Crib Notes

Stanza is so old-school Atlanta — like Candler Rd. back when South Dekalb Mall only had a two-screen movie theater; or like smoking out on Sundays at Mosley and Maddox parks, circa ’94, when the Cutlasses and Caddys used to parade through driving five miles per hour.

“Sometimes” (Produced by Young Guru)

There’s something nostalgic about “Sometimes,” included on his seven-track Valentine’s mixtape Lyrical Lovers. It’s not just the strings, but Stanza’s flow. It reminds me of an era when cats preferred to rap to chicks instead of rapping about them on the sly.

Download Lyrical Lovers

Bookmark to:

Bonnaroo is an annual music festival held near Nashville, in a sleepy Tennessee hamlet called Manchester. Its existence has been a long, strange trip of sorts. See, when it began it was like a total hippiefest, full of misguided college kids and smelly, middle-aged fire dancers. But then something happened. As bigger and bigger crowds showed up each year, so did bigger and eventually more mainstream bands. For goodness’ sake, Radiohead played a few years ago!

Anyway, today is supposed to be the day that they announce who’s playing this year’s shindig, which will happen June 10-13 and will most likely cost you your life savings to attend. And they had this brilliant idea to unveil the bands one by one over a nine-hour span. Only problem is their dinky little web server apparently can’t take all the traffic — I’ve been trying for 20 minutes and still have only received an error message. (A much safer bet is their MySpace page, which presumably can handle it and is also listing the bands.)

(more…)

Bookmark to:

Via The Fader, a download link for “Thoughts,” a new track by ATL native son Pill, from his forthcoming mixtape, 1140: The overdose.

In case you forgot, Maurice Garland profiled Pill for one of our recent covers and we shot a behind the scenes vid during the photo shoot.

Download [via The Fader]

(Photo by Joeff Davis)

Bookmark to:

BLOW OUT: Dark Meat pumps the brakes on its erratic sound.

Since the summer of 2004, a wild-eyed, cult-like gathering has been making noise on the fringes of Athens’ music scene, churning out thunderous rock ‘n’ roll ecstasy milked to the point of hysteria. That musical cabal is Dark Meat, an ever-changing ensemble that incorporates as many as 17 players during its shows, including a horn section dubbed the Vomit Lasers Family Band. Members of Elf Power, Of Montreal, Olivia Tremor Control and pretty much every other band in Athens have been counted among their ranks – all under the direction of leaders Jim McHugh (guitar, vocals) and Ben Clack (bass). Their shows unfold like trippy battles royale of writhing, Manson Family psychedelia, intensified by the sheer number of participants.

Having released two albums of left-field rock spliced with experimental jazz, Dark Meat’s shambolic atmospherics willfully rose above the realm of kitsch and spectacle. But just as the group was starting to flesh out its true musical voice, Dark Meat is breaking up. It’s not the end for any of its myriad players, but the big band’s livelihood has run its course. “Our last tour was fucked up,” McHugh says. “Financially, we’ve been super stressed-out because we bent ourselves over the barrel, but there are no regrets. It’s a positive thing that all of us hit a critical mass and are moving on to the next phases of our lives. That’s where I am.”

From the start, Dark Meat was all over the place. The ensemble’s ‘06 debut, Universal Indians (Vice) is still a strikingly self-conscious rock record, spliced with interludes of free jazz freak-outs meant to be howled at the moon. It also came endowed with a curious dedication to free jazz sax man Albert Ayler. “That record was all about this collision of classic song form and formless, noisy impressionistic skronk – which is a lot of what Ayler did,” McHugh explains. “He was such a pure artist that he always played from his balls and from his heart. He influenced me greatly in terms of song structure and form, but also in terms of commitment and conviction.”

Continue Reading “The short life and long death of Dark Meat”

(Photo www.JulienPhotography.com)

Bookmark to:

By L. Michael Gipson

If Sade was new and Soldier of Love was the band’s debut, it’d be appreciated but far from iconic. Luckily for Sade, this relentless melancholia is not the debut, but the first studio album since 2000’s Lover’s Rock. Well, maybe not lucky given the high expectations. The lean, 25-year-old machine meets some of them. The lyrics are lush and the orchestrals as organic as ever, but what’s missing are standout signatures, despite the inclusion of the sonically layered single “Soldier of Love” – most notable for sounding like nothing Sade has done before. The rest of this moody affair resembles older material with few exceptions, like the lilting reggae of “Babyfather” and the rambling “Bring Me Home.” The rest you’ve heard before, only better on Diamond Life, with hooks. Sometimes that’s enough as on the elegaic “Skin.” Too often it’s not, unless you heart morose music. “Is It a Crime?” No, but honestly nothing could ever be again. (Sony) 3 out of 5 stars.

