Results tagged “nadasurf”

Even with several sold-out shows this week, there are still some amazing concerts that you can get into and for fairly cheap ($10-26). Tonight Alice Smith, the sexy/sultry R&B/pop singer, will be headlining at Bottom of the Hill. We called her sound a mix between "Toby Lightman, a little Alicia Keys and a more sophisticated Amy Winehouse." She's definitely something to talk about.

Yes, we are a bit late with the listings but that doesn't stop us from being excited for this week's music offerings. It's Noise Pop - something we've been talking about since December. Since there is so much going on this week, we are going to highlight some shows that we know you can still get tickets to.

Each Tuesday we will feature new music that should (or whatever) be on your radar.

We headed to Cafe Du Nord last Friday to catch the sold-out early show by Emily Haines and The Soft Skeleton. By the 9pm showtime, the band was still soundchecking behind closed curtains and didn't start playing to the crowd until an hour later, but it was worth the wait. Haines crouched behind the keys, bird-skinny and soft-voiced, embodying the delicate yin to her animated Metric persona's yang. Eerie old black and white film clips played in the background while she drenched the crowd with slow, forlorn song movements. This introverted version of Haines was just as intense as you'd expect her to be. Between songs she debated whether or not she should talk to the audience more, and when a woman in the crowd encouraged her to, Haines thought and then replied, "I don't feel like it." Then she let the songs speak for her.

We first heard of Rogue Wave when they opened for Spoon a few years ago, and though we liked them back then, we had no idea they'd make such gorgeous records. Descended Like Vultures, released last October, is a must-own and with airplay on MTV2, a deal with Sub Pop and tours with Nada Surf and The Shins, they're not our hometown secret anymore.

Before anyone accuses us of having a soft spot in our hearts for bands from Texas, let us just go ahead and admit we do. That leads us to this week's giveaway featuring Pilotdrift, a band from Texarkana. Don't get any ideas about their sound from their hometown though. Their music is atmospheric, symphonic, theatrical, and the singer even sounds a bit like Bowie. Their debut album is out now on Good Records Recordings, owned and operated by the Polyphonic Spree's own Tim DeLaughter.