indy cd & vinyl

RACONTEURS—CONSOLERS OF THE LONELY
The above-mentioned Black Keys are not the only blues-rock duo of note in our musical universe, of course. Jack and Meg White have made the White Stripes almost a household word, what with Jack’s winning way with melodies and guitar licks and the duo’s eye-catching and memorable penchant for dressing only […]

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BLACK KEYS—ATTACK AND RELEASE
The guitar and drums duo of Dan Auerbach and Patrick Carney have always gone for a minimalist approach to blues-rock, as befits their being only two people in the band. Crashing drums and searing or pounding electric guitar lines have been their stock-in-trade, and their excellence in pursuing this path has […]

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SOULSAVERS—It’s Not How Far You Fall, It’s The Way You Land
The Soulsavers are an English-bred production duo who have previously specialized in downtempo electronica. Their sophomore effort, however, strays far beyond this territory thanks to the addition of former Screaming Trees/sometimes Queens Of The Stone Age/current solo artist Mark Lanegan on vocals (and lyrics). […]

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STEPHEN MALKMUS & THE JICKS—Real Emotional Trash
Stephen Malkmus headed up Pavement, one of the most seminal indie-rock bands of all time. Pavement was most often characterized by Malkmus’ off-handed lyricism and winning way with a melody. Occasionally, however, Malkmus would indulge his guitar jones. This seemed to happen most often when the band was […]

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BLACK MOUNTAIN—In The Future
Take the best parts of Black Sabbath, mix with the Velvet Underground, Led Zeppelin and 80’s heavy metal, sprinkle lightly with Pink Floyd (keyboards), David Bowie, and Kansas(!),  and, voila,  Black Mountain results. While this reviewer generally treads lightly on referencing past bands’ sounds as a guide to current groups, Black […]

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