Kieran Hebden is an electronica performer better known as Four Tet; drummer Steve Reid is a veteran of 1960s and ’70s R&B and free jazz scenes. They initially seem like an unlikely pairing, but not when one considers the cross-pollination between jazz, electronica, and indie-rock scenes over the past couple…
For a band not too far removed from high school, you’d think Ministry of Love might have paid more attention in English class. In George Orwell’s 1984, the Ministry of Love was the building where Winston Smith was interrogated, tortured, and brainwashed. Not exactly the epitome of “love.” Considering the…
Before embarking on a national tour with Valley darlings Dear and The Headlights — one that ends with a swanky SxSW showcase — Phoenix’s own Miniature Tigers will hone their craft at Modified Arts. A spot at SxSW seems like the natural progression for the band, fresh off their performance…
Ladies and gentleman, start your SoCal punk and rap-rock engines. Orange County punk rockers (hed) p.e. are kicking off their 2009 tour in Tempe a day after their new album, New World Orphans, hits the shelves. Now, I know what you’re thinking: “What does the ‘p.e.’ stand for?” Perhaps it’s…
We sincerely hope the walls of the Draw 10 Lounge, 5444 East Washington Street, are earthquake-proof because they definitely will be shaking, thanks to all the bass-heavy beats that will be blasted Saturday, January 10, during Jumpdown Sessions Vol. II. A throbbing selection of dubstep, jungle, and other booming genres…
Da REAList is not Plies’ meditation on Platonic realism; it’s mostly just demonstrably false braggadocio and sentimental hooey. The main problem with this record is that a July Hip Hop DX report showed that despite Plies’ claims to be a lifelong thug, he’s actually been arrested only twice — fairly…
Heading into their full-length debut with a full head of steam — thanks in part to a series of infectious singles — British four-piece Late of the Pier crashes the party, ready to unleash an unflinching electronic sound upon the masses. Most of the album consists of bizarre sounds that…
Daniel Rossen (left) and Fred Nicolaus of indie outfit Department of Eagles. Brooklyn folktronica duo Department of Eagles found themselves — or, more specifically, their October release In Ear Park — landing on a number of requisite year-end top 10 lists. Critics from Filter and NPR gave the disc its…
Few bands are anywhere near as funny as they think they are — The Dag Nabbit Stubbs is an exception. I mean, they’re not, like hilarious, but they play their hand for all it’s worth, backing up their redneck rock posturing with a sound like what the dead and zombified…
Much more of this in the slideshow.So we were basically feeling like poo-poo during this entire holiday season. We got the crud and it refused to go away. So it wasn’t until way after New Year’s Eve that we could even consider getting back to our partying ways.We were feeling…
This week’s Flier of the Week only hits at an explanation of the spectacle which is a Bob Long III show. I’m not going to bother to explain the concept of “Boob Scotch” to you myself, but you can read all about Log on wikipedia or you can venture over…
Imagine, if you will, that this is one of those Choose Your Own Adventure books. First things first: Do you like ska? Are you not annoyed by white dudes playing reggae? Do you like neat little hats and fedoras? If you answered yes to any of these questions, keep on…
Besides being most identified as the poster boys for the mid-’90s ska explosion, the members of smart-alecky Orange County outfit Reel Big Fish are somewhat infamous for their goofy covers of ’80s hits. Frontman/guitarist Aaron Barrett and crew have quite the hard-on for performing send-up songs at gigs or on…
Younger generations may not know him outside his appearance in the 1994 college comedy PCU and Dr. Dre sampling his work, but 67-year-old funk pioneer George Clinton is still grinding away, touring the nation. The former staff songwriter for Motown is bringing his iconic band of psychedelic misfits, Parliament Funkadelic,…
If there’s one thing that the ‘Nix has its fair share of, it’s DJ collectives. There’s the VinylTech DJs (who do the house music thing), the Overmind Works crew (focusing on psytrance and downtempo jams), and the Ultra Lounge DJs (who are all over the musical map). But none of…
Always Randy’s Protect Your Nuts is exactly the kind of record we have Your Asked For It to review. Truthfully, there’s little chance I’d pop in an album with a cover featuring three semi-mulleted old dudes wielding baseball bats and a guitar in front of a background of peanut shells…
This is the good stuff. Check the slideshow.So after a million different holiday functions (we come from a broken family – it tends to extend such celebrations), we needed something to break up the wholesome time. And with time running out for the long weekend, we decided to check out…
Tempe’s The Maine has MySpace tweens and teens eating out of their hands. And can you blame them? With their emo haircuts, skinny jeans, and songs filled with bouncy choruses about girls, love, and boys who just want to have fun, it’s not hard to see their charm. MTV has…
With its two final out-of-town members making the big move from Flagstaff to Phoenix, Caecelia is ready to unleash its unique brand of indie/electronic music on the Valley. The band’s keyboards, guitars, and cello are the perfect complement to its heavily electronic sound. Caecelia’s music is filled with angst-ridden lyrics,…
How do you want to spend your New Year’s “Rockin'” Eve? At home, sitting on the couch watching Ryan Seacrest struggle to host another bloated celebration from Times Square, biding your time until the ball drops? Sure, that telecast will feature some more popular artists performing their hits, but those…
A decade ago, the neo-swing movement was in, er, full swing. That damned commercial for The Gap, featuring models foxtrotting and Lindy-hopping to Louis Prima, was cluttering our TV screens, and the retro wailing of Big Bad Voodoo Daddy and The Royal Crown Revue was choking the airwaves. Near the…
If nothing else, we can thank Styx for burning the phrase “domo arigato, Mr. Roboto” into the public’s memory — forever. Though the band is most respected for the string of staple hits it contributed in the ’70s, it is remembered, like an athlete who hung just a bit too…
