanne Fellini sound. While you’re looking up those faded names…
Dear Chad Gilbert, It’s with a heavy heart that we request you cease all involvement with your side project, Hazen Street, because of contractual obligations to your main gravy train, the popular outfit New Found Glory. We know you were juiced to play guitar with such hardcore rockers as Toby…
Some say The Ponys were too late to the garage rock revival — another me-too gang of half-Strokes, half-Hives hipsters — but anyone who caught the Chicago band in concert last year knows what the real problem was. Lead singer Jered Gummere had a terrible habit of squealing in falsetto…
Over the years, the thing that’s kept the Deftones from being cast as an also-ran in the nü-metal franchise has been Chino Moreno’s subversive sensibilities. The vocalist’s affinity for all things Smiths (Robert, and the outfit led by Morrissey), which is unmistakable in his breathy delivery, has helped the band…
A textbook case on how to do everything the suitable way, Opiate is finally coming out with a full-length on its own terms — on its own imprint label that’s part owned by Concrete Management and Vans Warped Tour/Taste of Chaos creator Kevin Lyman — after negotiating with several majors…
The first thing you’ll say when you see the band shot on this CD is, “These guys need more sleep and less makeup.” Then you’ll slip on Fine China’s disc and get a solid 44 minutes of first-rate melancholia. It shouldn’t work that singer Robert Withem can evoke such empathy…
If you just can’t wait for this weekend’s big StreetDreams hip-hop festival at the Old Brickhouse Grill, stop in at Hollywood Alley (2610 West Baseline Road in Mesa) Thursday night, May 5, for the Blunt Club’s pre-party, featuring local up-and-comer Kid Vicious alongside the residents, Tricky T, Hyder, and Element,…
Martin Atkins, leader of the industrial music collective Pigface, has had a storied career going all the way back to his first big break playing in Public Image Ltd. As a drummer, he lent his talents to Killing Joke, Nine Inch Nails, and Ministry, before coming up with the idea…
If only Sam Phillips had said, “If I could find me a white boy who could play harp like Muddy Waters,” rock history might’ve taken a different turn. But rockabilly’s loss is blues’ gain. Charlie Musselwhite grew up in Memphis (and actually ran moonshine, according to his bio), was friends…
This Phoenix rapper’s all-caps fact sheet states that he’s got “A THREE HUNDRED SONG CATALOG WITH HEATSTROKE CREATING OVER FIFTY OF THOSE HIMSELF,” and I don’t think it’s a coincidence that “OVER FIFTY” is bolded. Despite 50 Cent’s The Massacre becoming a quadruple-platinum album and charting in the Top 5…
