TA Live! Ticket Alternative Blog

CD Review: Charlotte Gainsbourg -- IRM

Charlotte Gainsbourg

IRM

Electra

By Al Kaufman

Finally, the often asked question, "What would Beck sound like as a French woman?" has been answered.

All right, so maybe the question was never asked, but with release of Charlotte Gainsbourg's IRM, it has been answered anyway.

Gainsbourg is the daughter of French singer-songwriter, actor and director Serge Gainsbourg (of whom Beck is a fan), and  British actress and singer Jane Birkin. She is an accomplished thespian who recently won the Best Actress award at the 2009 Cannes Film Festival for the film Antichrist, which also stars Willem Defoe. She made her musical debut at the age of 12, singing a duet with her father on the song "Lemon Incest" on her father's album, Love on the Beat. The song, about incest and pedophilia between a father a daughter, caused quite a sensation, even in free-loving France, which was the elder Gainsbourg's intention. 

Since that time, Charlotte Gainsbourg's hipness quotient has only increased. Her 2006 release, 5:55, was produced by Radiohead collaborator Nigel Godrich, and for IRM she chose the perennially cool Beck (of whom Godrich has also produced) to twist the knobs. Beck also wrote most of the tracks, plays many of the instruments, and even duets with Gainsbourg on the first single, the bouncy "Heaven Can Wait." 

So Gainsbourg is cool, but can she sing? Well, it's kind of hard to tell. Gainsbourg has a cool, breathy vocal that she never really tests. It co-mingles well with the bed of sounds Beck lays out on IRM, much in the way Beck's own voice fits into his songs. It's nice enough but, like Beck, she will never be thought of as a great singer.

Check Out: W Magazine's Interview with Mayer Hawthorne; Playing Rock and Roll Hotel in D.C. and The Loft in Atlanta

We're really digging the smooth, hip, soulful-yet-indie sounds of Mayer Hawthorne. And now he's going on tour, stopping in Washington, D.C. and Atlanta, Ga. on March 10 and 13, respectively. We've got a great interview from W Magazine for you to check out:

Despite being a self-proclaimed vinyl junkie and technology geek, musician Mayer Hawthorne is far from your average nerd. Signed to top hip-hop record label Stones Throw Records, with a critically acclaimed album and a sold out international tour under his belt, Hawthorne, 30, is well on his way to becoming a veritable soul sensation.

Read more HERE.

Tickets for both shows are on sale now at Ticket Alternative.

CD Review: Chris Duarte and Bluestone Co. -- 296; Playing Juanita's, February 2 and Smith's Olde Bar, February 18

Chris Duarte and Bluestone Co.

396

By Sam Parvin

Chris Duarte’s latest album, 396, is funky from the first guitar lick. This guy can really wail, both instrumentally and vocally, and his band, Bluestone Co., rocks so hard you’d think they were a bunch of bayou boys with blues in their blood. There are obvious jazz, rock 'n' roll, blues, and even zydeco influences in his music; the subjects of his songs combine classic blues ideas like drivin’ fast down a dirt road with Chris’s life experiences, with lyrics like “I’m going back Chattahoochee side.”

Cymbals Eat Guitars, Freelance Whales and Bear In Heaven to Play Rock and Roll Hotel in Washington, D.C. and The EARL in Atlanta, GA

The Cymbals Eat Guitars spring tour just got a little bit more exciting. The band is now being joined by Freelance Whales as well as Bear in Heaven, making for a terrific "Best in Indie Music 2010" lineup.

Cymbals Eat Guitars have been drumming up the attention lately, with a "Best New Brooklyn Band" accolade from Village Voice and a fab Daytrotter session.

Village Voice said, "Cymbals Eat Guitars, originally a Weezer cover band when they formed in their native Staten Island, have dramatically shifted their stride since relocating to Brooklyn. Their sonic soup still contains a bit of their idols' nebbish self-effacement, but it melds deftly into psych-pop and post-punk, abetted live by singer/guitarist Joseph D'Agostino's twitching, jarring solos and bloodletting dives into his alarmed bandmates' paths."

You can get tickets for both the shows at Ticket Alternative.

Leila's Three Picks of the Week - Fyfe Dangerfield, The Fiery Furnaces, Sondre Lerche

It's the first Three Picks of the Week ... of the year. Hurrah! And to celebrate, here's a delightful trio of videos to put you in a chipper mood, ready to take on 2010.

