Sponge Bath Golden Light Label: Tone Log Jr. During the last year, the phenomenon of Autonomous Sensory Meridian Response, or ASMR, has grown from a curiosity of fringe artists and binaural beat shut-ins to an online subculture. Described by the ASMR Research and Support website as “a physical sensation characterized by a pleasurable tingling,” ASMR […]
David Ford Smith
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Live: Sylvan Esso Unveils New Songs in Texas
Unannounced shows at SXSW are the quintessential marketing tactic. They exist to give festival showcases an air of speculative mystery, but they must play their hand far enough in advance for #brand influencers to show up, lest civilians take all the available spots. These secret shows can end up being uninteresting (Neon Indian DJ set, […]
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Live: A Bland Bryson Tiller Sleepwalks at The Ritz
Bryson Tiller The Ritz, Raleigh Tuesday, Feb. 16, 2016 In a post-Drake world—where hip, emotionally vulnerable music has returned to the Top 40—we’ve seen the zeitgeist turn toward an archetype: the masculine, sensitive R&B star. I can’t imagine anyone following pop music somehow avoiding this trend; it sometimes seems to be the moment’s de facto […]
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Live: Still Ratatat after all these years
Ratatat, Jackson and His Computerband The Ritz, Raleigh Tuesday, Jan. 19, 2016 Let’s go back a little bit: In 2004, a relatively unknown Brooklyn band called Ratatat released a self-titled debut on XL Recordings. Within a few years, Ratatat became one of the largest success stories in indie music. Their pared-down instrumental rock fused guitar […]
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Building a synth, entering a scene: Moogfest debuts in Durham with “Dial-Tones”
Moogfest’s Dial-Tones The Shed, Durham Saturday, Nov. 5, 2015 About 20 people crammed into the Durham jazz space The Shed Saturday night for the workshop portion of Moogfest’s inaugural “Dial-Tones.” We sat at tables strewn with circuit boards, amps and various tools, ready to build our own Moog Werkstatt-01 Synthesizers. As I looked around, less […]
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Record review: Lack’s Atemporal/Perhorresces
Philip Maier’s LACK is a logical extension of the time he has spent pushing boundaries in other acts. Whether cutting up post-punk and digital pop tropes in VVAQRT or rerouting electronics to the stars in Sagan Youth, Maier loves to tinker with form. His outlet for warped, alternately gorgeous and garish techno-based compositions, LACK picks […]
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Record review: TZYVYX’s Execration Texts Vol. 1
With a title like Execration Texts Vol. 1, you’d be forgiven for taking the debut LP of TZYVYX as the offering of a death metal band or a Pacific Northwest drone project. But this musicthe solo production efforts of Heads on Sticks leader and Birds of Avalon bassist David Muellerlives far away from such bleak, […]
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Live: DIIV, No Joy and guitars at the Cradle
DIIV, No Joy Cat’s Cradle, Carrboro Thursday, Nov. 5, 2015 DIIV’s leader, the opinionated Zachary Cole Smith, seems to be known for everything except his music. In recent profiles with Pitchfork and The Fader, we’ve heard some about his upcoming record, Is The Is Are. But we’ve also heard a lot about the fallout from […]
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Sylvan Esso’s Nick Sanborn shares new Made of Oak track, “Pinebender”
I’m guessing you know Durham electropop duo Sylvan Esso, who garnered national attention last year with a slew of excellent singles and a big debut LP. Earworm tunes like “Hey Mami” and “Coffee” eventually propelled them to sold-out shows, a Coachella booking and a performance on Jimmy Fallon. So what’s next? As the band figures […]
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Live: Purity Ring bring populist future pop to The Ritz
Purity Ring, HANA The Ritz, Raleigh Wednesday, Sept. 16, 2015 As attendees filed into The Ritz Wednesday night to see Edmonton’s Purity Ring, I wondered whether the band could pack a 2,000-capacity venue. Singer Megan James and bandmate Corin Roddick were initially in the experimental pop group Gobble Gobble (now renamed Born Gold). Roddick started […]
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