Popular Music

Music Review: Bon Iver is “Not Magnificent,” but Transcendental

July 9, 2011
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Sitting down this evening to review “Bon Iver,” something happened. My strongly negative initial impressions of the album changed into an appreciation of the mystical spirit of the music, its harmonious chords and their reflection of the harmony of nature.

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Music Review: My Morning Jacket’s Victory Dance — The Glory of Hodgepodge

July 6, 2011
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“The Day Is Coming” continues the album’s momentum. Similar to “Victory Dance,” the song starts with a chorus of odd vocals. However, these are catchier, and are soon followed by the arrival of spastic guitar, pounding drums, and chord-tastic pianos.

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Theater Review: Houston, We Have a Problem with “2010: Our Hideous Future: The Musical!”

July 3, 2011
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Enthusiasm simply wasn’t enough to salvage the production — the musical comedy 2010 contains too many pitfalls to overcome.

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Coming Attractions in Underground Music: July 2011

June 27, 2011
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July brings lots of psychedelic rock music. Be sure to check out the Gang Gang Dance show if you can.

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Coming Attractions in Underground Music: June 2011

June 2, 2011
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The biggest event this June is the Wilco-curated Solid Sound Festival at the MASS MoCA in North Adams. A couple of these bands will also be playing shows in Boston around the same time as the festival.

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Music Review: Rhymin’ Simon Faces Mortality

May 28, 2011
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Given these challenging cosmic themes and a nonlinear style, it’s unsurprising that most of Paul Simon’s So Beautiful or So What lacks vivacity. Still, the album maintains Simon’s reputation as one of the best songwriters in the business. By Michela Smith Paul Simon adores tinkering with words. In the past, lyrics like “when the radical…

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Coming Attractions in Underground Music: May 2011

April 27, 2011
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Odd Future is the biggest show this month for sure. Get in if you can. Otherwise, the Lightning Bolt and Big Freedia shows should be a blast. By David Cooper.

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Pop Music Review: The Puzzling Mademoiselle Adele: A Look at “21″

April 7, 2011
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The emotion Adele summons in “Someone Like You,” amplified further by her Brit Awards performance, should reassure faithful and discerning listeners that her reign as 2009 Best New Artist, floating regally above dispassionate Top 40 artists, isn’t over.

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Music Review: DeVotchKa — Indie Rock Gone Eclectic

March 18, 2011
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Listeners expect global diversity from DeVotchKa and in its latest album the group delivers on its exhilarating efforts to make indie rock with plenty of exotic flair.

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Coming Attractions in Popular Music: March 2011

March 2, 2011
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It could be easy to say the outlook is grim, what with all that’s going on in the world. However, even though the Ides of March are quickly approaching, that would be overlooking all the good things happening this month. For example, it was in March, almost 100 years ago, that the first American successfully…

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