Mar 01, 2010 10:52AM

The Besnard Lakes - The Besnard Lakes Are the Roaring Night

Artist: The Besnard Lakes Review: At its website, Montreal's Breakglass Studios — run by Besnard Lakes bandleader Jace Lasek — trumpets its custom 1969 Neve mixing board, used by Led Zeppelin on Physical Graffiti. The same piece of equipment was used on "Albatross," a standout on the Lakes' immersive second LP, a magnificently oceanic meld of Beach Boys harmonies, My Bloody Valentine tidal waves and Phil Spector girl-group siren songs shot through with soaring guitar. It's a producer's wet dream, like most of the... Rating: 3.5 Stars

Mar 01, 2010 10:48AM

Black Rebel Motorcycle Club - Beat The Devil's Tattoo

Artist: Black Rebel Motorcycle Club Review: Five studio albums in, California psych-garage trio Black Rebel Motorcycle Club are still religious zealots — worshippers in rock's Gothic cathedral. The song titles tell the tale: "Bad Blood," "War Machine," "River Styx." In "Aya," singer-guitarist Peter Hayes moans, "She's a reckless lover/With blood-stained hands/Around the neck of her helpless man." There was a time, circa 2001, when Black Rebel Motorcycle Club were supposed to inherit the Earth, or at least the mantle of Rock's Great... Rating: 3 Stars

Mar 01, 2010 10:47AM

Serj Tankian - Elect The Dead

Artist: Serj Tankian Review: System of a Down frontman Serj Tankian's 2007 solo debut, Elect the Dead, was a harmless brain-dump, but the idea of recording it live with an orchestra is another story. The Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra gamely chase Tankian into a maze of art-song, but where SoD might turn lyrics like "prophets all destroying the Tao" into an apocalyptic blitz, surging symphonics expose it as the doofy pomp it is. And asking classical musicians to play a song called "Beethoven's Cunt"? That's just mean. Rating: 1.5 Stars

Mar 01, 2010 10:38AM

Jimi Hendrix - Valleys Of Neptune

Artist: Jimi Hendrix Review: Some grousing from fans greets most posthumous Jimi Hendrix studio releases. And fair enough: Hendrix can't offer his opinion anymore, and between past dubious product (i.e., the heavily overdubbed Crash Landing) and ongoing estate squabbles, there's been plenty of sketchy business over the years. But on Valleys of Neptune — a collection of more-or-less previously unreleased tracks recorded with the Jimi Hendrix Experience in 1969, assembled by the archivists at Legacy and the Hendrix... Rating: 3.5 Stars

Feb 16, 2010 09:38AM

Broken Bells - Broken Bells

Artist: Broken Bells Review: Part Kanye West, part Brian Eno, producer-musician Brian Burton — a.k.a. Danger Mouse — has defined himself with his excellent taste in brilliant misfits. His biggest smash was Gnarls Barkley, with whom he turned oddball former Dirty South rapper Cee-Lo into a falsetto swinging soulman on the sublime "Crazy," triggering moving karaoke performances worldwide. He's helped blues-rock freaks the Black Keys find their groove; helped midcareer weirdo Beck locate his mojo on 2008's Modern... Rating: 4 Stars

Jesse Ship on Dec 31, 1969 04:59PM

SXSW 2010: You Say Party! We Say Die!

Filed under: Concerts and Tours

Like so many young adults in small towns, the members of You Say Party! We Say Die! had little else to do with their time other than ride around in their bike gang and rock out in their parents basement when the weather was uncooperative. Well, thank god for rainy days because without them, the New Wave-inspired band may have never formed. YSP!WSD! is currently enjoying great success as they have recently performed at the Vancouver 2010 Olympics and are signed to three labels, Paper Bag Records (North America), Fierce Panda Records (UK), and the venerable [PIAS] Recordings (rest of Europe).

How would you describe your sound?

I hate being labeled and pinned down. We are always evolving and changing, but you could say that we are definitely inspired by '80s New Wave but we have our own sound too.

What are your musical influences?

They're all over the map. Anything from Paula Abdul to Depeche Mode. It's all over the place. There's a lot of music we all connect on like New Order, OMD, Section 25, a lot of rare/obscure stuff. Our friends are always introducing us to more music and we're constantly collecting cassette tapes and vinyl.

Matthew Wilkening on Dec 31, 1969 04:59PM

SXSW 2010: Freddie Gibbs

Filed under: Concerts and Tours

A New Yorker magazine reporter recently declared Freddie Gibbs "the one rapper I would put money on right now." He was also named as one of XXL's "Freshman 10 for 2010," and had both of his 2009 mixtapes praised by the likes of Pitchfork, YRB magazine and the LA Weekly. Hailing from a crime plagued section of Gary, Ind., Freddie is a survivor of, as he puts it, "many misfortunes and mishaps." Since his arrival in Los Angeles in 2005 Freddie has been hard at work with an impressive range of producers on a myriad of albums and mixtapes. His 2010 plans include another tape, an EP, a full length album and a performance at SXSW. We spoke to the emcee from his home in sunny California about his hometown, music, and the difference between albums and mixtapes.

