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By Stephanie Roman
It seemed fitting that both Attention System and Entertainment shared this evening’s stage with The Prids from Portland; Atlanta’s underground post-punk scene should be proud. These two local bands stand out as part of an exclusive and extremely talented pool of Atlanta musicians that also includes the hauntingly beautiful trio Feeding Fingers.
Attention System have been playing together less than one year, but have already perfected a dynamic live show, gained plenty of radio airplay, and were featured in a nationally televised commercial. Advising anyone to quit their day job in these times may not be sound advice, but these gentlemen should be ready to do just that. The five members have united from the ashes of formerly renown local bands including Creve Coeur, Slow Motion Crash and Siberia My Sweet. The band’s prior experience playing together is apparent and has allowed them to jump ahead of the curve and into their tight sound and confident stage presence.
Great Lake Swimmers
Lost Channels
Nettwerk
By Alexandra Edwards
Scattered amongst the St. Lawrence River, there exists an archipelago known as the 1000 Islands. The islands (numbering 1,793, to be precise) straddle the border between Canada and the U.S. They're dotted with castles and picturesque houses; some sit on chunks of land rising only far enough out of the water to accommodate the structure itself. Images from the area are oddly poetic: foliage and mist obscuring stone chateaus topped by colorful roofs. There is a sense of haunting, of living among mysteries.
Canada's Great Lake Swimmers not only used the imagery of the 1000 Islands as inspiration for their fifth album, Lost Channels — the band's liner notes direct listeners to www.1000islandsphotoart.com — but also recorded parts of the album in those stone castles. The result is an affecting collection of songs, straddling the line between Canadian and American folk sounds.
Continue reading "CD Review: Great Lake Swimmers -- Lost Channels" »
The Starter Kits
Backsliding Baby
Ghostmeat Records
By Al Kaufman
The Starter Kits is essentially Mikey Dwyer. Dwyer has played bass and drums with various bands over the last 10 years. But while recovering from back surgery, he found he had a lot of time on his hands and was able to pump out a nice batch rock songs, which he then recorded in his Athens, Ga. home.
Continue reading "CD Review: The Starter Kits -- Backsliding Baby" »
I'm beginning to like this whole Spring cleaning chore. Now let's move on towards the soul. Maybe someone should inquire what the rate at Cactus is for a bumper to bumper soul cleansing.
I wrote this piece last summer at seemingly the height of annoyance of local promoters (selves included). The "Topless" party went away after a month or two, Sloppy Seconds is all yawns now, and even the prickly Preston Craig has mellowed a bit in the light of his own glow stick.
But recently, a running joke with some of my friends (yes, I have them) is starting to get old. Party promoter Caleb Guage's mass text assaults are at an all-time annoyance. Tuesday through Saturday he's lighting up everyone's Sprint bill like a Christmas tree.
And it's not necessarily the non-stop texting I mind, I'm all for anyone throwing great events in Atlanta, It's everything else about it. Not only do I not want to go to the W in midtown for $12 cocktails I can't afford with people who act like they can, but I don't want to be constantly reminded about it with text that read like a 14 year old girl on crack, "YO:Smoke & MIrr0rss// 2-nite// {W MIDTOWN}////+DJ P00p Sc00p on the tablez+DreSS -2- MOLESTE!!!<>"
I just wanted to get that out. Spring cleaning, is all. And yes, I do get the joke that i'm probably one of the all-time worst at shameless self promoting. But that's just it, a joke.
All that Twitter's isn't gold.
A PARTY WITH A CLOUDY VIEW
Style over substance, form before function - these are the guidelines. Atlanta's professional partiers have taken their act to another level, in the literal and figurative sense.
"Topless," the F*n Socialites new Thursday night weekly atop the downtown Glenn hotel is the spot to be for our cities hipster neon nation. Whether you want to actually look down on the people you think you're better than or party closer to the stars where some think they belong, the roof top venue is a fitting one.
Continue reading "MAYOR OF PONCE: All That Twitter's Isn't Gold" »
Venice Is Sinking
AZAR
One Percent
Press
By Chris Homer
Athens’ Venice Is Sinking gets back to business on their second album AZAR. The record showcases the ambient, orchestral pop sound that Venice Is Sinking has built their reputation on.
AZAR features an addictive combination of shoe-gazer rock and delicate orchestral arrangements. Hypnotic, distorted guitar riffs float between haunting viola and horn melodies throughout its 11 tracks. At times, Venice Is Sinking’s uniquely timed songs create a pleasing atmosphere of psychedelic experimentation - as heard on the instrumental cuts “AZAR One,” “AZAR Two,” “AZAR Three” and “AZAR Four.” Likewise, the grunge-guitar base of “Sun Belt” that is infused with clashing viola and horn parts shows the band’s remarkable ability to experiment with two very different styles and still have a cohesive sound.
The Hot Rods
The Hot Rods
GlassMaster Records
By Al Kaufman
The Hot Rods is what they is. Basically, they're a bunch of Atlanta rednecks in black Harley shirts and tattoos who listened to the Ramones a lot. They like their women hot, their beer cold, and their cars fast.
Unlike 2007's Super Sport, which gave equal time to women, cars, and alcohol (the CD was partially funded by Pabst Blue Ribbon), The Hot Rods focuses mostly on the girls. Three of the songs from Super Sport appear on this one, "Sucker," "Sorority Girl" and "Slant Six."
"Sucker" opens the disc. In front of their driving, psychobilly beat, the mohawked Mug shouts out, "Come on baby grab that pole / Shake that ass and rock and roll," and the tone has been set. This is, after all, a band that thinks a "Sorority Girl" is "the greatest thing in this world."
This is fun, loud, rock and roll, all while using the minimal amount of chord progression. They pay homage to the Playboy Magazine founder and father of the pool party on "I Wanna Be Hugh," and it's refreshing to hear a song that treats New Orleans as the mysterious party town it had worked so hard to achieve, instead of a town ravished by a hurricane, as they do with "Voodoo Queen."
So go ahead and put a case of Schlitz in the fridge, pop in a roller derby DVD, put the Hot Rods in your CD player, and call the guys over. You'll be doing Jackass antics in no time.
The Hot Rods hold their CD release party as they bring their Traveling Rock Show and Burlesque Review (with the Pretty Things Peep Show) to Smith's Olde Bar, Saturday, April 11th. 8 pm. Get your tickets here.
Maria Taylor
LadyLuck
Nettwerk
By Alexandra Edwards
There's something about LadyLuck, Maria Taylor's third solo album, that makes you think she's trying to go more mainstream. Maybe it's the cover art: scrubbed up and featuring a close shot of Taylor's face, the title written in a girly cursive and adorned with flowers. It looks like it'd be right at home on the rack at Starbucks. Compared to Taylor as beautiful hippie recording artist on the cover of Lynn Teeter Flower, or 11:11's cover, which didn't even feature her likeness, the difference is noticeable. Ten years ago, this could have been Jewel's new album cover.
On first listen, the songs don't seem to have changed any, so maybe we should just blame the art director.
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