Always wondered how Johnny Marr achieved that head-spinning tremolo on the Smiths' "How Soon Is Now?"
Wonder no longer, friends (and imitators).
Marr explains it all and includes a photo of the '63 Epiphone Casino that he used on the song at his Web site's fabulously rich Guitarchestra gallery. Also cool: His workhorse '83 Rickenbacker 330 and the '63 Jaguar given to him by Modest Mouse bandmate Isaac Brock of Modest Mouse, which is covered with stickers purchased at a Wal-Mart in Oxford, Mis
Crystal K. WiebeWith her dimple and Australian accent, Lenka is just too cute.
Lenka, an Australian-born singer whose songs have appeared on Grey's Anatomy and the new 90210 series, dropped a sugar bomb on the Record Bar last night. "Sugar bomb" is actually a lyric in her boppy song "Skipalong," as well as an apt description of her supersweet pop music. It's not at all "Dangerous and Sweet" -- another song title. Nope, Lenka and her love songs are just cute and safe and pleasant, even more so t
It's hard to comprehend Modest Mouse's mass appeal. With a few notable exceptions, Seattle group's songs are epically quirky, full of jerky guitar meanderings, odd time signatures, jolting and percussive rather than hooky or catchy. Singer, guitar player (one of several) and front man Isaac Brock's voice is distinctively twangy, and rather than sing, he uses it to hector, bark and chant, like an especially gifted feral child asked by playground bullies, of whom he is not afraid, to justify his
Slim pickings again this week, but there are a few new releases worth checking out.
Iron Age's The Sleeping Eye is perfect for fans of Fucked Up. This Texas band mixes elements of hardcore and psych rock, although not as adeptly as their Canadian counterparts. The songs are fairly epic, and bear more than a passing resemblance to Mastodon, sounding something like that band's surly, less polished cousins. It is, as the kids say, "brutal."
No One's First and You're Next is the newe