Describe your sound in your own words.

"Definitely gangster rap. It's got that classic gangster rap sound to it. You can definitely hear the influences of the nineties in my music. It's that sound, on a high level, and its also music that's actually saying something."

What are your musical influences?

"I grew up listening to Scarface. I'm coming down into Texas, hopefully he's down there at South by Southwest, I'd love to get the opportunity to meet him. The music he constructed helped shape my life. He's definitely my most vivid rap influence. Also, definitely the old school music; Stevie Wonder is one of my favorites, Marvin Gaye, everything from the Isley Brothers, you know, things of that nature. That and classic gangster rap -- the whole Rap-A-Lot era, Tupac, of course. The real hard hitters, the Ice Cubes of the world, not these fly by night motherf---ers."

Chris Opfer on Dec 31, 1969 04:59PM

SXSW 2010: Everest

Filed under: Concerts and Tours

For a band whose members bounced around the Los Angeles indie circuit for years, Everest has led something of a charmed life since forming in 2007. The five-piece Americana rock group, led by frontman Russell Pollard (Sebadoh, Folk Implosion, Alaska!) and guitarist/keyboardist Jason Soda (The Watson Twins, Slydell), recorded their debut effort, 'Ghost Notes,' in just a few weeks. They were quickly scooped up by Neil Young's Vapor Records, which released the album in May 2008. From there the band was off on a whirlwind of tours, opening for alt-country heavyweights My Morning Jacket, Wilco and the legendary folk rocker himself, Young. 'On Approach,' Everest's second album, hits stores on April 20. The band travels to Austin for a spot in Vapor Records' SXSW showcase at Maggie Mae's. Spinner recently caught up with Pollard to discuss his band's rising star.

How would you describe your sound?

Weird. Unique to ourselves.

You guys recorded both 'Ghost Notes' and 'On Approach' using analog tape. Were you trying to capture a certain sound?

Yeah. That was the best way to sound natural, especially when we were a new band. We thought, "Let's just get together and play live and record it." It's an ever-evolving process of trying to fulfill ourselves and, by doing that, fulfill people who listen to our music.

Donna Rodgers on Dec 31, 1969 04:59PM

SXSW 2010: Brave Combo

Filed under: Concerts and Tours, Exclusive

Brave Combo, who started their march to musical adventurousness more than 30 years ago, appear yet again at SXSW, for what can only be described as the umpteenth year. "The festival's always been good to us," says frontman Carl Finch. "It's amazing how good things always seem to happen for us there." Brave Combo's sound is "eclectic, a mixture of polka, Cajun, roots, folk and life," he says. The North Texas musical troupe has taken that approch to some lofty places, such as appearing on the 200th episode of 'The Simpsons' as well as in David Byrne's film 'True Stories.' Wise, as well as fun to listen to, Finch talks to Spinner about, among other topics, the band's polka versions of classic rock hits, how not being judgmental is the key to happiness, and Brave Combo's influence on none other than Bob Dylan!

How did you start the group?

As an art student, studying drawing and painting at the University of North Texas in the late 1970s, I'd grown up playing rock music. I've always loved music of all kinds, though, and I started thinking about why people prefer what was then mainstream rock. In 1979, I started Brave Combo to explore some genre-bending ideas. I thought, what about polka? I'm not German, Polish, Slovenian; I'm from Texas. Polka is enjoyed all over the world, and I wanted to explore the full range of this music!

We've had other members through the years, because we've been around quite awhile now. I'm on the guitar, keyboards and accordion. Anne Marie Harrop is our bass guitar player. Arjuna Contreras is on drums. Jeffrey Barnes plays horns and Danny O'Brien plays the trumpet. People who know a little about us have heard our version of Jimi Hendrix's 'Purple Haze' and our version of the Stones' 'Satisfaction' to a different beat.

Paula Whitworth on Dec 31, 1969 04:59PM

SXSW 2010: L. Stadt

Filed under: Concerts and Tours

In 2009, L. Stadt's single 'London' was nominated for Best Rock Hit of the Year by ESKA Music Awards. Since their debut album in 2008, this Polish band has performed at over 200 clubs and open-air concerts. They are currently working on their second album, due out this summer, and gearing up for their US debut at SXSW. Spinner recently spoke with frontman Lukasz Lach and bassist Adam Lewartowski about their upcoming trip.

How would you describe your sound?

It's a tough topic, because everyone that listens to our music, they have a different opinion of our sound and our emotions. On one gig we had a few years ago, somebody called this music "noisy, electronic pop rock "or something like that. We are not very much into describing our character. We are thinking we are playing songs. These songs are sometimes psychedelic, sometimes electronic, sometimes poppy and catch,y but we think the most important thing is our emotional attitude.

How did you choose your band name?

"Stadt" means city. L City. We don't really know what's behind this name. You can put on the L word whatever you want. It could be Live or it could be Love. It is also the name of our city during WWII. It is the German version of our city, Lodz.