Bookmark to:

SUNGLASSES

OK, so listen. I know you’ve probably got a big evening planned tonight. Sure, last night was the Super Ball or whatever, but tonight is really what you’ve been looking forward to. I’m speaking, of course, of ABC’s reality hit “The Bachelor” — it’s the hometown visit episode! This is crunch time! You’ve been gearing up for this one all weekend, stockpiling Little Debbies and frozen TGIFridays apps in sweaty, lurid anticipation of which girl’s family will get along with hunky Jake the Airline Pilot the best. But get a load of this: you can watch entire episodes online totally gratis! Ah, the future.

(more…)

Bookmark to:

This proper release of Harvey Milk’s debut cassette unfolds like a lost chapter of Revelations. Even in ‘94 the Athens trio was summoning the darkest, droning sludge it could muster. It was the antithesis of the twee pop that defined Athens in that era. But the behemoth plod of “Blueberry Dookie” and the shredding mania of “Dating Pressures” seem unaware of the shiny happy people next door. Crawling drums and slow, acidic riffs burrow deep into the ears and brain with long, rhythmic dirges. “Plastic Eggs” looks into the yawning gates of hell with a tangle of feedback and spectral growling. Creston Spiers’ vocal rasp naturally fits within the album’s framework, while “F.S.T.P” lays the blueprint for start-stop tension. These songs don’t even sound all that primitive when compared to their recent recordings. Even the staccato tape noise of “Smile” adds compelling texture to the music. These guys had their act together from the get-go. (Hydra Head Records) 4 out of 5 stars.

Bookmark to:

NO SLEEP TILL…: Phonte (left) and Nicolay worked hard for Grammy nod.

Say what you will about the commercial excess of the Grammy Awards, for an artist, there’s nothing more validating than receiving a nomination. It means even more for independents with no major-label backing. So when Phonte Coleman’s wife woke him up to tell him that his alt/soul group the Foreign Exchange had received a Best Urban/Alternative Performance nod for the song “Daykeeper,” he reacted like any exuberant artist would – he fell back asleep.

“Honestly, I had been working so much, it didn’t hit me until I completely woke up,” he laughs.

His reaction was fitting, considering the life of an indie artist. Phonte and his partner, producer Nicolay (born Matthijs Rook), do everything themselves, from writing, producing and engineering, to fighting what Nicolay calls “David versus Goliath” business battles with iTunes. Add to that their tour schedule and extra projects like the recent formation of their label, the Foreign Exchange Music, and sleep has become a luxury.

“I have no personal life,” Phonte says, adding that he and Nicolay are wrapping up soulstress Yahzarah’s upcoming album, The Ballad of Ms. Purple St. James, due this spring. “There’s no ‘Phonte enjoys kayaking in his spare time.’ It’s nothing for [us] to work 24- to 36-hour stretches.”

Continue Reading “The Foreign Exchange won’t rest on Grammy laurels”

(Photo by Jati Lindsay)

Bookmark to:

The long-awaited We No Fun compilation of post-punk, post-hardcore and post-whatever Atlanta bands is said to finally be materializing at the end of February. The vinyl LP featuring 15 bands, ranging from Hawks and Hollow Stars to Brass Castle, Chopper, Vera Fang, Judi Chicago and more, was intended to be released the last weekend in January 2009, but after a slew of manufacturing speed bumps, it’s taken a little over a year for it to happen. Sadly, the majority of the bands featured on the compilation are no longer together, but hey, the idea was to document a bunch of bands and stamp them in time, right? Mission accomplished.

A release party is being set up for March, though an exact date remains to be determined.

In the meantime, check out the “We paid $30 to be on the We No Fun Comp and didn’t get sh*t” Facebook group, which also started up in February.

The Dub Police CD release party featuring performances from Caspa, the Others, D1, Matty G, Rod Azlan and Whisperlink is being held tonight (Mon., Feb. 8) at the Graveyard Tavern. 10 p.m.-3 a.m. Admission is free if you RSVP. 1245 Glenwood Ave. 404-622-8686.

Mathis Hunter (Photo by Stevie Brown)

Noot d’ Noot percussionist and long-time Atlanta music fixture Mathis Hunter will celebrate the release of his debut solo LP, Soft Opening, on Sat., March 5 at the Earl. The vinyl/digital release features nine songs that blend ’60s California psychedelic rock that evokes comparisons to the Byrds — with more of an emphasis on the David Crosby side of things, rather than Gram Parsons — and a ’90s British rock sensibility. Hunter plays most of the instruments on the record himself, though a few other players do crop up from time to time, filling in the blanks.

“Gathering The Hopeful Gamblers” mp3

For the show on March 5, Hunter will be fronting a five-piece lineup that features members of the Selmanaires, Noot d’ Noot and Butch Walker’s band. The Selmanaires and Noot d’ Noot open. $8. 9 p.m. The Earl, 488 Flat Shoals Ave. 404-522-3950.