The Guillemots are already a name that brightens my mood, and now Fyfe Dangerfield (another amazing name) is embarking on a solo career. This beautiful bit of orchestral pop sweeps and swoons with a shining light just like the best of British pop music does. And from the sound of the other songs from the album, the whole thing is going to put an entire country in a better mood. Could this floppy-haired young man be the next Robbie Williams for the Brits?

With an odd mix of bebop jazz and hip psychedlic indie rock. The Fiery Furnaces melt away the icy moods of any listener. They're also playing Little Rock's Revolution Music Room January 26. Tickets are on sale at Ticket Alternative.

Sondre Lerche isn't only a Norwegain dreamboat, but he also lights up a room with his nuggets of indie pop sunshine. He'll be touring the U.S. in the next few months, stopping at The EARL in Atlanta on February 11 and Rock and Roll Hotel in D.C. on March 5. Tickets for both shows are on sale at Ticket Alternative.

CD Review: The Bravery -- Stir The Blood

The Bravery
Stir the Blood
Island

By Chris Homer

The Bravery’s third album, Stir The Blood, is packed with the sort of noisy synth-pop you’d expect from the New York band. Despite not departing dramatically from the sound showcased on their 2005 self-titled debut and 2007’s The Sun and the Moon, The Bravery still put together an entertaining LP that runs the range between electro-pop, dance, industrial and punk.

Leila's Three Picks of the Week - Little Tybee, Soundtrack of Our Lives, Bobby Birdman

Little Tybee recently played one of our monthly showcases, which we hosted with our sister site Atlanta Music Guide, called DRINKSHOP Live at the W Atlanta Downtown hotel. I'd hate to classify them as just indie folk, because they bring so much more to their music creating delightful vignettes that are just waiting to be eaten up by the masses of hipsters and middle school kids alike. Think of a mellow Dave Matthews Band being led by Badly Drawn Boy. Beautiful stuff. They're playing at The EARL January 14 with Adron, and tickets are available at Ticket Alternative.

Sweden's Soundtrack of Our Lives have always thrilled me both live and on disc with their somehow modern take on pure '60s sweet psychedelic garage rock. Hugely excited that they're coming back stateside, but massively disappointed that they're not playing my hometown of Atlanta. Still, they will be playing the Black Cat in Washington, D.C. on February 18 with Nico Vega. Tickets are on sale at Ticket Alternative.

Bobby Birdman fits wonderfully in that quirky world of keyboard and blips looped together by a smooth voice and adorable melodies. More mellow than Hot Chip and MGMT but just as charming, he's one of my favorite new finds.

CD Review: Serena Ryder -- Is It O.K.

Serena Ryder
Is It O.K.
Atlantic

By Al Kaufman

Ontario's Serena Ryder won the 2008 Juno (Canada's version of the Grammy) Award for Best New Artist for Is It O.K.. Granted, Canada is home to the likes of Bryan Adams, Anne Murray, Celine Dion and Corey Hart, but Neil Young, Daniel Lanois, Feist and Leonard Cohen call the Great White North home as well, so competition (which included Suzie McNeil, the last woman eliminated from the TV show Rock Star: INXS) may have been tough; or maybe not.

Leila's Three Picks of the Week

In video form again!

Bowerbirds - North Carolina's Bowerbirds may seem like pretty sleepy music but they put on a stellar show. They're coming to Washington D.C.'s Rock and Roll Hotel on December 2 and Atlanta's EARL allll the way into next year on February 12. Tickets are available at Ticket Alternative.

Bowerbirds - New Music - More Music Videos

Groove Armada - They're back with an incredible video "I Won't Kneel," with the stunning voice of Saint Savour. We can't wait for the new record to drop in February.

Robbie Williams - We're pretty Brit-centric around here, and are pretty excited to see that Robbie is finally making that big comeback, at least over in the UK. Let's see if we can make a bit of a wave for him over here too... 

Leila's Three Picks of the Week - Halloween Edition!

Here's what I'd be checking out this weekend for Halloween if I were you. We're gonna pop up some videos this time around so you get a chance to hear the band's I'm gushing about right off the bat.

Atlanta's own Constellations just got signed to Virgin Records and are surely headed on to much greatness with their hip, indie-funk sound. They'll be playing the bawdy event "The Most Legendary Halloween Party You Will Ever Attend" this Saturday in Atlanta so catch them then if you can - tickets are available here.

