Concerts

P.O.S lives up to the ambitious title of his third album on the Rhymesayers label, Never Better. Having produced two-thirds of the album on his own, this veteran of the Minneapolis hardcore punk scene melds distorted guitars, blues-holler samples, Fugazi references and the hard edges of punk with head-noddin’ hip-hop…

Although Alex Lilly sings backup for the well-known indie-rock outfit The Bird and the Bee, she fronts this charming lounge-pop act, whose pacing and atmospherics are reminiscent of late-’80s XTC with lush, soothing tones bolstering sharp, incisive lyrics. The odd yet entrancing melodies should appeal to fans of Helium’s rich…

The self-titled debut from Grandpa Mojo is a solid introduction for an up-and-coming talent. Its twelve tracks of dubby breakbeat are a showcase for Grandpa’s top-notch production skills, solid tunes and impressive musical acumen. Musically, Mojo mixes up a nice blend of stellar synthesizer timbres and organic instruments including stand-up…

Over the years, the term “hippie music” has come to mean meandering jams with guitar solos that can be timed with an hourglass. But during the first generation of the 20th century’s most hirsute social movement, the phrase also applied to the tuneage of antic folk loons with a fondness…

Technically, Howl at the Moon is a re-release of material from Eyes and Ears’ debut. Still, the vinyl brings a warmer sound to what were already excellent songs. This band and these tracks bridge the gap between raw rock and punk: “Howl at the Moon” sounds less like a throwback…

Clearly, Wil Key put a lot of work into his latest effort, from singing and playing most of the instruments to tapping five-time Grammy nominee Ryan West (Beyoncé, Jay-Z) to engineer the disc, which was recorded in New York, Los Angeles and Denver. He also recruited a number of deft…

Feeling crazy in love this Valentine’s Day? Well, then, his or her mix CD had better include some great love songs. Recently dumped? Then you’re probably listening to some heartbreak songs to help you wallow in your miserable heartache. As for the rest of us? The ones who know whom…

DJ Konrad Black is all about the dirty, dirty bass. His signature sound evolved from his involvement in the drum-and-bass scene, and echoes of the dark, deadly tones so prevalent in that form make up the basis of his distinctive take on techno. His work as a producer has made…

Psst…hey there…what are you doing for lunch today? Right. Yeah, uh, no, correction: That’s what you were doing. Here’s what on tap now: Quickly make up some reason to give your boss for why you need to take a later (say around 2 p.m.) and, ahem, longer lunch today, then…

Earlier this week, the Fray captured the top spot at Twist & Shout, and we wondered if that trend would carry over nationally. Well, it looks like indeed it has, as Isaac Slade and company have toppled Springsteen, as Billboard put it, to claim the number-one slot on Billboard 200, by…

Whatever your religious beliefs may be, you can’t deny how far Christian hip-hop has come over the years, musically and lyrically.Colorado rapper Proxy is part of the new generation of MCs with a Christian focus, although he probably shuns such labels. (It’s just hip-hop, right?) The MC recently had one…

It’s rare these days to hear DJ Chonz spin a set from a playlist of his choosing. Most of his mixes during KS-107.5’s live daily Traffic Jam are limited to the station’s playlist, and when he’s behind the decks during the week at the handful of clubs where he plays,…

Young Coyotes have been together less than a year, but in that short time, the act has already embarked on an extensive cross country tour, attracted a high powered manager in Blee Music’s Brian Swartz (Rose Hill Drive), and, most noteworthy, generated a substantial buzz locally. In what literally seemed…

A few weeks ago, we posted an item about Jon Snodgrass’s brand-new album, Vistor’s Band, which hit stores last week, and made mention of a new Drag the River release, fittingly titled Bad at Breaking Up. The fine folks over at Suburban Home Records just unveiled the packaging for the…

In news that’s sure to have local metal fans googling airfare before they even finishing reading this post, we just learned that Cephalic Carnage has been tapped to support Mayhem’s upcoming North American tour, fittingly dubbed Blackened Fest. Seems right, as Cephalic is pretty much the only band brutal enough…

At an undisclosed locale in Portland, Oregon, this Thursday and Friday, the Tickle Me Pink chaps will be filming a video for “Madeline,” the title track of its Wind-up Records debut. The clip is reportedly being shot by Speedway Films, a West Coast-based production company that has previously worked on…

This news will probably come as no surprise to those who were paying attention last summer when HEALTH sang the praises of Pictureplane in Pitchfork: Travis Egedy, who makes music under the Pictureplane moniker, has been picked up by Lovepump United. The New York-based imprint, which has also issued platters by…

If you’re anywhere near a radio or computer tonight in the next hour, be sure to tune into KGNU (88.5 FM or 1390 AM). Park Pourbaix — the name Ellison Park and Tim Pourbaix have given to the compositions they’ve written together — is scheduled to be live in the…