“Hazards” a Conceptual Tour De Force for The Decemberists
March 29, 2009
by Luke Pimentel, Editor
March 29, 2009
Weird things happen to so-called “alternative” bands when they hit a major label. There’s more money, more promotion, more media hullabaloo, and inevitably, more pressure to deliver music that is streamlined to attract a wider audience.
Enter folk-rock darlings The Decemberists, who found themselves in the midst of an identity crisis when confronted with their major-label debut in 2006. Would they be capable tunesmiths providing jaunty melodies matched with occasionally verbose lyrics, or purveyors of ambitious, mythology-fueled song cycles like 2004′s The Tain EP?
“Love is evolution’s very best dayâ€: U2’s Still-Growing Musical Mastery
March 18, 2009
By Tracey Hackett, Editor
March 18, 2009
Charles Darwin might call it “survival of the fittest,” but perhaps the best phrase in terms of rock ‘n’ roll is “staying power.”
Regardless of how you describe it, U2′s recently released 12th studio album, No Line on the Horizon, is an evolution of sight and sound that embodies masterful musical techniques the renowned Irish band have been adapting since the early 1990s.
Cardinal Magick: Ryan Adams Transforms and Transcends in Nashville
March 16, 2009
Words by Andrew William Smith, Editor
Photographs by Landin E. King, Contributing Editor
March 16, 2009
Ryan Adams and the Cardinals owned Nashville, Tennessee for a two-night stand over the last weekend of winter. When folks ask why we need to see both nights of a double-header, the diverse and dynamic setlists provide the answer. Both nights were brilliant.
Surrendering to Vision over Visibility: No Lines on U2’s Spiritual Horizon
March 10, 2009
By Laurie Britt-Smith
March 10, 2009
U2′s latest, No Line on the Horizon, includes quite a bit of aural experimentation. The layering of sounds and the idea of “the sound” echo and repeat over and over. However, the exploration of the latter is a fascinating remix of themes U2 has covered before. Is “the sound” something as carnal as the babble of humanity in all its forms of expression secular and overtly sexual? Yes. Is “the sound” something sacred, reflecting the vibrations of a phenomenon that is soulful and spiritually connective? Yes.
Rocking In a Recession?
March 10, 2009
By Andrew William Smith, Editor
March 10, 2009
Is there such a thing as a recession-proof profession? Is it rock and roll?
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