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
Starf***er
Reptilians
Polyvinyl Records
By Al Kaufman
Poor Starf***er. They think they have a pretty cool name, release a fun, self-titled first album, then land a song, “Rawnald Gregory Erickson the Second,” in a Target commercial. Realizing they have a legitimate shot at success, they decide it might be time to rethink their cool name and call themselves Pyramidd. Then they realize that people know them as Starf***er, and, even though no radio disc jockey will dare speak their name, they decide to keep it. … Continue Reading
Young Orchids
Afterglow
RoadOasis Recordings
By Eileen Tilson
Did you know that “Orchid” comes from the Greek “órkhis,” literally meaning “testicle”? Some clever male (obviously) decided to name one of the most unique flowers after their own special part. This makes it even more ironic, that one of Atlanta’s most beloved, high energy bands, is named the Young Orchids. A bunch of little “flowers.” At least with these orchids though, they have reached puberty, and are proving that with the release of their debut LP Afterglow. Produced, mixed and engineered by Kris Sampson (Dead Confederate, All the Saints), the album is being released on their own RoadOasis Recordings imprint. The album is a collection of 11 songs true to the sound that makes them one of the coolest bands in Little Five Points. … Continue Reading
The Cave Singers
No Witch
Jagjaguwar
By Al Kaufman
Seattle is at it again. Not content to rest on their laurels as the birth of grunge, the Rainy City is now fostering a rebirth of the organic folk-rock scene. It is a sound that has been led by Fleet Foxes, and The Cave Singers are not far behind. … Continue Reading
By Johnathan Spencer
I have been excited for months about this show – Wild Flag! A Rockin’ Girl Supergroup! They made a tour stop in Little Rock on their way to SXSW – I HAD to see them. So I was glad to hear that one of my friends HAD to see them as well. We arrived early expecting a large crowd because we had read many reviews about how awesome their shows have been and that they have a tendency to sell out venues. We were glad to find the crowd wasn’t as prompt as we were, so we made our way to the front. … Continue Reading
Black Joe Lewis & The Honeybears
Scandalous
Lost Highway Records
By Eileen Tilson
Picture it: Georgia, early 1950s, backwater blues shack, where as soon as you walk in you start sweating. But then you find yourself swaying, and before you know it you are right in the mix dancing with all the rest of the grooviest people you have ever seen. This is a party that you never want to leave. Within the first minute of Black Joe Lewis and the Honeybears’ perfectly-fitting second album Scandalous you can’t help but to feel like you just stole some of the best vinyl from your grandmother’s attic. … Continue Reading
Asobi Seksu
Fluorescence
Polyvinyl
By Al Kaufman
At first glance, Asobi Seksu seems like one of those holier-than-thou bands. They have drug-inducing cover art, a name that sounds cosmopolitan (but really just means “playful sex” in Japanese), and decided not to even print the track listings on their CD. They also write a lot of moody, richly-layered techno-pop. But, wow, do they do it well. … Continue Reading
J. Mascis
Several Shades of Why
Sub Pop
By Ellen Eldridge
The astoundingly calm and pastel-painted color pallet of the cover art immediately invites listeners to delve into the latest project by Dinosaur Jr. founder J. Mascis. The introduction to his first solo album, Several Shades of Why, sounds, and even feels, peaceful, serene, quiet and affected, asking, quite literally by the title of the first track “Listen To Me,” to be listened to. The simplicity of purposefully leaving out drums adds to the complexity of the guitar work. … Continue Reading
Telekinesis
12 Desperate Straight Lines
Merge
By Ellen Eldridge
“Let’s start all over, go back to square one” is the line announcing the 12 Desperate Straight Lines release by Telekinesis. Michael Benjamin Lerner actually took the inspiration to buy a bass guitar from the heavy, fuzzy bass in Flin Flon’s A-OK and he used that inspiration to construct four more songs for the release when he returned from a trip to Berlin to find his band had abandoned him. … Continue Reading
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