Email Author Tom Murphy

2011 Stories by Tom Murphy

• MEN at the hi-dive, 3/18/11

  published Mar 19, 2011

  MEN With Hideous Men 03.18.11 | hi-dive Before any bands played, DJ Sl8er and Piper Rose, the dynamic duo behind Titwrench, played a variety of records that could loosely fit into the context of d... More >>

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  FEATURED STORY

  Andy McClusky of OMD on Dazzle Ships, the influence of '70s Krautrock and Peter Saville

  published Mar 16, 2011

  Orchestral Manoevres in the Dark (due at the Bluebird Theater on Tuesday, March 22) is perhaps best known for its song "If You Leave," featured in Pretty in Pink, the classic 1986 John Hughes movie.... More >>

• Orchestral Manoeuvres is enjoying a renaissance of sorts

  published March 17, 2011

  Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark came to the attention of a wide audience through early singles like "Enola Gay" and an appearance in the 1981... More >>

• Robin Walker

  published March 17, 2011

  There's an unmistakably classic sensibility to Robin Walker's songwriting. Her versatile voice is central to the appeal of each of these songs,... More >>

• Foot Village

  published March 17, 2011

  This isn't exactly Mr. Van Driessen's New Age Drum Circle for Men out in the woods. Oh, sure, the members of Foot Village perform in a big... More >>

• Sic Alps

  published March 17, 2011

  In recent years, Sic Alps has been tapped as an opening act on tours with Yo La Tengo, Pavement and Sonic Youth. But chances are if you saw... More >>

• Dr. Sunshine's X-Ray Machine, March 18 at the Lion's Lair

  published March 17, 2011

  Five years ago, the music made by Dr. Sunshine's X-Ray Machine probably would have been called "post-rock," mainly because it comprises... More >>

• Flashlights & Force Publique

  published March 10, 2011

  "Glowing Eyes" finds Flashlights in a mood of deep, late-night contemplation. And that's fitting, because "New Hampshire" sounds like waking up... More >>

• The Missionary Position

  published March 10, 2011

  It might be a bit of an exaggeration to call Jeff Angell the Jeffrey Lee Pierce of Seattle, but a quick listen to Diamonds in a Dead... More >>

• Elephant 6 Orchestra

  published March 10, 2011

  A cursory glance at a list of the bands involved in the Elephant 6 collective is basically a who's who of the most interesting, influential... More >>

• Sauna, March 14 at the hi-dive

  published March 10, 2011

  In the crowded realm of bands purveying sunny garage-pop, it's a little difficult to stand out, because the stuff seems to be coming out of the... More >>

• Thee Goochi Boiz, Night of Joy, Bury My Bones, Miracleman at Rockaway, 03/05/11

  published Mar 06, 2011

  ... More >>

• Bonnie & the Beard

  published March 3, 2011

  Falling somewhere between Tin Pan Alley and bluesy Americana, this debut from Bonnie & the Beard sounds as if the band spent last year on an... More >>

• Randy Newman

  published March 3, 2011

  Anyone living in the United States after 1970 -- when Randy Newman's classic 12 Songs was released -- has heard Randy Newman somewhere,... More >>

• Bare Wires

  published March 3, 2011

  There's nothing at all ironic about this band embracing '70s power pop. In the '80s, too many acts who were heavily influenced by the gritty... More >>

• Critic's Choice: Red Vs. Black to erupt on March 8 at Rhinoceropolis

  published March 3, 2011

  Like a lot of young punkers, Red Vs. Black drummer Sam Tallent and bassist Clay Dehaan were infected with the bug when they connected... More >>

• Windows with Temples and Epileptinomicon at Ash From Sweat House, 2/26/11

  published Feb 27, 2011

  WINDOWS With Temples and Epileptinomicon Ash From Sweat House | February 26, 2011 The flier for this show said, in no uncertain terms, "NO COPS" and, as it turns out, none did appear to show up at th... More >>

• Abe Vigoda brings its new, polished pop to the hi-dive

  published February 24, 2011

  After starting Abe Vigoda in high school, Michael Vidal and Juan Velazquez took their fledgling project and unintentionally helped spawn the... More >>

• Yao Guai

  published February 24, 2011

  "Boo" starts this odd collection of ambient tracks from David Britton with what sounds like mechanical cicadas in the distance under the... More >>

• Immortal

  published February 24, 2011

  With vocals that sound like an evil, croaking frog over a torrent of percussion and an assault of guitars, and with a bass that has dynamics... More >>

• Elitist

  published February 24, 2011

  You could be excused for thinking every metal band out of L.A. did its time on the Sunset Strip. Thankfully, Elitist is too young for all that... More >>

• Miracleman, March 2 at Rhinoceropolis

  published February 24, 2011

  Miracleman started life as the British Captain Marvel in the 1950s. But he got a makeover in the early 1980s when he benefited from the... More >>

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  FEATURED STORY

  Swans at Summit Music Hall, 2/22/11

  published Feb 23, 2011

  SWANS With Wooden Wand 02.22.11 | Summit Music Hall Last night, James Jackson Toth, aka Wooden Wand, was joined by two other guitar players -- Brian Lowery and William Tyler. And although there wer... More >>

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  FEATURED STORY

  Michael Gira of Swans on the new album and his time as a bassist

  published Feb 22, 2011

  Emerging from the no-wave scene in the New York underground in 1982, Swans became known for music that was forbidding, terrifyingly intense in its execution and lyrically uncompromising in its depic... More >>

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  FEATURED STORY

  Cullen Omori of Smith Westerns on Chicago and the band's evolving sound

  published Feb 21, 2011

  Yeah, the guys in Smith Westerns (due tonight at the Larimer Lounge) are young, and their attitude on stage and in interviews seems to be filled to the brim with youthful exuberance with a touch of ... More >>