A gigantic UFO descending to the stage that puts P-Funk’s Mothership to shame. Huge inflatable aliens and Santa Clauses. Dancing bears and rabbits. Gyrating strippers. Balloons galore. Silly String shooting out of cannons. Giant foam fists. Roadies dressed as superheroes. Nearly as much confetti as Times Square on New Year’s…
There’s something rather, uh, funky about neo-Eastern European music. Not funky in a Clyde Stubberfield-backing-up-James Brown kind of way, but then again, when you combine a Slavic blend of accordion, tuba, darabouka, and clarinet with the trombone, it’s hard not to smell the funk in the air no matter what…
Kings of Leon are commanding quite a racket these days. Hailed by some as the saviors of Southern rock, these four — three of them the sons of a Pentecostal preacher — managed to turn their third album, Because of the Times, into an ironic little mixture of hellfire and…
The least-known and perhaps most talented son of Bob Marley is finally stepping into the limelight. Though usually working behind the scenes on his family members’ projects, Stephen Marley’s long-awaited solo effort, Mind Control, lives up to its musical lineage with 11 tracks of pure roots-rock reggae. He produced the…
Ozomatli’s latest effort, Don’t Mess With the Dragon, is a fusion of Spanish rock, hip-hop, reggaeton, and funk, the perfect crossover release. The nine-man Ozomatli has put together a dozen tunes for its fourth full-length CD, most of them happy dance tracks. The opening song, “Can’t Stop,” is polished and…
The music industry is generally not too kind to butch black women. They’ve got two strikes against them from the start, and that third pitch headed toward home plate is a nasty curveball lathered in spit and Vaseline. Although plenty of artists may shy away from the challenge, Tampa hip-hop…
One look at the cover of April’s Alternative Press magazine and it’s clear that this group’s name isn’t exactly ironic. Cute Is What We Aim For’s collective hairstyle can be described only as carefully coifed, controlled shagginess. The photo shows two of the four strong-chinned Buffalo, New Yorkers, puckering up,…
Sometimes, if you look hard enough, you can find beauty in the cruelty of life. These days, Boca Raton-based DJ and director of Miami’s Scratch Academy Jamie Keogh, AKA DJ Immortal, is learning that lesson on a daily basis. It’s been only a few months since he got a phone…
It’s no secret that within Broward County’s reggae clubs, dancehall rules the scene. Tunes by Mr. Vegas and Bounty Killer can be heard on a nightly basis, and there’s no shortage of topnotch selectors spinning the newest 45s straight from Jamaica. But what about the roots crowd? Older heads are…
Throughout its 20-year career, Pittsburgh political punk outfit Anti-Flag has had to defend and/or explain its name far too many times. You would think the old Samuel Johnson bon mot, “Patriotism is the last refuge of the scoundrel,” would sum it up, but instead, the group lets its music speak…
It’s getting harder and harder to figure out what the kids are listening to these days. Case in point: Ratatat. Does the Brooklyn duo of Mike Stroud (guitars) and Evan Mast (synthesizers) make nouveau electronica? Or instrumental hip-hop? Or low-fi IDM? Or alt-hop trance? Whatever you call the stuff, it’s…
I have to admit it. I really dislike Starbucks. OK, that’s not a revelation I’m likely to catch fuzz over, but it does pose certain problems for me: I live west of I-95, and I like coffee. So I was pretty bummed when Java D’Lites — an independent coffee and…
The cover art for the Village Voice’s 2006 year-end music critics’ poll — that thing called Pazz & Jop — shows the two top artists in fairly unflattering positions. Bob Dylan, in caricature — hook-nosed and hunched on a motor scooter — sneers over his shoulder at TV on the…
Some of us who have followed Nas’ career since he got signed in ’94 are a little worried about the Queensbridge MC. It’s good that he’s finally stopped beefing publicly with Jay-Z, after their longstanding feud over women and who should be crowned the king of New York grew old…
Following the critical acclaim garnered by 2005’s simultaneous release of I’m Wide Awake, It’s Morning and Digital Ash in a Digital Urn, Bright Eyes seems eager to confirm its status as indie overachievers. With anticipation building for a follow-up, the band’s mainstays — boy-genius Conner Oberst joined by Mike Mogis…
Victor Jara was one of Chile’s top folk composers, educators, and political activists until the time of his murder in 1973 during a military coup. On a newly released CD, Chilean vocalist Francesca Ancarola has found an amorous way of paying tribute to the fallen songwriter by revisiting his work…
Detroit rappers/producers are entering an age of acclaim. Now that late Motown rapper/producer extraordinaire J Dilla is getting posthumous props all over the globe, the rap world seems hungry for anything with an authentic Detroit sound. It’s a fine time for former in-house Slum Village producer Black Milk to release…
Riviera Beach could learn a thing or two about hospitality. The city recently hosted BET’s Spring Bling ’07 — its own version of MTV’s televised spring break debauchery, only with a lot more color — and seemed terrified of the urban crowd that showed up. The three-day event featured hip-pop…
In the early ’80s, legendary rock critic Jon Marlowe, writing for the Miami News, traveled to New York City to catch a concert by Meat Loaf, singer of the Jim Steinman-written 1977 album Bat Out of Hell, which would eventually sell 34 million copies and remain on the charts for…
Heartfelt passionate lyrics about love, loss, and the next emotional crisis dominate Boys Night Out’s lyrical landscape. The group’s verbal acrobatics are highlighted by intricate musical patterns and saccharine vocal melodies, replete with spot-on harmonization. The Canadian group has evolved from the standard so-called post-hardcore fare through more pop-driven moments…
Futurepop pioneers VNV Nation bring their 1984 imagery and positive-mindedness to Studio A on Thursday for an all-ages show. The band, made up of Londoners Ronan Harris and Mark Jackson, have taken their time in becoming electronic music’s next big thing; they’ve been together since 1990. But let’s back up…
