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JONATHAN DONALDSON

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Field Music | Plumb

Memphis Industries (2012) 
The buzz about Britain's Field Music has been growing for some time.
By: JONATHAN DONALDSON  |  February 27, 2012
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Cate Le Bon stars in her own folk reality

Life vérité
There is a trend among critics to describe the songs of Welsh performer Cate Le Bon as something new, but with a bit of listening the music of the 28-year-old songwriter is actually pleasantly familiar.
By: JONATHAN DONALDSON  |  January 31, 2012
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Powering up with the Smith Westerns

Bye-bye lo-fi
Sometimes when we settle into the tattered sofa of lo-fi pop music, it's easy to imagine that the artists intended for it to be made this way.
By: JONATHAN DONALDSON  |  January 25, 2012
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Teddy Thompson becomes his own man

About a boy
Sometimes a writer winces at the thought of having to ask the obvious but necessary question. So I'm grateful to Teddy Thompson for answering before I can even ask.
By: JONATHAN DONALDSON  |  January 18, 2012
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The Scud Mountain Boys are back for one more round

Burying the hatchets
It only took 15 years, but Joe Pernice is finally on the road to making amends with the friendships he left behind when he quit — and effectively dismantled — the Scud Mountain Boys in 1997 to focus on the Pernice Brothers with a rotating cast of musicians, including his brother, Bob.
By: JONATHAN DONALDSON  |  January 11, 2012
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On the eve of a Codeine reunion, Chris Brokaw reflects on an ultra-prolific path

Promiscuous love
When it comes to making music, Chris Brokaw is an easy lover.
By: JONATHAN DONALDSON  |  December 29, 2011
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Fang Wizard | Pure Hex

Teen Beat (2011)
Who really cares about evaluating the long-term importance of how a record fits into an artist's oeuvre?
By: JONATHAN DONALDSON  |  December 14, 2011
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Charlotte Gainsbourg | Stage Whispers

Elektra
Released almost exactly two years ago, Charlotte Gainsbourg's brain-injury inspired IRM (French acronym for MRI) was a late entry on many critics' 2009 best-of lists.
By:  |  December 06, 2011
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John Doe and the thinking man's punk rock

Germination X
For a movement that was rooted in a deep hatred for everything that had become plastic and tame about youth culture, punk rock was supposed to be about the music before anything else.
By: JONATHAN DONALDSON  |  November 29, 2011
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Once jilted, Halle Petro abandons Broadway

Rock audition
As an actor-turned-songwriter trying to find success fronting a band, Halle Petro knows that jumping into the new world of music, with its über-knowledgeable geeks and coarsely seasoned players, makes her feel a little "uncool."
By: JONATHAN DONALDSON  |  November 16, 2011
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Brian Eno | Panic of Looking

Warp (2011)
For those who enjoyed Brian Eno's collaboration with English poet Rick Holland from earlier this year, Drums Between the Bells, this follow-up EP may be a nice digestif.
By: JONATHAN DONALDSON  |  November 16, 2011
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Atlas Sound | Parallax

4AD (2011)
If 4AD were to send a memo to Bradford Cox saying "not so much reverb" and "please write more than two-chord vamps," he'd be screwed.
By: JONATHAN DONALDSON  |  November 09, 2011
CROSE-LIST

The restless Nashville pop of Caitlin Rose

Stone pony
It's late Sunday afternoon and singer-songwriter Caitlin Rose is folding laundry and watching a movie on BET in her Nashville home.
By: JONATHAN DONALDSON  |  November 03, 2011
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Inside the dual Japanese rock of Boris

Double bubble
Double releases, double-necked guitars, double mirrors, and double rainbows. When it comes to interviewing the unclassifiable Japanese group Boris, nothing can be single-minded.
By: JONATHAN DONALDSON  |  October 24, 2011
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The Vandelles ride a different kind of wave

Technicolor noir
If you were listening to the audio version of this interview, you might find yourself sifting through lots of reverb and the rumble of a passing motorcycle.
By: JONATHAN DONALDSON  |  October 05, 2011
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High Places | Original Colors

Thrill Jockey (2011)
High Places have changed their sound a great deal since their cool ride together began five years ago with a fresh breeze of homespun sounds, household percussion, and trickling vocals.  
By: JONATHAN DONALDSON  |  October 04, 2011
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Out: Some one night bands you don't forget

40 Rock
Last Saturday, for the third consecutive year, Boston Band Crush's Ashley Willard and Richard Bouchard hosted One Night Band.
By: JONATHAN DONALDSON  |  September 29, 2011
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The Mekons | Ancient & Modern

Bloodshot (2011)
Considering that the Mekons have made almost 20 albums and have been around since CHiPS debuted on television (1977), they are keeping it pretty fresh.
By: JONATHAN DONALDSON  |  September 20, 2011
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Dissecting the enveloping sound of Elbow

Full bodied
Like a husky boy after his second plate at the Thanksgiving table, Elbow's music has become pretty damn comfortable.  
By: JONATHAN DONALDSON  |  September 20, 2011
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Boston rock bands together for Crash Safely

Landing spot
If music can be a refuge for the open-minded, it should also be able to take the lead in changing entrenched attitudes.
By: JONATHAN DONALDSON  |  September 14, 2011
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Olivia Tremor Control emerge from their time machine

An excellent adventure
Until recently, the hazy chronicle of the Athens-based Elephant 6 collective had begun to resemble a late-'90s high school yearbook.
By: JONATHAN DONALDSON  |  September 07, 2011
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