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By Troy Farah Mon., Mar. 19 2012 at 7:00 AM in Phoenix New Times Released last year, Coming of Age is an appropriate title for Knesset’s first album, as the band is only now starting to step up locally. Pronounced KA-NESS-ET and named after the legislative branch of the Israeli government, these locals have played in the background of Phoenix since 2007. VICE posted some of my photos on their blog. Check ‘em out. You can also always see things I cameraize on Flickr. I pay for pro, so make it worth it.
An American Dream-killing diva and lucid dream pop By Troy Farah Lana Del Rey Born To Die Rating: 5/5 Let’s talk pop. What’s more American than taking a pretty girl, placing her in front of a microphone and making her sing in between commercials for tampons and beers from Milwaukee? And with all due respect to Whitney Houston, what’s more American than getting said female addicted to narcotics until they destroy themselves, then overplaying how misunderstood and sad their lives were? Lana Del Rey’s different—she’s still a part of the recent rash of neo-blue-eyed soul singers like Adele or the late Amy Winehouse, but she doesn’t have an issue with self-esteem or a sorority-girl drinking problem. What Rey represents is the death of the American Dream, as odd and perhaps clichéd as that may sound.
Dark soundscapes and an atmospheric soundtrack to Camelot ByTroy Farah Chairlift Something Rating: 4/5 Raise your hand if you like happy little pop songs that are secretly about violent killing sprees. “Jenny Was a Friend of Mine” by the Killers or the Boomtown Rats’ “I Don’t Like Mondays” are great examples, and by now everyone knows that one Foster the People song is really about a school shooting. Did you know some people have actually tried to turn “Pumped Up Kicks” into a dubstep song? It sounds terrible, like they had a radio hit they didn’t know what to do with. But “Sidewalk Safari,” off Chairlift’s second LP, Something, would be a great dance floor hit, sounding like the “Sonic: The Hedgehog” theme meets Neon Indian. The infectious little song is clearly about crushing pedestrians with a car, but this isn’t the only surprise off the album. Read More
Multilayered songwriter Citizen Cope declares his independence and thrives By Troy FarahPublished on 01/26/2012 in Flag Live
“You have the first moment you have a good show, the first time you make a good song in the studio and the first time people start liking it. That’s the good thing about it. Good things come along and they add to each other.” So says Clarence Greenwood, better known by his stage name Citizen Cope, whose bluesy assortment of go-go and hip-hop beats, barefoot acoustic jams and chilled-out rock has been featured in everything from “Scrubs” to “Sons of Anarchy” to the stoner comedy “Accepted.” Yet, Greenwood isn’t exactly a superstar—life for the soft spoken guitarist and producer is independent in more ways than one. He lives on the fringe, touring nearly half the year while keeping an underground status. That isn’t to say his music isn’t recognizable—“Let The Drummer Kick” was recently certified RIAA gold and Greenwood himself was highly pleased with the usage of “Hurricane Waters” in the Hurricane Katrina documentary “Trouble the Water” and “107 Degrees” in “The Lincoln Lawyer.”
In Rotation -Sailing the seas of cliché and pandering By Troy Farah The Internet Purple Naked Ladies 1/5
It seems like every three months, some branch of Odd Future Wolf Gang Kill Them All (OFWGKTA) releases a new album. It’s getting harder to keep up, but luckily, the Internet’s Purple Naked Ladies can be skimmed over. Like other Odd Future releases, production is kept to a minimum, but it doesn’t have the charm. The opener, “Violet Nude Women,” sounds like what happens when my cat plays with my Roland digital piano, and “They Say” is so sleep-inducing it feels like drinking a gallon of Nyquil. By Troy Farah Wed., Feb. 22 2012 at 9:00 AM Ambition goes a long way — just askSareena Dominguez, who signed with River Jones Music Label a scant six months ago, is releasing her debut in the spring, and is currently booking her first tour — and she’s only 19. Raised in Gilbert, Dominguez came from a rather large family in a suburb, to her, the perfect place to focus solely on her creativity because as she puts it, “I almost had to make up my own. There wasn’t too much creativity going on where I was.” Her deep admiration for old classics like Etta James, Janis Joplin, and modern soul singers like Amy Winehouseand Adele, is driven by how they “take command of an entire room.” With her soft-spoken, laid back demeanor, Dominguez is kind of the opposite, lacking the deep contralto vocals, but still able to grab your attention with her coffeehouse jams a lá label-mate Courtney Marie Andrews or Ingrid Michaelson. Like a harp, Dominguez plucks gently at her acoustic guitar, her voice a less sugar-coated version of Lenka, with a lot more suave and rockstar personality.
Arizona’s Authority Zero have become international icons while staying true to their roots
With hit singles like “One More Minute,” “Revolution,” and the Wall of Voodoo cover “Mexican Radio,” Authority Zero are arguably the most popular band to come out of Mesa—and they’re especially familiar with any kid who got into skateboarding or punk around the turn of the century. Noted for their mix of reggae, ska-punk and their Spanish and Portuguese inspirations, the four-piece admit a deep admiration for Sublime, Pennywise and Bad Religion, making them a distinct and flavorful semi-local act.
A conversation with the eclectic Tempe nine-piece Dry River Yacht Club By Troy Farah Recently reunited in August, Dry River Yacht Club’s nine members embody the indie creed that “more is more” and band mates are there for more than just back-up vocals. Keeping in spirit with Gogol Bordello or DeVotchKa, the band plays their unique blend of gypsy tunes, a self-described mix of “acoustic symphony indie-rock on a dancin’ pirate’s rusty yacht”—and the nonet dress the part. Now the Tempe-based band are taking their gig more places than ever. Flag Livesat down to speak to Henri Bernard (percussionist,) Kristilyn Woods (bassoon) and Megyn Neff (violinist) about their new EP and the musical atmosphere in Arizona.
In Rotation The very best of the 2011’s musical offerings By Troy Farah
Well, now that he’s almost gone, I can talk all I want about 2011 behind his back. What a long year. I can’t really say it was good or bad, but just somewhere in between. Pretty neutral. The Arab Spring led to some pretty neutral results. Occupy Wall Street, also pretty neutral. The Iraq Invasion is wrapping up, but the War on Terror gets more and more frightening over here. So, pretty neutral. Although, in the long run we should choose to champion what was exceptional, and few things were as exceptional this year as these album releases. That’s right, it’s Flag Live’s Best Music of 2011. |
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in Phoenix New Times
