John Coyne
Vast Aire
"The F-Word" (RJD2 Remix)
Rap records rarely endure; they just float from fabulous to familiar to forgotten. Amid those tides of shifting taste, Vast Aire stands fast, delivering lyrics so good, and so timeless, that they might as well be literature. On "The F-Word," Vast Aire describes the pain of unrequited love with the poignancy of a poet. His expressions of confused emotion echo the chaotic beat, while the bass line pumps with the urgency of a hungry heart. The words and music combine to create an impact that lingers long after the song is over. Call it rap; call it art. Just play it.
Eugenia Salvo
The Main Drag
Simmer In Your Hot Seat
For those of you who live for catching the next big indie thing before your friends do, the Main Drag is the band to watch. Having already played with the Unicorns and the Arcade Fire, members Adam Arrigo and Penn student Matt Levitt are on the up and up. Something like folk meets the Shins meets Death Cab, Simmer will surprise and enchant you. For more info go to www.themaindragmusic.com or come to the record release party (Saturday, Nov. 13th -- Hamilton Court G-401). They'll be playing the album and selling a limited number of copies.
Jim Newell
Tilly and the Wall
Wild Like Children
If my favorite music were to be judged via iTunes play counts, Tilly and the Wall's Wild Like Children would be my favorite album. With 10 songs at an approximate average of 25 plays, is the Omaha band's debut LP actually my favorite, or just a soon-to-be-passing phase? Even if I won't like it in a month, can I still enjoy it while it lasts? I mean, what's better than hearing synthesizers, tap-dancing clanks and polyphonic vocals all rolled up into one little Saddle Creek record? Is the extensive use of rhetorical questions still an effective writing technique? Was it ever?
