Conor Oberst and the Mystic Valley Band at work and at play while making the new record! CONOR OBERST, self-titled (Merge) Official Site | MySpace | Samples (Amazon) Assembling a group of musician friends known unofficially as The Mystic Valley Band (Nate Walcott, Jason Boesel, Macey Taylor, Nik Freitas, and Taylor Hollingsworth), Conor Oberst spends […]
Taylor Hollingsworth + More, Releases 7/29
Taylor Hollingsworth live @ Bottletree in Birmingham, AL. “Assasinate the President” TAYLOR HOLLINGSWORTH, Bad Little Kitty (Mass) Official Site | MySpace | MP3* [audio:http://www.undertheradarmag.com/Track%2010_TaylorHollingsworth_Assassinate%20the%20President.mp3] Every song reminds me of someone different yet the album retains an amazing level of consistency. Listen for comparisons to Spoon, The Ramones, Guided by Voices, The Beatles, Rolling Stones, Jesus […]
Buddy Guy + More, Releases 7/22
Buddy Guy performs “Skin Deep” the title track of his new LP. BUDDY GUY, Skin Deep (Silvertone) Official Site | MySpace | Samples (Amazon) Living blues legend Buddy Guy cuts a record with a little help from some other big hitters including Eric Clapton, Robert Randolph, Susan Tedeschi and Derek Trucks. A warm welcome in […]
Hold Steady + More, Releases 7/15
The Hold Steady performs “Sequestered in Memphis” on Letterman. HOLD STEADY, Stay Positive (Vagrant) Official Site | MySpace | Samples (Amazon) A highly anticipated follow up to 2006’s ‘Boys and Girls in America’. Craig Finn and crew continue to deliver madly brilliant songs and lyrics building on the style the E Street Band made so […]
The Real Return of Matthew Sweet
About 18 months ago I wrote an optimistic piece about the potential return of 1990’s power pop master Matthew Sweet. weet had recently posted a a medley of new songs being considered for the album, all rich with the boisterous guitars and pop melodies that made 1991’s Girlfriend so magnificent. Fast-forward, or slow-forward as the […]
Albert Hammond Jr. + More, Releases 7/8
Albert Hammond, “101” from previous release ‘Yours to Keep’. ALBERT HAMMOND JR., Como Te Llama (RCA/RED) Official Site | MySpace | Samples (Amazon) Better known as the rhythm guitarist of The Strokes, Albert Hammond, Jr. didn’t get nearly enough notice for his stellar 2006 release ‘Yours to Keep’ featuring a slammin’ single called ‘101’. Both […]
Handicapping the Songs of Summer
Now that summer has arrived we can begin handicapping the song that will dominate the airwaves this summer. What It Will Be: “Mercy” by Duffy You’ll be immediately captivated by the warmth and beauty of Duffy’s voice but the beat-heavy R&B swing, a bit reminiscent of Aretha Franklin’s “Freeway of Love,†is the secret weapon […]
Los Lonely Boys + More, Releases 7/1
Los Lonely Boys performing “My Way” (acoustic) on VH1. LOS LONELY BOYS, Forgiven (Epic) Official Site | MySpace | Samples (Amazon) San Angelo’s own giants of Texican rock n’ roll, the Los Lonely Boys, release their third album consistent with the big sound that has helped make them famous. The Steve Jordan (John Mayer) produced […]
Reckless Kelly – Bulletproof
In the late-nineties and early in this current millennium, the Texas-Country scene exploded, not only in the Lone Star State, but throughout the South. The vast scope of the music attracted many listeners, as the movement represented an alternative to the product that was being churned out in Nashville. The giants from that not-so by-gone […]
Reckless Kelly + More, Releases 6/24
Reckless Kelly performing Alejandro Escovedo’s “Castanets”. RECKLESS KELLY, Bulletproof (Yep Roc) Official Site | MySpace | Samples (Amazon) Believe me, passing over Alejandro Escovedo to feature Reckless Kelly this week was not easy. But that’s just how much I dig this Texas band. They took some time to get ‘Bulletproof’ out but early signs show […]