Indie band Mountain Goats displays wit and grit on new CD
The band is consistently denied wide popularity, however, due to inaccessible material, along with the sometimes-abrasive voice of lead singer and songwriter John Darnielle.
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The band is consistently denied wide popularity, however, due to inaccessible material, along with the sometimes-abrasive voice of lead singer and songwriter John Darnielle.
The Mountain Goats have amassed a cult following over the course of more than fifteen prolific years but still teeter on the edge of mainstream popularity. With off-the-beaten-path melodies and interesting stories, there is no reason their songs shouldn't appeal to music lovers looking for something new and different.
Heavily anticipated, "Made in the Dark" meets but doesn't surpass expectations; it doesn't amaze and it does not disappoint disappoint.
A few spins on the turntable soon reveal "Vampire Weekend" to be more than what originally meets the eye. Catchy melodies, raw drums and jangling guitars mesh to create a layered sound that is at once both accessible and intricate. The band, which found its origins at Columbia University, looks poised to take the indie world by storm.
Still, despite being more lyrically accessible and in many ways more mainstream, "In Rainbows" does not ignore Radiohead's technical and stylistic expansion over the past 12 years. Bursts of stylistic complexity resembling "Kid A," "OK Computer," "Amnesiac" and "Hail to the Thief" explode throughout the album, making it a synthesis of the band's journey rather than a regression. For the first time in a long time, Radiohead has put out an album not to make a statement or push their boundaries, but because making albums is what they do best.
In 2004, Mast and Stroud quietly entered the world of rap with a self-released album titled "Ratatat Remixes Mixtape Vol. 1." This pseudo-follow-up to their eponymous debut may have seemed out of place, but when the elements were separated out, it made sense. The instrumental tracks on "Ratatat" definitely had a hip-hop vibe, Stroud and Mast know their way around good rap tracks and the two guitar players weren't afraid to push the edge of the envelope.
Prior to Tuesday night, my only experience with elderly singers came in the form of a woefully understaffed and under-rehearsed church choir. Needless to say, the Young @ Heart chorus turned that idea upside down on Tuesday, rocking the Moore theater in the Hop with hit songs, old and new.
Perhaps Ali himself said it best, however, in an interview with Format Magazine. "That albino [stuff] might get me a ten minute listen," he recently stated, "but if I'm on my game [listeners] should forget all those surface details." He's absolutely correct.
On March 20, America's favorite vegan rocker Theodore Francis Leo, backed by his bandmates, returned to the indie-punk rock scene with his fifth album in eight years, "Living With The Living". Like previous records, "Living With The Living" combines punk grooves and brash guitar riffs with intelligent lyrics and interesting vocals to create a sound that, despite not varying greatly over the course of the album's hour-long run, manages to keep the listener engaged.
Despite a name that invokes muppets and telephones, Menomena has managed to progress from a small indie band in Portland, Ore. to a widespread success. After a lot of buzz surrounding their first studio release, "I Am The Fun Blame Monster" (an anagram for "The First Menomena Album"), the band has hit their stride in the past year.
Despite growth and evolution in Bloc Party's lyrical depth, production skills and even in sonic scope, "Weekend" leaves the listener wondering where all the fun went.
Coming off their critically acclaimed debut "Oh, Inverted World," and an equally popular sophomore release "Chutes Too Narrow," the Albuquerque natives are playing the tough roles of indie darling, mainstream success and "next big thing" simultaneously.
"There's songs on this album that I think blow away almost anything else I've ever done. I think song for song it's the best album I've ever made. One thing's for sure -- it's going to make it very difficult for people to imitate my sound!"
Dear Chris and Anna,
Dear Chris and Anna,
After beating out musical giants like Wilco, Franz Ferdinand, and The Killers for the 2004 Shortlist Music Prize, the boys from TV On The Radio found themselves labeled the messiahs of the indie community. Their debut full-length album, "Desperate Youth, Bloodthirsty Babes," built off the success of their limited release "Young Liars" five-song EP and immediately thrust them to the fire of great expectations. They became a shining example of all that is right with music, recording a powerful and soulful mixture of genres that appeals to a broad audience.
Dear Anna and Chris,
To the Editor:
Dear Anna and Chris,
In a vague (and capital letter free) note to a Radiohead fan club on May 12, lead singer Thom Yorke announced his first solo album with the words "this is just a note to say that something has been kicking around in the background that i have not told you about. its called The Eraser ... i wrote it and played it." Although intentionally ambiguous about the nature of the project, Yorke attempted to assuage the inevitable questions about the future of Radiohead as a group, saying "i want no crap about me being a traitor or whatever splitting up blah blah ... this was all done with their blessing." With this issue addressed, Radio-heads (shut up, I like this joke), were able to look past the possible earth-shaking demise of Radiohead to a less drastic, but similarly concerning question: Will it be good? Thankfully the answer is a resounding, although cryptic, "Yes!"