Violinist Regina Carter and her band drew the audience in with a sustained mood of intimacy, warmth, and unfailingly beautiful playing.
Popular Music
Album Review: The Black Keys Hold Their Hooks and “Turn Blue”
The Black Keys clearly wanted to write moody, trippy, mostly hookless tracks, and as far as moody, trippy, mostly hookless tracks go, the ones on Turn Blue aren’t so bad.
Coming Attractions in Popular Music: March 2011
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 […]
Coming Attractions in Popular Music: February 2011
After January’s brief hibernation, the pop music coming attractions column is back for the month of February to deliver what you crave: music, sweet music. (Cue dancing in the street.) Wait . . . what’s that you say? The streets are covered in snow? No problem: there are plenty of places to dance indoors while […]
Fuse Critical Commentary: The non-criticism of @Discographies
@Discographies is closer to marketing jingles or consumer guide advice than it is to reviewing—the exercise is fun but limited because it deals with the least valuable part of criticism: the opinion, the verdict. By Bill Marx. Further tongue-in-cheek (?) proof that the traditional conception of arts criticism—that there’s a difference between critical judgment and […]
Coming Attractions: Popular Music in August 2010
Ambient indie-pop and summery surf sounds take over Boston in the second half of August. By Thomas Samph August 13, Deerhunter at Royale At a Deerhunter show, the sight of frontman Bradford Cox’s skeleton-like figure striding on to the stage through a thick mist (sometimes wearing a dress) is as ethereal and spooky as his […]
Coming Attractions: Popular Music in June 2010
By Thomas Samph This month’s music selection is all about trying something new. One of my selected artists recorded her entire album in a church. One guy kissed another guy on stage at an awards show that was on live TV. And another group brings together nine solo acts under one dirty name that has […]
Coming Attractions: Popular Music in April 2010
By Thomas Samph Vampire movies, dirty whigs, Wilco beer, peace bombs, Russian retrograde, tappin’ khakis, and sweaty Soviet soirees are just a few reasons why April is a great month for music listeners in Boston. The month starts off with a performance by the illegitimate love child of two musical genres, heavy metal and opera […]