Modern Skirts

Modern Skirts | MySpace Video

The Modern Skirts have been making all kinds of good music up in Athens, from glorious indie pop to tribal drumming madness. They play Smith's Olde Bar - tickets are here.

Travelers of their own funky galaxy, Noot D' Noot play The EARL with rock 'n' rollers Gentleman Jesse and His Men. Get your tickets here.

CD Review: The King Khan and BBQ Show -- Invisible Girl; Playing Rock and Roll Hotel November 2

The King Khan and BBQ Show

Invisible Girl

In the Red Records

By Bryan Aiken

Once and current bandmates Arish Khan and Mark Sultan have made a rich and respected history of historically-accurate rock ‘n’ roll thuggery. Since their graduation from the '90s punk outfit The Spaceshits, the Canadian duo have reformed and refashioned into pompous frontman and “Supreme Genius” King Khan, and be-turbaned drummer-guitarist-vocalist BBQ, respectively. The names may have changed, but little else has budged; the Show’s third album, Invisible Girl, is the classic, unshaven garage-gospel you could have seen staggering up a mile away.

Emily Saliers (Indigo Girls), Sam Bush, Shawn Mullins, John Oates and More for The 30A Songwriters Festival in Santa Rosa Beach, FL on January 15-17

 
Suddenly the new year isn't so far off! We're already getting some great events for January, including The 30A Songwriters Festival in Walton County, Fla. on Martin Luther King, Jr. weekend. The festival brings together songwriters of all sorts and levels from across the country, some with worldwide fame and some just breaking through, giving music fans a great chance to catch some legends while discovering a new favorite. And the venue can't be beat - the gorgeous Emerald Coast, with its white beaches!

Tickets for the event are available now at Ticket Alternative.

CD Review: The Flaming Lips -- Embryonic

The Flaming Lips
Embryonic
Warner Brothers

By Al Kaufman

There are two sets of Flaming Lips fans. There are the ones who went out and bought extra CD players so that they could play all four CDs of Zaireeka simultaneously, as they were meant to be played. And then there are those who like the band's just accessible enough to make it on the radio hits, like "She Don't Use Jelly" and "Do You Realize."

Embryonic is is firmly entrenched in former group. There is nary a song on here that follows any type to verse/chorus rule. Instead, Wayne Coyne and company force the listener to pay attention to the structure (or lack thereof) of the songs.

CD Review: Matt Morris -- When Everything Breaks Open

Matt Morris
When Everything Breaks Open
Tennman Records

By Al Kaufman

You can only hang in circles for so long before you release your inevitable CD. Matt Morris wrote five songs for Christina Aguilera's Stripped album, and has also had his songs recorded by heavy hitters like Kelly Clarkston, Reba McEntire, and good buddy Justin Timberlake. He is the son of country and Broadway music star Gary Morris, and, like Britney Spears and Timberlake, was a Mouseketeer.

Leila's Three Picks of the Week

And we're back. Summer's been a hectic time over here at Ticker Alternative and with fall on the way there is soon to be a deluge of incredible shows upon us. There sure "Ain't No Rest For the Wicked" - oops, sorry, Cage The Elephant was an old pick! So on with the new...

The Coathangers - while I will quickly admit that the Atlanta garage rockers' sophomore album didn't blow me away (with the exception of the previously-released swoonfest "Dreamboat"), the all-girl group still thrills with their live shows, mixing '50s girl group melodies with punk attitudes. They're playing the Black Cat in Washington, D.C. on September 28. Tickets are available at Ticket Alternative.

Pixie Lott - following in the pop diva steps of many British-favored chicks (Little Boots, Kylie Minogue, Amy Winehouse), Pixie Lott has a voice with a heckuva lot of soul and songs with a ton of pop sensibilities. She has yet to descend on America, but with the success of girls like Duffy, she's sure to be introduced to us all soon. In the meantime, shake your booty to the video of "Boys and Girls" above.

Mayer Hawthorne - with an oddly old school soul sound (think the brass-led '70s grooves of Stevie Wonder), Mayer Hawthorne sounds vintage while keeping totally hip with no hint of irony whatsoever. His gloriously sun-shiny songs will warm any cold heart. He'll be taking his blue-eyed soul on the road and stopping off at Atlanta's Drunken Unicorn October 6. Tickets are available at Ticket Alternative.