M. Ward
While in the past critics have compared him to everyone from John Fahey to Tom Waits and his old friend Howe Gelb, with Hold Time it’s clear that M Ward, with his brilliant guitar playing and innate sense of melody, is one of those rare and special talents who defy comparisons and compartmentalization. Like a true American treasure M. Ward isn’t much like anyone else. And for that his ever-expanding audience is thankful.
Gomez
Gomez has stood apart from their very beginning just over a decade ago, earning critical praise and an ever-growing fanbase for their eclectic and ambitious musical tack. As ever, a wide range of styles is incorporated into Gomez's matchless musical brew. Flavors of Delta blues, psychedelia, and Krautrock all come into play, resulting in a musically mischievous and remarkably forward-thinking collection. In short, A New Tideis Gomez at their inimitable, incomparable best.
Cursive
Ever since Cursive burst onto the music scene with their 1997 debut album, the band has consistently and continually churned out heady albums heralded by critics and fans alike. Wrestling with life’s miseries and mysteries, Mama, I’m Swollen is an album brimming with the universal, questioning the human condition, social morality, and the “Peter Pan Syndrome” of grown men.
Crystal Antlers
Tentacles finds the Antlers exploding through the unclaimed space between ‘60s garage toughs like the Music Machine and the Misunderstood, red-eyed noiseniks like Guru Guru and Les Rallizes Denudes (whose ever-present turbine whine serves as the sound of the Crystal Antlers’ circulatory system) and the mechanized motor-soul of Osmium-era Parliament. It’s an album that functions as an organism—it breathes, it sleeps, it wakes up hungry and ready to chase something down.
Bear Hands
In August 2006, Dylan Rau (vocals/guitar) brought together Ted Feldman (guitar), Val Loper (bass) and TJ Orscher (drums) in a small NYC practice space. The original plan was to flesh out some demos Rau had been working on but each quickly saw and heard the potential for a band; a band that would be unique sounding yet widely accessible. Focusing on the rhythm and percussion, they strive to bring the driving beat to the foreground and to marry it with contemplative lyrics and inventive guitar lines. This musical creativity combines and combats ideas set forth by pioneers of the rock genre.
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