Dreamy indie-pop comes through on Smallspace’s disc, in the vein of The Flaming Lips, Grandaddy, and most of all “Kid A”-era Radiohead. However, it is during “Right Here” that Smallspace really begins to distance themselves from such an obvious tag; this is due to the electronic sound that burrows its way through the track. This version of electronic is not that type which is present in a number of…
Using a banjo to peddle eir wares, Josh Small makes for a very American and alternative look on what is traditionally folk music. Not subscribing to the elitist feel of a number of Devendra Banhart-related CDs, Josh Small has the feeling on eir first track “Pushing Boulders” of one of the dime-a-dozen acoustic guitarists. What is different for me is eir heavy use of profanity in eir tracks; instead…
Bullhead is a film that possesses an utterly untouchable plot, one in which cattle owner Jacky (Mattias Schoenaerts) ties eirself into the mafia through down and dirty dealings. There is substantial plot progression to be had during Bullhead, as viewers will learn about Jacky’s past and present, while the ramifications for eir future rapidly turn into a noose. Each of the characters that are present in Bullhead have their…
Starting out “The Pieces We Keep” with some of the most tight playing I’ve heard on a disc recently, we are assaulted by sizzling guitar licks. Covering the same type of topics that numerous bands have covered for years, A Small Victory still yet tears down the paradigm of the post-punk or “emo” band to resurrect it on their own terms. Mark’s vocals roll out on the disc like…
The concept behind America, You Sexy Bitch is a pretty interesting experiment and comes at just the right time with the country more polarized politically than at any time in recent decades. The concept: liberal comedian Michael Ian Black and conservative(ish) Meghan McCain, daughter of long-term senator and one-time presidential candidate John McCain, tour the country in a beat up RV and… those ellipses pretty much show where the concept…
Breaking Bad, Mad Men and The Walking Dead may have collected the most coverage over the past few years for AMC, but the upstart Hell on Wheels proves just as worthy of praise. The series is set in 1865 in a tent city sprung up around construction of the first transcontinental Railroad. The first season focuses on the quiet, tough former Confederate soldier who takes a job with the crew…
The Mississippi septet Rosco Bandana are the product of teenage rebellion and its consequences; of lost love, false starts and, above all, lasting friendship. They’re what happens when a group of kids take a chance on a long shot and – against all odds – it pays off. There’s also a Blur cover thrown in for good measure. The group began – spiritually, if not specifically – when principle songwriter…
Houston’s own king of genre-bending noise, Michael LaCour AKA Blackie is fresh off a 15 city international tour of France and the Netherlands, three blistering shows at Toronto’s legendary NXNE and one massive performance in Montreal (where he was welcomed with open arms after his two raucous shows at Pop Montreal 2011). The New York Times rightfully picked him as one of five Texas artists to watch for at SXSW…
We were afraid that we were not going to be able to report on the Avicii show, as a ticket snafu threatened to shut out one of our reviewers. However, the staff at the CONSOL Energy Center bent over backwards to ensure that our needs were taken care of. We were able to get in and experience Avicii’s expansive live set from an absolutely stellar position. The design of the…
Brooks’ Mach 14 are some of the lightest shoes that we have reviewed. They are able to become an extension of one’s foot to allow for a better grip and a faster transition into a full-out run. While one will be shocked at the overall weight of the shoe, I feel that purchasers will be able to cut time off of their personal records. The print on the shoe…
