Twin Cities local music samples, news, articles, links, and more(!!!):
- First up, the City Pages announced their 2009 “Picked to Click” winners yesterday. A two-piece band from Minneapolis – big surprise – called the Red Pens won out with nearly double the amount of votes of the second and third bands (Zoo Animal and Moonstone - not to be confused with THIS chick -, respectively). They’re kind of Dinosaur Jr.-esque, at least the guitar playing is. It’s a couple named Laura and Howard who are madly in love with both the music they’re creating together and one another; how unbelievably awesome for them! I can’t imagine the feeling. That’s something special. You can hear it in the songs, too. They’ve got a chemistry unlike any platonic working relationship. Head over to that City Pages link to read more about the band and their relationship (it’s also written 12 times better than it would be here). The Top 2 bands both borrow from “Shoegaze”: Red Pens in a more fuzz/grunge way, Zoo Animals in a more minimalistic way. Possibly a new sound emerging from the Twin Cities? Keep your ears peeled. RED PENS:
- If there’s a local Rock & Roll band I like to pimp out more than the Fuck Knights, I’d like to hear ‘em. On their MySpace, they’re linking visitors to a compilation of live performances from here, Detroit, Chicago, and more. Here’s a track:
The album is 12 tracks long, several of which ask the audience for a ride to the next city (the songs are fairly low quality, but that don’t make ‘em any less fun to listen to). The trio’s being hosted by the Ceder Ave. South dive bar Palmer’s for a month long, every Saturday residency. FuKn (as the cool kids write it) start around 10 each show. Worth checking them out at least once. Then, in November, the band’s playing a big show at the Triple Rock (on Saturday the 14th) with Minnepolitan legends Kill The Vultures who’s newest album can be found HERE.
- Brother Ali’s newest album is getting pretty good reviews, both locally and nationally. His new website – click his name – is designed as a sort of fan community/speak your mind forum which works very well for both promotional and fan interaction purposes. Goers follow Ali on Twitter and become members at the site to become part of the “US” community. The album itself, changed to “Us” from former “Street Preacher”, is probably the best Hip-Hop album of the year. When it comes to lyrics and delivery, this is perhaps Ali’s Citizen Kane. I’m REALLY glad he didn’t go with “Street Preacher” because he isn’t talking down to ANYONE on this album; even if he could, and he can, talk down to 80% of rappers in the biz. “The Travelers” continues his explorations of race, identity, nationalism, and coming to grips with history. It’s a sad, dark song, and there are times where the pain in his voice hurts to hear. But not everything’s dark. The single “Fresh Air” is all about how much Ali loves his life, how he’s the “luckiest son of a bitch that ever lived”. Honestly, there isn’t a bad song about it, and it probably deserves a full review from me. Ant continues to differentiate his Ali-DJ persona from his Atmosphere-DJ persona, and it’s a pleasure to hear.
I’m not hating on anyone else I should be mentioning – MANY – just tired of writing…
-Sonny
