September 8, 2006

Strays Don’t Sleep Strays Don’t Sleep [3/5] Nashville’s Strays Don’t Sleep happened by accident when solo dudes Matthew Ryan and Neilson Hubbard decided a little collaboration would be nice. They ended up not only with a full band and a heavyhearted take on Americana music, but also with a complete multimedia experience. The duo’s eponymous...

Scanners Violence Is Golden [3/5] Back in the ’80s, there was a movie called Scanners about a group of people who could read folks’ minds, enter them and then mentally attack those people’s brains until their heads exploded. Though this British death-disco troupe only sound like they’re from that time period, they’re capable of triggering...

Portastatic Who Loves The Sun [2/5] First off, a disclaimer: This isn’t the new Portastatic disc. Okay, technically it is, but for those of you expecting more of the smart, bubbly indie rock Mac McCaughan gave us with last year’s Bright Ideas, you’re in for a disappointing surprise. If Who Loves The Sun sounds a...

CARTEL have navigated their way past army recruiters, catalog listings alongside teen idols and a dis from the very magazine you are now holding. What could possibly hold them back? INTERVIEW: Scott Heisel Just because your band can sell out a tour doesn’t mean you can leave your room in shambles. This is the...

Pony Up! Make Love To The Judges With Your Eyes [4/5] Pony Up!, who were enthusiastically punctuating their moniker long before anyone began to panic! at the disco, are one of those bands no one really knows, even though everyone probably should. The all-female Canadian foursome have been crafting cute, eclectic, keyboard-driven songs for years,...

The Handsome Family Last Days Of Wonder [3/5] Being the protagonist in the Handsome Family’s latest album isn’t exactly the most uplifting thing in the world: First, you forget your wallet on the bus; then elevator doors close on you; and finally, “the only voice that answers is the whir of the ceiling fan”-and, keep...

THE BRONX are but one event in the overarching lattice of coincidence that metaphysically guides the spiral of life. They also rock harder than a well-placed kick to the crotch. Story: J. Bennett L.A. SYNCHRONICITY "A lot o’ people don’t realize what’s really going on. They view life as a bunch o’ unconnected incidents...

Dirty On Purpose Hallelujah Sirens [4/5] Onstage, Dirty On Purpose are known for making their five-person lineup (four guys and one girl, many sharing vocals) sound like an army of 500, dropping repeated A-bombs of distortion, reverb and other gooey, shoegazer-y goodness. Some of the songs on the artful Brooklyn indie-rock outfit’s debut full-length, such...

CSS Cansei De Ser Sexy [4/5] Getting their start on the music-posting website TramaVirtual, it’s no wonder São Paulo’s punchy, to-the-point CSS are charged with waves of electronic pop-rock. The sextet’s passion for design, fashion, art and cinema fuels the dance-o-tron sensations and a well-deserved poke at the pop-culture princess on “Meeting Paris.” Bouncing between...