Year: 2007

Telefon Tel Aviv spoons up heaping portions of warm, soothing synth tones over light, crisp breakbeats and blippy, chirping percussive sounds. Along the way, the act touches on some light classical influences and a hint of the soulful, synthetic R&B that’s become such a big part of the chill-out sound…

With a keen sense of pacing and melody, the music of Widowers has drawn easy comparisons to psychedelic-tinged pop from the ’60s. But anyone who has seen Mike Marchant and company’s handful of shows thus far knows that they’ve already moved beyond their influences and have established a sound and…

I was once in Mandeville, Louisiana, just across the lake from New Orleans, for a reunion of sorts at my grandmother’s house. I’m pretty sure I’m the only one in the family who doesn’t like seafood; it’s a long story, but I’m sure it’s got something to do with my…

In “Piss and Vinegar,” a new song by Against Me! (currently touring with David Dondero and Matt & Kim), lead singer Tom Gabel advises music commentators to be “a little less professional, a little more up front and confrontational.” On August 14, he may have taken a similar approach during…

Underworld is the rare dance-music act that has it all: a distinctively idiosyncratic sound composed of a progressive house backbone spiked with elements of techno, breakbeat, ambient and splashes of pop and rock and roll. To that, Underworld adds genuine songcraft, ending up with great tracks that complement its monster…

If you take your name from a Syd Barrett song, your music had better be memorably catchy and downright weird. And it wouldn’t hurt if your singer sounded like he was constantly on the verge of sailing off the edge of reality. Italian group Jennifer Gentle has nailed these requirements…

If your idea of surf tunes consists solely of Jan & Dean, “Wipeout” and “that Pulp Fiction song,” then buckle up, because Slacktone is not your father’s surf music. At various times throughout rock history, waves of surf bands have crashed onto the shores, and Slacktone is widely considered by…

There’s nothing worse than attending a concert knowing you’ll have to endure an evening of mediocre music and posturing just to hear a group’s one and only hit. You could always arrive late, but odds are good that the band will drag the night out, holding the audience at bay…

Trey Anastasio, The Horseshoe Curve (Rubber Jungle Records). Even folks who hadn’t heard that Anastasio pleaded guilty to attempted criminal possession of a controlled substance last April would know he was on drugs by listening to Horseshoe, a disc in which his guitar is almost always in the background. Nonetheless,…

Before his recent move to Brooklyn, pianist Erik Deutsch spent a decade on the Colorado jazz scene. Fingerprint, issued by Boulder’s Sterling Circle label, symbolizes the transition, since it incorporates strong musicians from both his residences, old and new. The locals include cornetist Ron Miles, guitarist Ross Martin and Janet…

James Yardley may be best known for the brutally intense hardcore he doled out in V-tech Orchid or the dark and moody psychedelic rock he dealt in with Pinkku, but with Hawks and Doves, he brings an unexpectedly reverent evocation of bluesy, psychedelic classic rock. Combining acoustic and sinuously energized…

The term “conscious rap” needs to be excised from hip-hop’s vernacular. Nobody’s quite sure what it means: Music that doesn’t focus on rims and butts? Songs wherein the listener’s life isn’t explicitly threatened? Kweli has said he doesn’t like being pigeonholed by the designation, and the release of his sixth…

Arular, the 2005 debut by Mathangi “M.I.A.” Arulpragasam, got lotsa reviewers hot and bothered (and deservedly so), but only a relative handful of U.S. listeners succumbed to its multi-culti charms. Such sales disappointments generally lead to commercially motivated “adjustments” that leave no one satisfied. Fortunately, though, Kala avoids most of…

Those who don’t move their asses to the Matt and Kim song “Yea Yeah” are either missing their ears or their soul — or both. Sure, it’s cute and bubblegum sweet. But the stripped-down, three-chord synth-pop that the Brooklyn pair plays is, at its core, a firmly punk denial of…

Tim Kasher is a star in Omaha’s indie-rock scene, but he’s looking to score at the movies. The frontman for the Good Life (as well as Cursive) headed west earlier this year to work on the companion film for the band’s forthcoming Help Wanted Nights, a concept album set in…

Though the Soda Pop Kids technically make their home in Portland, Oregon, these days, it’s still tempting to lay claim to them as a Denver band. Before their relocation to the same rock-and-roll mecca that stole Strangers Die Everyday from us, vocalist Jonny P. Jewels and guitarist-vocalist Diet D made…

Sound Tribe Sector 9 isn’t a group that embraces conventional wisdom. The act has built an expanding audience by specializing in instrumentals — a format most popularizers reject out of hand. Moreover, STS9 appeals to fans of improvisational music played on traditional gear (guitar, bass, keys, drums) even though its…