Girl in a Coma
Exits & All the Rest
Blackheart Records
By Al Kaufman
If ever a band name has been a misnomer, than it is for Girl in a Coma. Yes, this trio from San Antonio grew up as Smiths fans (hence the band name), but their music is very much alive.
… Continue Reading
Gringo Star
Count Yer Lucky Stars
Gigantic Music
By Ellen Eldridge
To say a buzz has been brewing over Atlanta’s Gringo Star would downplay the frenetic reverberations on the music industry radar. The allusion to Beatles drummer Ringo Starr remains a cute sarcasm, and fits the band’s style well with the choice of instruments including Rickenbacker and Fender guitars. The microphone used in the video for “All Y’all” off the debut looks like it came straight off the set of the Ed Sullivan show, so I think it’s safe to say Gringo Star is a loving reference to a musical influence. … Continue Reading
Wild Flag
Wild Flag
Merge
By Al Kaufman
Supergroups of any type rarely live up to their hype, but since the hype for Wild Flag was practically non-existent, and since the women in this band don’t care about such petty things, their debut album far surpasses any expectations that may have been garnered. … Continue Reading
The War on Drugs
Slave Ambient
Secretly Canadian
By Al Kaufman
Much like Beck is essentially a folk rocker with ambient tendencies, so too are Philadelphia’s The War on Drugs.
The band’s 2008 debut, Wagonwheel Blues, was more of a straight ahead rock and roots affair. Then Kurt Vile left the group for his rather promising solo career and Adam Granduciel became the heart and soul of the now trio. … Continue Reading
Hayes Carll
KMAG YOYO
Lost Highway
By Al Kaufman
“I’m like James Brown only white and taller,” boasts Hayes Carll on his fourth CD, KMAG YOYO. He’s not. The Arkansas native is more like Terry Allen, John Prine, or good friend Todd Snider. In other words, he writes the kind of songs that people in honky-tonks all over the country are dying to play. His songs can be hilarious, provocative, and gut-wrenching, sometimes all at same time. He’s a liberal, wisecracking, good ol’ boy, who hasn’t lost touch with his sensitive side. He is, in short, a gift from the songwriting gods. … Continue Reading
If you’re a fan of hip-hop, then you’ll have heard about this awesome piece of news. The Boombox reports:
Tech N9ne‘s 12th studio record, ‘All 6′s and 7′s’ debuted at No. 4 on the Billboard 200 chart and No. 1 on the Rap Albums chart, after moving 55,806 units. His last effort, 2010′s ‘The Gates Mixed Plate,’ released roughly a year ago, sold only around 50,000 copies total…
Assists on the album were a departure from Tech’s usual underground roots, with more mainstream artists — Yelawolf, Busta Rhymes, T-Pain, B.o.B., E-40, Snoop Dogg, the Deftones and Lil Wayne — contributing to the new effort. But Tech’s lyrics on the album cut ‘Love Me Tomorrow’ suggest otherwise: “Tech will never go mainstream/ Mainstream will go Tech.”
Which makes for a pretty celebratory tour. The rapper is trekking around the country, and will be stopping at St. Petersburg’s Jannus Live on July 30. We have five pairs of tickets to give away. All you have to do is enter using the form below.
The Donkeys
Born with Stripes
Dead Oceans
By Al Kaufman
While the 2008 debut from this San Diego quartet, Living on the Other Side, was a bit of a twangfest, The Donkey found their inner ’70s jam band for their sophomore release, Born with Stripes. … Continue Reading
Atlanta’s favorite rowdy chicks keep getting louder, especially with the release of their new gritty, screechy, heavily-eyelinered video for “Hurricane,” above.
The Coathangers play The EARL in Atlanta on May 13…
… and The Red Palace in Washington, D.C. on June 21
The Submarines
Love Notes/Letter Bombs
Nettwerk
By Al Kaufman
At first glance, The Submarines are bubble gum pop. They are popsicles and lemonade in the summertime. They are perky blonde Blake Hazard’s girlish vocals. But while their songs may taste like candy, they are actually quite good for you.
Jessica Lea Mayfield
Tell Me
Nonesuch Records
By Al Kaufman
It may not be possible for Jessica Lea Mayfield to live up to all the hype she has generated with her second album, Tell Me. Her first, 2008’s With Blasphemy So Heartfelt, unfortunately sailed by without notice, and now critics – and her record label — are tripping over themselves to make sure that mistake does not happen again. … Continue Reading
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