Tim Kasher’s been the creative mastermind behind Cursive for almost 15 years and six full-length albums. During that time, the band’s sound’s evolved from a bristling hard rock that owed a significant debt to Fugazi into something much more rich in dynamics and instrumentation. During that same period, Kasher also released five solo LPs, frequently […]
Chris Parker
Bio: After a fond stint in the Triangle, Chris Parker lives in Cleveland, Ohio, where he writes about music and politics for a variety of newspapers and magazines. He has written about music for INDY Week since 2002.
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Starfucker’s “German Love”
Listen up! or stream it below. If you cannot see the music player below, download the free Flash Player. A great pop song doesn’t require a lota nice melody, a memorable line or two, and perhaps an interesting texture. Starfucker’s “German Love” owes a debt to The Flaming Lips, a band that’s exemplary at creating […]
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Pico Vs. Island Trees’ Futura EP
A band’s albums are a lot like dates: The more experienced you are, the more likely you are to pass if you’re disappointed after the first go around. The more patient among us might object that few arrive ready out of the box to entertain and enjoy. Sometimes its those slow-moving first 30 pages that […]
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North Elementary’s Not For Everyone, Just for You
Listen up! If you cannot see the music player below, download the free Flash Player. From The Comas to The Kingsbury Manx, the Triangle’s produced some great blissed-out pop. North Elementary now belongs in the same Advanced Placement class: Like frontman John Harrison’s old band, The Comas, North Elementary traffics in spacey noise-pop shimmer that […]
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Against Me!’s “White People for Peace”
Listen up! or stream it below. If you cannot see the music player below, download the free Flash Player. “White People for Peace” opens with a bristling beat and an anthemic guitar lick, setting the stage for the song’s quixotic appeal. We’re presented with a situation that could be every war, with each side queued […]
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John Prine’s “In Spite of Ourselves”
Listen up! If you cannot see the music player below, download the free Flash Player. When I listen to this song, I think of John Darnielle’s “Alpha Couple,” would things have gone a little bit better. Like the subjects of several Mountain Goats songs and the album Tallahassee, the couple here possesses a scruffy, mismatched […]
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Death to the Details’ Death to the Details
The compelling blend of steely angularity and colorful melody of Triangle trio Death to the Details suggests one of architect Frank Gehry’s gleaming, cornerless creations: Despite the varied angles and assorted odd constituent shapes, everything seems to flow together seamlessly. The jagged imprint of D.C. post-punks like Jawbox pops up frequently, though the malevolent strut […]
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The Music Tapes’ “Majesty”
Listen up! or stream it below. If you cannot see the music player below, download the free Flash Player. Sometimes, talking to Julian Koster, you get the impression that in another era he’d lead a Boo Radley-like existence, perhaps leaving his house but once a week to feed some birds at a neighboring park. He’d […]
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Mi Ami weathers Touch & Go’s (mis)fortune
You don’t need Doppler radar to know which way the wind’s blowing, but a thermometer can really put things in perspective. In the ongoing immolation of half of the music biznow there’s only music, no bizlast week brought news that Chicago independent label Touch & Go, one of the underground’s pillars for 30 years, was […]
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Staind’s Aaron Lewis
We caught up with Staind frontman Aaron Lewis in Vienna, where his band was playing a show to support its 2008 album, The Illusion of Progress. Interesting title for a town like Vienna… Upon his return to the United States, Lewis embarks on a solo jaunt, which will bring him to Durham Performing Arts Center […]