Music

In the past, U2 and Radiohead’s declarative anthems had been the most obvious benchmarks for Coldplay’s grand make-out music, but with X&Y, the band aims for an interstellar majesty that plays like a warmer, less intellectual Pink Floyd. Chris Martin and his mates again display an ingratiating accessibility, building their…

Shortly after releasing Bebel Gilberto’s phenomenally successful Tanto Tempo, Six Degrees commissioned numerous producers to try their hands at remixing this Brazilian royalty. Considering how Gilberto’s latest self-titled effort evolved her bossa-tinged sound, there’s little surprise that this second edition of dance-based mutations followed suit. Gilberto’s strength is in her…

The collections of sons on the Buena Vista Social Club emitted such stark beauty that Americans went nuts, buying millions of copies of traditional Cuban folk music. But the initial quake was nothing compared to the avalanche of material pouring through the filter thereafter. The highlight to Ry Cooder’s epic…

Way back in 1976, Graham Parker’s commanding vocal presence and acerbic songwriting — given extra fuel by The Rumour, one of the greatest backing bands in rock history — made him a contender. While he was lumped in with the rest of the so-called angry young men of the New…

If the Postal Service has taught us anything, it’s that Seattle-based side projects provide fashionable new beginnings, which is a damn good thing since things always seem to come to a tragic end in the world of prolific Pedro the Lion front man David Bazan. The touring version of his…

Frances the Mute, the latest opus by former At the Drive-In cohorts Omar Rodriguez-Lopez and Cedric Bixler-Zavala, arrived at the perfect time; its fresh-and-wild style filled the vacuum left by a dearth of new musical movements. Too bad self-appointed trend monitors are currently working overtime to pigeonhole the group as…

Now that the pale-skinned, fragile-voiced young singer-songwriter from Omaha, Nebraska, has been put on a pedestal with Bob Dylan after 10 years of quietly releasing records as an indie Boy Wonder, it feels like we know everything there is to know about Bright Eyes’ Conor Oberst. Media hype is a…

New England progressive house DJ Steve Porter cleverly dubs his sound “Porterhouse,” referencing not only his signature style but the gargantuan grooves he lays down live and on his debut album, Homegrown, on FDS Recordings. A protg of Sasha and Sander Kleinenberg, Porter has established himself as a dance-music visionary,…

Simplicity is a profound doorway. Two trips to Cameroon during college inspired Denver native Corey Harris so much that he set his course for a life of blues. The influence of his travels seeped into every second of Mississippi to Mali, a gorgeous minimalist recording reconnecting this sonic tradition created…

If language were a virus, then L.A. rapper Aceyalone would be one of the sickest men ever to touch a mic. Whether pioneering the art of modern freestyle in the late ’80s as part of Freestyle Fellowship or releasing classic underground albums such as ’98’s A Book of Human Language…

There are always some old-school characters at local hardcore punk shows (think Northside Kings) telling the youngsters how it was back in the day, how much better the pits were in the prime years of Agnostic Front and Sick of It All. However, this is one show where those types…

The lineup for Phoenix Fest is damn good, but there is something you must know. This is not the show to kick back at the bar with a beer. You will be lonely in the 21-and-over section. Tough hardcore band Embrace Today is leading new legions of straight-edge kids with…

At the risk of oversimplifying his appeal, or understating his accomplishments, when it comes to ’50s surf/instrumental guitar, Link Wray is the Stones to Duane Eddy’s Beatles. While Eddy’s movie matinee looks, and sweet, bubbling twang of tracks such as “Rebel Rouser” (amplified by the low whinny of Eddy’s whammy…

So who, exactly, is Mike Jones? That’s a great question. Here’s what we’ve learned so far: The nearly ubiquitous Houston-based rapper apparently lives in a world of Escalades with wood-grain interiors and diamond grilles. He has a strained, nasal drawl, which he throws against both the glitzy synth lines of…

Smart-asses in more ways than one, Daron Malakian and Serj Tankian may not be the first to have read media critic Danny Schechter while pumping S layer and actually absorbed both. But on Mezmerize, System of a Down’s third and most consistent album, the front men, now equally billed, revive…

Stereolab singer/multi-instrumentalist Laetitia Sadier confers with her recording engineer on the first day of sessions for A Few Steps More, the second album from her side quartet, Monade. “It’s so nice to get a break from Stereolab and work on another project for a while.” “Yeah, I like Stereolab a…

Death By Stereo is the punk rock band that metalheads dig, because it has an edge — aggressive guitar riffs, and hard and fast drumming that’s typical for hardcore punk bands such as A.F.I., and Shai Hulud. But while Death By Stereo sounds chaotic, its lyrics are generally serious and…

There won’t be a better show in Phoenix this summer than this one. That’s because these three bands realize a concert is meant to be something more than vomiting up tracks from their latest slab. All three are driven by an appreciation of rock’s theatrical qualities. This goes double for…

This fourth collaboration between Rupert Huber and Richard Dorfmeister is a family affair — the letters J.A.C. represent newborn sons (Joseph, Arthur, Conrad; Huber’s wife had twins). This could clue us in to the lullaby-sounding quality of “Heidi Brühl,” with slightly polished guitars creating an airy soundscape behind Samiah Farah’s…