(more…)

Bookmark to:

SIMPLY BOSCO: Saturday night at 529 w/the 54

Sitting upright in the furthest corner of the Bench on Marietta Blvd., Brittany Bosco posed a striking figure amid the rambunctious crowd in attendance at the indoor/outdoor Atlanta Indie Festival nearly two years ago. I’d arrived too late to catch her set, but was intrigued nonetheless. One of the few female acts on the local hip-hop-heavy bill that night, she was new to town — a Savannah native attending SCAD in Atlanta while laying the groundwork for her career launch. When I finally caught wind of her EP Spectrum, it simmered with the same jazzy electricity she’d radiated that night at the Bench.

So imagine my surprise the first time I actually caught her live on stage. She was loud and raucous and crunk and everything I hadn’t expected after being introduced to her smoldering, bluesy vocal tone on such EP tracks as “Black and White.” The difference between her recorded sound and her live energy was like night and day. Like a lot of young artists, Brittany Bosco was still in the midst of discovering her true, artistic self.

But with the release of a new song this week, she sounds all the way found.

“Ragdoll”

(more…)

Bookmark to:

While participating in a press conference as a part of the “We Are the World” benefit song for Haiti, rapper Lil Wayne ended his Q&A session with a startling statement.

“I think its amazing what’s being done for Haiti,” a noticeably sober Wayne said as he got up to leave the press tent. “But I also think its amazing what hasn’t been done for New Orleans. Thank you.” (A random journalist is heard saying “good point” at the end of the clip.)

(more…)

Bookmark to:

Girls (photo by Sandy Kim)

Fri., Feb. 5. — Bay area surf pop/new wave band Girls are playing a sold-out show at the Earl tonight, but you can still catch their free in-store at Criminal Records at 7 p.m. Criminal Records. 1154 Euclid Ave. 404-215-9511.
Girls “Lust For Life” mp3

Fri., Feb. 5 — The Residents show at Variety Playhouse is where the smart money is tonight. NBCBayArea.com recently described the show as “a semi-retrospective of their entire career,” and the “complete reinvention of their songbook was one of the show’s strong suits.”

For nearly 40 years, the Residents have flourished in the freaky fringes of absurdist pop, churning out disturbing theatrics and musical experiments that wreak havoc on the senses. Virtually nothing is known about their identity other than rumors. All of their activities are facilitated by an elusive organization known as the Cryptic Corporation, and the Residents don’t do interviews. Continue reading… $25-$27.50. 8:30 p.m. Fri., Feb. 5. Variety Playhouse, 1099 Euclid Ave. 404-524-7354.

(more…)

Bookmark to:

TWIT

Hip-Hop Wired reports that Atlanta ringtone rapper Soulja Boy (born DeAndre Way) has been handed a year of probation and a $1,000 fine by a Henry County judge for an October 2009 obstruction of justice charge.

This really isn’t huge news, but I wanted an excuse to post a couple gems from Soulja Boy’s ridiculous Twitter page (redundant, I know):

I FEEL U @LILBTHEBASEDGOD MY MUSIC SOUND SO GOOD TO MY FEMALE FANS IT FEEL LIKE IM FUCKIN THEM THRU THE SONG

I am a respected businessman in this music industry :) WATCH ME WORK

(more…)

Bookmark to:

UNSEEN: The Residents put their eyes out.

For nearly 40 years, the Residents have flourished in the freaky fringes of absurdist pop, churning out disturbing theatrics and musical experiments that wreak havoc on the senses. Virtually nothing is known about their identity other than rumors. All of their activities are facilitated by an elusive organization known as the Cryptic Corporation, and the Residents don’t do interviews. “The Residents do art and don’t feel like interviewing is a medium they work well in,” says the group’s manager, Hardy Fox, via e-mail. “They are happy to let their projects speak for them. … Or let me speak for them, LOL.”

Anonymity has bestowed the group with an incredible mystique. Albums have ranged from a parody of ’60s pop hits, titled The Third Reich ‘n Roll, to an acclaimed concept album about life in the Arctic Circle called Eskimo. Other albums reinterpret the works of Elvis Presley, Hank Williams, John Philip Sousa and James Brown, all with a mutant art skulk that oozes with unease. Squirming keyboards, traditional instruments, ambient sounds and creepy vocals balance noise and melody, characterizing a sound that touches on everything from Devo to Captain Beefheart without ever staying put for long.

Elaborate costumes are also part of the group’s M.O. Their appearance as four characters dressed in tuxedos and top hats with gigantic eyeball heads has been branded as the group’s image, but it changes for every performance.

