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On stage, Fishbone performs like an aged fighter backed into a corner and down on points. At the High Noon Saloon in Madison on Friday night, the band reinforced their reputation as uncompromising musical pioneers and thick-headed stalwarts even as bar-band doom stares them in the face.
After years of self-imposed exile from music-making, Jeff Mangum and his underground-rock group Neutral Milk Hotel have seen cult-like audiences grow in their absence — one that sees the group as indie-rock messiahs. Their concert in Madison on Saturday night was a second coming that proved miracles really do happen.
Let’s face facts. When most people think of the Twin Cities, images of blizzard-like conditions and bitter, breathless cold crystallize in their minds as fast as a Minnesota quick-freeze.
Rock legend Elton John gave a Vegas-honed performance Thursday night in Madison that paraded some of the greatest pop-rock songs of the ’70s, ’80s and ’90s in front of America’s Dairyland. And this without any assists from Cirque du Soleil.
Like the hobbled hero from some Hollywood movie, a clearly ailing Levon Helm rallied his strength during Tuesday night’s performance to give those who gathered at a downtown Milwaukee casino an enthralling lesson in American roots music.
Long stuck in the shadow of the metal titans Queens of the Stone Age, the Eagles of Death Metal have so primed their swaggering, rock ‘n’ roll engine that no one will mistake them for a hot-rod side project again. Their recent concert in Madison, Wis., demonstrates their groove-oriented tunes can shake hips as well as preconceptions.
Besides indie-rock hipsters, there was something else that filled Chicago’s Metro on Monday night for TV on the Radio’s sold-out concert: Doubt.
In the world of roots rock, British outfit Gomez continue to be anonymous pioneers in combining odd musical bedfellows like psychedelia and modern studio effects with old- timey music. Soundbytes reviews whether their latest will raise their profile. Continue reading
Tanking album sales, record label splits and a dustup with Jay-Z have left the career of hip-hop duo Mobb Deep in something of a tailspin of late. But by joining forces with 50 Cent’s G-Unit crew on their new comeback record, has the New York pair forsaken what makes them distinct to be just one of the gangstas? Continue reading
A BBC documentary about ’60s country-rock icon Gram Parsons has finally made it to DVD, wallowing on the high points of a seminal cult artist while taking on some of the legends surrounding his story. Continue reading
The brother-sister combo of the Fiery Furnaces set indie-rock hipsters’ sensibilities alight in 2004 with their sprawling, unorthodox record, “Blueberry Boat.” The duo’s new album is almost as long, but full of more concise invitations to their weird sonic world. Continue reading
Perceived primarily as Queens of the Stone Age frontman Josh Homme’s side project/dalliance with being the second banana, the Eagles of Death Metal proved an excellent, fun-loving boogie-rock act on their 2003 debut. Their new album is even better. Continue reading
The Flaming Lips are in the catbird seat. They’ve won a Grammy, toured with Beck and have literally crowd-surfed while inside a giant plastic bubble at rock festivals around the world. But can their new album keep the band’s winning streak alive? Continue reading
While some of their better-known Gotham rivals are showing signs of creative burnout so early in their supposed stardom, neo-New Wave trio Yeah Yeah Yeahs have returned with a follow-up to their first major label album that might be stronger than their debut. Continue reading
With St. Patrick’s Day only hours away, David opines about Irish music’s misunderstood and overlooked heroes. Continue reading
Americana music chanteuse Neko Case uses her new record to once again play up a core facet of her music: her glorious voice. Continue reading
One of only two bands from Seattle’s grunge era that’s still flying its flannel flag, Mudhoney has another new album in stores. Despite the passage of time, the overlooked band still loves irony-filled sludge rock. Continue reading