Music

Earlier this year, 50 Cent made millions from an investment in Glaceau Vitamin Water—so much loot, in fact, that he’s bragged about how he “doesn’t even have to rap.” That’s clearly the case on Curtis: 50 is no longer hungry, and it shows. This summer alone, he released five singles…

Somewhere on No Age’s “Loosen This Job,” in the thatch of Randy Randall’s guitar noise and the spiny drum clicks of Dean Spunt, one can just make out Randall’s yelp of “Why are there so many records in my life?” Or so it seems. In a recent interview, Randall revealed…

Lunchroom chat amongst grade-school kids is an anthropological goldmine. The insight into what kids find of utmost, urgent importance could provide a glimpse of the forming future of America. Imagine this conversation in the lunchroom of W.E Greiner Middle School in Oak Cliff (paraphrased, of course). Student One: “Yeah, I…

By the time Low finished their Saturday night encore set at the 2006 Wall of Sound Festival, I never wanted to see another ironic T-shirt or pair of Chuck Taylors again in my life. But almost as much as I needed respite in a hipster-free zone, I was ready for…

Although readers of No Depression would say otherwise, the genre commonly referred to as alt-country never attained the popular status many predicted. Bands like Uncle Tupelo, the Jayhawks and local faves such as Slobberbone created quite a stir more than a decade ago, but sales were marginal, and crossover to…

Singer Sam Prekop’s breathy vocals have anchored the Sea & Cake’s indie rock/jazz fusion over the course of the group’s 14-year career. He and guitar player Archer Prewitt craft a breezy version of adult contemporary on their latest disc, Everybody. Prekop’s Miles Davis cool is on full display as he…

High on Fire plays no-frills, denim-and-leather metal with fundamentalist zeal, an anachronism among extreme music’s endless taxonomy of death, technical death, black, progressive black, doom, avant-doom, grind and/or metalcore. Guitarist Matt Pike’s droning power-chord riffs, ornamented by slash-and-burn solos, are left over from his former band, the stoner/doom legends Sleep…

Louisville, Kentucky’s resident disco-punks VHS or Beta are back with a new guitarist Mike McGill (former member Zeke Buck now plays in noise-gazers People Noise) and a sparkling new album, Bring on the Comets. If the group’s Daft Punk-meets-Duran Duran 2004 breakthrough Night on Fire jolted the post-punk underground out…

Consistency is considered a virtue—but for Richard Thompson, it’s been a drawback too. He was first championed during the late ’60s for his contributions to Fairport Convention, among the most interesting English folk-rock groups of the era, and he saw his star rise again in the ’80s thanks to Shoot…

Kanye is the most exciting man in rap because he puts out quality, popular albums. Forget the artless 50 Cent and Akon—Kanye tries harder, and Graduation, which has 13 bangers and zero skits, reflects the man’s tireless work ethic. Having united backpackers and clubbers with his first two albums, this…

Sometimes the simplest music is the most affecting. So it goes with PJ Harvey’s new studio album, White Chalk, which often feels like a sequel to Björk’s Vespertine. Absent are the scorched-earth guitars and feral vocals for which the songwriter is known. Instead, Chalk finds solace and strength in desolation…

Though he bears an uncanny resemblance to fictional Tanqueray gin spokesman Tony Sinclair, Bloc Party frontman Kele Okereke seems about as far from his socialite doppelgänger as you can get. Sure, both men are British, which brings along its own aristocratic expectations, but Okereke and his bandmates are more at…

On Tuesday, September 4, less than a day after local musician Carter Albrecht was killed by a gunshot wound, another young local musician died. Darin Matthew Archer died of a self-inflicted wound. Archer was raised in DeSoto, lived in Dallas and was the drummer for local band the Sheena Militia…

Every day in My Morning Jacket is like a day at the beach. (Mark C. Austin) If you know anyone who skipped out early at ACL, we know what they missed. Sunday’s sets included Bloc Party (in direct sunlight), My Morning Jacket (pretending to be at a beach) and our…