Music

By Lilia Menconi The power of their attractiveness makes you want to check the slideshow. Tempe just got a lot bigger . . . if you happen to be in the bar scene, that is. Since we can remember, a night out in Tempe meant Mill Avenue or Casey Moore’s…

By Benjamin Leatherman This week’s list of the top 10 best-selling albums at local music stores comes from Kimber Lanning’s indie emporium, Stinkweeds Record Exchange, 12 West Camelback Road. Here’s what being bought at the shop: 1. The Hold Steady, Stay Positive (Vagrant) 2. Fleet Foxes, Self-titled (Sub Pop) 3…

It’s a sweaty Wednesday and I’m running some errands after work when I find myself on the west side of Phoenix. I’m on autopilot, stuck in traffic, when I spot an oasis — a lighted sign that says nothing but “Cocktails” on an old, nondescript block building. I barely avoid…

If you have wanted to check out Phoenix-based Treasure Mammal, but aren’t ready for one of his longer efforts, listening to this 7-inch is the perfect way to ease yourself into his unique (if not slightly disturbed) sonic art. “Ain’t No Shame in My Game” features a sparse techno beat…

Phoenix metal band Fracture Point sounds like a mastodon stampede, but instead of directionless destruction, this beast intelligently winds its way through a well-constructed maze of down-tuned guitars, burly bass lines, screaming solos, and tricky timing changes. In the “sounds like” category, they’re akin to bands like Lamb of God…

When the members of Three 6 Mafia won a 2006 Best Song Oscar for “It’s Hard Out Here for a Pimp,” from Hustle & Flow, they reacted with so much exuberance that they made Cuba Gooding Jr.’s Jerry Maguire acceptance speech seem restrained by comparison — and even though the…

While parents have predictably freaked out over the social menace imposed by the blues, jazz, secular R&B, rock ‘n’ roll, heavy metal, rap, and techno, they never seemed to bat an eyelash over Steely Dan. In fact, they seemed to dig the band more than anyone. And it’s a testament…