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JONATHAN DONALDSON

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The unified melody of Slowdim

Cellars by Starlight
Slowdim drink wine with pizza. It's true. I was there.

By: JONATHAN DONALDSON | March 20, 2013

The Mary Onettes | Hit the Waves

Labrador (2013)
Hit the Waves is so heartfelt as a pastiche of '80s alternative music that it almost muscles its way into being brilliant.

By: JONATHAN DONALDSON | March 13, 2013

MUSIC_BostonAccents_JesseDee_cMichaelSpencer_list

Cellars by Starlight
On his new record On My Mind/In My Heart , the question is not if Jesse Dee can step up to the challenge of making authentic soul and R&B music in 2013, but rather how he goes about it.

By: JONATHAN DONALDSON | March 05, 2013

Tame Impala’s new surround sound

Whether it's Bradford Cox with Deerhunter, or Dan Snaith with Caribou, or Kevin Parker with Tame Impala, there must be something with this trend in sonic auteurs with cervine band names.

By: JONATHAN DONALDSON | March 08, 2013

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Animal Collective brace for success

"It seems like a challenge to make something that you have to pay a lot of attention to," says Josh Dibbs.

By: JONATHAN DONALDSON | February 26, 2013

MUSIC_Cellars_ThaliaZedek_cTamaraBonn_list

Thalia Zedek emerges once again

Like the cool air and diffuse light surrounding the desolate, ramshackle boardwalk pictured on the cover of her new record, Via (Thrill Jockey), something dark looms in Thalia Zedek's music.

By: JONATHAN DONALDSON | February 26, 2013

Liam Hayes’s Swan Dive

This year brings two revelations from Chicago-born pop/soul/torch-singer Liam Hayes of Plush.

By: JONATHAN DONALDSON | February 04, 2013

Kingsley Flood declare new Battles

Cellars by Starlight
For a songwriter as simple and direct as Naseem Khuri, the band he's built around himself is surprisingly multi-faceted.

By: JONATHAN DONALDSON | February 01, 2013

What's F'n Next? Widowspeak

Shortly after the release of their 2011 self-titled debut, Widowspeak drummer and founder Michael Stasiak left the band; it was the blow that drove singer Molly Hamilton and guitarist Robert Earl Thomas to make a better album.

By: JONATHAN DONALDSON | January 23, 2013

Mansbach is back

Books
Prior to the meme-tastic success of last year's Go the Fuck to Sleep (Akashic Books), Adam Mansbach had written two acclaimed novels about race and culture.

By: JONATHAN DONALDSON | January 11, 2013

No shadow on the Soft Moon

Released the day before Halloween, the Soft Moon's Zeroes is the perfect soundtrack for anyone looking to flirt with their '80s UK-goth dark side.

By: JONATHAN DONALDSON | January 10, 2013

The Velvet Underground | The Verve/MGM Albums

Sundazed Music Inc (2012)
Sundazed scores with an LP-only box featuring rare original mono mixes of the Velvet's first three records; Nico's debut, Chelsea Girl ; and an unreleased album heretofore known to fans by legend only.

By: JONATHAN DONALDSON | November 27, 2012

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Sonic Jr.: On the record with engineer Justin Pizzoferrato

Cellars by Starlight
In talking to a cross section of talented musicians about their craft, certain themes repeat, and sometimes the names of certain people.

By: JONATHAN DONALDSON | November 26, 2012

The orchestrated pleasure of Eddie Japan

Cellars by starlight
Sitting with Eddie Japan frontman David Santos, there is suspicion he might be a spy. He's well-dressed, to suit any occasion that might arise, and he refuses a drink.

By: JONATHAN DONALDSON | November 14, 2012

Cellars by Starlight: Human Sexual Response

CDs might now be an outdated medium, but there was a time when everything on the format was available — except for one of the great rock records of the early '80s: 1981's In a Roman Mood by legendary Boston punk/new wave/whatever band Human Sexual Response.

By: JONATHAN DONALDSON | November 08, 2012

Prince Rama | Top Ten Hits of the End of the World

Paw Tracks Records (2012)
We are used to this kind of thing with bigger stars — where the biography starts to take over and we talk more about how gaga-licious the artist is than about the music — but less so with the underground. Prince Rama don't make it easy, but their music demands that we dispense with their deep-fried, peyote-dipped creamsicle of a story as quickly as possible.

By: JONATHAN DONALDSON | October 31, 2012

The recorded rebirth of Mean Creek

Outside their rehearsal space, Mean Creek are standing with their hands in their pockets, excited to dig into some discussion about their anticipated new record, Youth Companion .

By: JONATHAN DONALDSON | October 10, 2012

The simple pleasures of Banditas

Easy rider
Simplicity is not always easy, but sometimes it's the surest path to style and clarity, especially when we're talking about three girls, three instruments, three singers, loads of reverb, no solos, basic blues beats, high-and-lonesome harmonies, and killer songs dying for a smoke.

By: JONATHAN DONALDSON | September 12, 2012

Out: One Night Band flexes Boston’s musical muscle — and dexterity

Circus of our stars
If the theme of last year's One Night Band was fun, the theme this year was star power.

By: JONATHAN DONALDSON | September 12, 2012

Gene Dante gets personal at Jacque’s Underground Cabaret

Glitter bomber
Following the directions to this special private set by Gene Dante and the Future Starlets was a lot like following a scavenger hunt.

By: JONATHAN DONALDSON | August 29, 2012

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