Rock

Concert Review: NEC Winds Play Mingus, Schuller, Babbitt (and More)

March 12, 2014
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The five compositions and one de facto suite played at the NEC Winds and Winds Ensemble performance spoke with six different voices and carried six different messages.

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Rock Album Reviews: Two Recent Examples of High Grade Black Metal

March 12, 2014
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The two best black metal LPs of the past few months come from the Netherlands’ An Autumn for Crippled Children and Poland’s Behemoth.

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Music Interview: Billy McCarthy of Augustines — Doing Strong Work

March 4, 2014
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“It seems now that quality spreads through reputation — the live show is where we really see bands pull away from the pack. It takes quality now to survive. Strong work.”

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Concert Review: Stephen Malkmus & the Jicks at the Paradise

February 26, 2014
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As a songwriter, Stephen Malkmus specializes in hooks that never quite resolve, melodies that jump in all directions, and lyrics that drop a few enticing references and then move on.

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Concert Review: “Mission of Burma” — Boston’s Fab Four?

February 11, 2014
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The celebrated post-punk band Mission of Burma played a benefit show for Somerville Local First at Regent Theatre: their instrumental interplay is more intuitive than ever.

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Album Review: Two Ace Post-Rockers Return in a Big Way

February 10, 2014
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Exciting new LPs from two leading practitioners of post-rock — Thee Silver Mt. Zion Memorial Orchestra and Have a Nice Life.

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Rock Review: Arctic Monkeys Live at Agganis Arena — Living in the Now

February 9, 2014
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Not surprisingly, nearly half of the band’s 20-song set Thursday night was made up of “AM” songs. Despite the quality of the quartet’s first four albums, nobody seemed to mind.

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Music Review: “Angel Guts : Red Classroom” — Indispensably Edgy Art Pop

February 3, 2014
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I cannot express my love for “Angel Guts : Red Classroom” strongly enough. At the very least, it’s necessary listening for anyone with an interest in “no wave” and avant-garde music.

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Rock Album Review: Bruce Springsteen’s “High Hopes”

January 14, 2014
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Bruce Springsteen’s “High Hopes” is a collection of covers, reinventions, and new recordings of odds and ends that have been kicking around for the past decade-plus.

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Concert Review: Leon Russell and Hot Tuna — Aging Gracefully on the Margins

January 11, 2014
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This week’s show found both acts — Leon Russell and Hot Tuna — kicking—with huskier voices and slower tempos, to be sure.

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