Continue Reading “The Residents reside on absurdist pop’s freaky fringes”

(Photo courtesy The Residents)

Bookmark to:

Alan Sparhawk doesn’t have a reputation for writing exciting music, which makes his ascent into the exuberant rock of Retribution Gospel Choir’s aptly titled second coming, 2, so remarkable. “Hide It Away” opens the album with undulating guitar and drum rolls that create a reflexive spiritual outlet. The vast and searing riffage of “Your Bird” and “‘68 Comeback” are far away from the minimalist slowcore crawl of Sparhawk’s band Low. But RGC isn’t a complete 180 degrees. The songs are massive, but they require patience. At a glance, “Workin’ Hard” takes shape like a Crazy Horse rip-off, driven instead by tasteful, roaring guitars. The misplaced arena rock swagger is tempered by the penitence of Sparhawk’s writing that keeps the album grounded with a refreshingly introspective take on such rousing music. (Sub Pop) 3 out of 5 stars.

Bookmark to:

As B.o.B. (aka Bobby Ray) gears up to release his long-awaited debut album The Adventures of Bobby Ray this spring, what better way to hype it than by dropping a mixtape bearing the title of his impending release date?

(more…)

Bookmark to:

Yes, you read that right. This video is a few days old, but worth discussing because of its … intellectual boldness? Its enormous import to society? OK, so it’s just funny to watch Oscar-winning actress Susan Sarandon onstage with a band in a kinky simulation involving grown men in pig suits. It’s a double bonus that the band in question happens to be Athens party starters Of Montreal.

The swine whippin’ took place at a New York show last week, and is just the latest in a glorious string of WTF moments from the band. Also participating, though sadly not in the spanking, was lil’-sis-of-Beyonce, Solange Knowles. But seriously, check out this photo and tell me the former Janet Weiss ain’t still smokin’ hot in an old lady kind of way. And peep the video, along with one below the jump of Solange joining the band on a Jackson 5 cover:

(more…)

Bookmark to:

PRIDE GOETH BEFORE A FALL: Montonix performed at the Drunken Unicorn on Jan. 23

Atlanta concert photos

Garage rockers Monotonix have achieved notoriety among fans for their sweaty and rowdy performances. So when front man Ami Shalev clutched his leg in pain and called for a doctor just 15 minutes into a recent South Florida show, the crowd thought he was only crying wolf. BrooklynVegan reports:

“I think we finally managed to make history,” Shalev said. The crowd cheered, figuring it would be an announcement about the band’s debut appearance south of Orlando.

“After more than 700 shows, I think I finally broke my leg,” he continued.

More cheering. This was part of the stunt, right?

“Is there a doctor or paramedic?” he asked.

“Suck it up!” Someone yelled.

“Pussy!” Another heckler cried.

But Shalev was obivously in pain. “Fuck you!” he yelled, wincing and grabbing his thigh. “What I need is a doctor or a paramedic, or a wheelchair. Or just a chair.” He repeated the request again at least twice.

The band canceled its show in Athens the following night but will otherwise continue to tour as planned. Check out photos of their recent Atlanta performance with Hawks and the Coathangers at the Drunken Unicorn.

(Photo by Perry Julien)

Bookmark to:

Judging by some of the angry comments on my Grammy recap from Monday, there are in fact some people who actually like up-and-coming vocal group Kings of Leon! I apologize; I was not aware. I’d like to offer an olive branch of sorts — an olive branch in the form of fashion (you know, the best kind)! Further apologies if you’re already aware of this exciting news, but I wasn’t: Chunklet reports via People that Thee Kings of All That is Leon have released a 12-piece clothing collection under the moniker S2A x KOL. Now, number one fans, you too can look just like what’s his face, or who’s his what, with an $1150 bomber jacket, or a pair of $150 jeans guaranteed to have been worn and tenderly rocked in by one of Los Reyes de Leon. OK, so I’m not actually sure about that last part. But you will look fucking awesome.

You’re welcome!

Bookmark to:

By Lily Moayeri

The second album from this Southern boy by way of Los Angeles would more aptly have been titled Past Sons & Daughters. Following the path he forged with his 2006 debut Troubled Times, AM rummages through the ’60s and ’70s looking for ideas in unlikely places. Future sound-bites Philly soul, Brazilian flavors and Italian soundtracks, but it all turns out like country-tinged, throwback Cali pop. A bit Turtles, a bit Byrds, a bit Mamas and Papas, the perfectly dated instrumentation on Future is as raw and genuine as AM’s heart-baring sentiments. Perfumed, breezy rhythms tingle on “It’s Been So Long,” where AM shares the mic with Angela Correa. The quiet strums of “Leavenworth” almost squeeze out a tear, and “Grand Opinion” has a jaunty approach Jim Morrison couldn’t quite latch onto. Future closes with the lullaby hums of “Endings Are Beginnings,” signifying a start as much as a finish. (Filter U.S. Recordings) 3 out of 5 stars.

Bookmark to: