The Wake

Radiohead - In Rainbows

You’ve heard all the rumors. Radiohead, a British rock group, recently released their seventh full length album on the Internet… for free. Now I know what you’re thinking, “Where can I, a law abiding college student, obtain a free copy of this trendy new intangible record?” My answer is “Sssssssssssshhhh, if you’re very quiet you can hear it seeping under your roommate’s door, knock before you enter because he’s probably doing his best Thom Yorke impression over the subtle finger plucking melody of ‘Weird Fishes/Arpeggi’ with his hand over his heart. He’s been at it all night and to catch him in the act would be more embarrassing than to catch him masturbating.” …

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The new Harlots album shines like a polished pearl atop a mountain of shit. In a genre glutted with mediocre Converge and Pig Destroyer impressions, breakdown-overloaded astructural deathcore, and boring Neur-Isis look-alikes, Harlots have managed to put out a record that is inspired, interesting, and unique.Though Betrayer does clearly draw from the schools of thought listed above, it is not subservient to them. When the album gets brutal (which happens early and often,) some riffs may be reminiscent of something you might hear coming from Scott Hull or Kurt Ballou’s guitar, but only if you separate them entirely from their context. Even though some riffs on this album may seem derivative when looked at note by note, the way they’re played, the way the guitar tone sounds, and the way that they fit with the …

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My primary concern with Usher’s new line of cologne, Usher, is that it’s self-titled. With a campaign slogan boasting its “undeniable masculinity with an underlying softness,” I feel like he should have attempted at a name. The smell is on point though. It’s familiar, but it’s got a unique smell after it’s settled in. I wouldn’t quite say fruity, but they weren’t kidding about the underlying softness, and I enjoy that. Unfortunately, I’d prefer not to tell people I was wearing “Usher.” Celebrity colognes should always offer that alternative route. If you’re embarrassed to be wearing certain celebrity cologne, but enjoy the scent, there should be a second option. I’d have conjured a name more in tune with its tough yet gentle essence. Something provocative like, “To the Break of Dawn, for men.” I give …

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Sometimes, packaging doesn’t lie and the fact that Grayshot’s latest EP, Waiting Days, comes in a startlingly white case embossed with Ikea-approved designs is not insignificant. You see, this Minneapolis duo makes the aural equivalent of their cover: bland, inoffensive, evocative of something good, yet ultimately unsatisfying.The problem is that Grayshot don’t really have an identity. Waiting Days sounds like the kind of “sweeping,” “operatic” pop music that has found a mainstream foothold in the wake of bands like Coldplay, Snow Patrol, and Keane, (two of which are referenced in the band’s bio) slickly produced and ready to be dropped into the closing scene of Gray’s Anatomy. None of the instrumentation, production, or vocal choices showcase originality or spirit beyond popping in a copy of A Rush of Blood to the Head and furiously taking …

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Marlah is what happens when suburban kids lose their girlfriends and pick up guitars to fill the void in their broken and empty hearts. Marlah is a band living in a suburban Twin Cities vacuum, and These Curses is a very accurate depiction of suburban naiveté. Curses spans the same range thematically as singer Ben Holum’s vocals. By the 12th minute the album becomes un-listenable because by this time Holum has already exhausted his three-note repertoire. The same occurs thematically, where hearts, irreverence, and a vague call for revolution dominate. The least intriguing aspect of These Curses is Marlah’s insistence to be the paradigm of teenage angst. Curses is the result of a band deciding beforehand to pigeonhole themselves in the melodrama of emo. In fact, the trend …

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The Minneapolis music scene doesn’t garner international attention (or national for that matter) on too many occasions. Prince, the Rhymesayers crew and some notable artists flying under the radar are basically the extent of the Cities’ musical notoriety. Now, however, we have Motion City Soundtrack – the powerpop quintet repping our hometown to the fullest.On September 18, the group released Even If It Kills Me, their 13-track third studio album. I am glad to say that we should be proud to have them call Minneapolis home. EIIKM is upbeat, synth-heavy and self-deprecating; everything a good pop punk album should be. Frontman Justin Pierre’s voice is perfect for the style and his lyrics are more clever and unique than 90 percent of the pop music out there today.The album starts off …

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Something has been keeping me awake for days. Insomnia? Methamphetamines? No. It is The Go! Team’s new album, Proof of Youth. Like their past album, the newest release is chocked full of what I like to call “Go!-ness” Imagine a high school marching band combined with rapping, cheering, and breakneck electronica, and you have something close to The Go! Team’s style. Proof of Youth is like pure energy. Play it on a lazy afternoon, and by the second song you’ll be off the couch and running a marathon. I was in the middle of the album as I jogged around Dinkytown the other day, and I ended up saving a puppy, kicking a field goal, and hitting a homerun, all while mentally writing this review.As hard as …

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The best part of October 2nd’s Deerhoof concert at the Walker Art Center (held in the McGuire Theater) was the audience’s first reaction to Deerhoof’s opening song: laughter. Singer Satomi Matsuzaki came out bowing, bass in hand, while John Dieterich laid down screeching guitar brickwork for the band’s opening song. Drummer Greg Saunier propelled the song into one of its many stop and go sections, while Matsuzaki led into a chorus of “Beep Beep Beeps.” That was the punch line, and it was hilarious. Throughout the show Deerhoof turned their audience on its ear with guitar dissonance and drum syncopation. Instead of making the music less coherent, they were able to play through all of their set as if it was an hour long medley. Deerhoof was one of the …

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Canadian indie-rock outfit Arcade Fire has only been around since ‘03, but their live show has become the stuff of legends. Their September 30th show with LCD Soundsystem at St. Paul’s Roy Wilkins Auditorium showed the Twin Cities what all the fuss is about. Dance-rock group LCD Soundsystem opened with a solid, energizing set. Their catchy sound, characterized by pulsing beats and repetitive lyrics, pulled the crowd in and got everyone moving. Songs like “Yeah” and “North American Scum” pumped up the volume and the excitement, and the disco ball added to the dance-club atmosphere. Frontman James Murphy revealed his self-aware sense of humor with dry onstage banter, half-mocking and half-embracing rock show clichés like taking a moment to introduce the band members or encouraging louder cheering from the audience. A few members of Arcade …

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I firmly believe that MTV officially killed God when they green-lit their new “reality” TV program A Shot at Love with Tila Tequila. For those unaware, allow me to synopsize this train wreck: 16 straight men and 16 lesbian women are all trying to find true love with bisexual model and fourth-tier celebrity, Tila Tequila. I wish that this show was one of a kind, but unfortunately it is just one of many of the terrible love-laden reality programs flooding the airwaves this fall. For example, I Love New York will be returning on VH1 this fall and embarrassing an entire race of people for another season. The trend of reality TV seems to be sticking around, as do formulaic dramas and poorly-conceived sitcoms. There are flickers of hope, however. Because …

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Minneapolis is known for contributing a diverse selection of bands to popular music. Among the many folk and rock artists that constitute the area’s music scene exists a band defying the conventions of yet another genre. Progressive jazz trio The Bad Plus have instated themselves as one of the most forward thinking groups in experimental music. The Bad Plus push the boundaries of musical form by taking uninhibited jazz improvisation and wrapping it around traditional structure. What is created is music that is at one point as catchy as any pop song, but at another is pushing the boundaries of the avant-garde. What starts as a structured collaboration may, without warning, plunge into an uncontrolled spiral of chaotic improvisation, continuing past the point of any recognizable form, then, impossibly, returning to …

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Attending a summer music festivals is a tradition held by groups of families and friends nation wide. What is it about these events that prompts 100’s of thousands to empty their wallets and drive hours in the hot sun with little to no leg room? Is it to see an assembly of your favorite bands over the span of a couple short days? Is it the plethora of drugs and musical conversation shared? Maybe it’s just the trip in its entirety; the inevitable closeness with your fellow travelers annually achieved. In any case, they’re popular summer highlights and this summer will be no exception.With Coachella, and the epic Rage Against the Machine reunion already gone past, we must turn our heads, and face full on an impending summer of musical bliss for the greater Midwest. …

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Sky Blue Sky

The kings of America’s alternative music scene are back. Often heralded as the state’s only answer to Radiohead, these six fellas from Chicago had grown increasingly loud and experimental on their last two studio albums. Both albums, Yankee Hotel Foxtrot and A Ghost Is Born, were met with the loudest of critical acclaim and fan adoration. Then with the 2005’s live release, Kicking Television, Wilco proved themselves an onstage juggernaut, popping eardrums and blowing indie minds nationwide. On Sky Blue Sky, the band is taking a step back; re-embracing their alt-country roots and often electing to turn down their amps, even if only a notch or two. The album numbers 12 in pristinely crafted, jammed-out, traditional stLiterary meet …

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Two CD releases and two Minneapolis shows that had the campus talking this spring were Nebraska-bred Bright Eyes, and England’s own Arctic Monkeys. Both shows left their attendees satisfied and energized, while both disks led to much appreciating and contemplating. Given the themes of these two albums, a spring release was perfect for college students and high school seniors around the globe. Each represent universally confronted questions which arise every spring. High School seniors must ask themselves, off to college or work at home? Current University students are forced to make a similar decision; will it be one last summer with the parents or the first out on their own? As U students walked across Washington bridge, spring breezes adding color to their faces, songs from these new CDs sparked their thoughts. As high school …

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On May 7th, the Arctic Monkeys sailed into First Avenue on a wave of hype and high expectations. They didn’t disappoint. The venue was swelling with British pride and swagger. The Monkey’s crew of roadies were some of the most overtly British creatures seen outside of a Guy Ritchie movie. They bantered amongst themselves, none too shy of vulgarities, or to the same obscure slang heard in Arctic Monkeys’ songs, recognizable only to born-and-raised Brits. The majority claimed large beer bellies from endless eves spent at the pub. The one skinny roadie earned the title of strangest with his long, blonde ponytail and his cut-off denim plum smugglers. In the crowd, soccer jerseys were common and the chants heard at Premiership games across the pond echoed off the walls. On top of this, an entire …

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