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JONATHAN DONALDSON
Latest Articles
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
The modern retro of Jesse Dee
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
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
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
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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Where To Follow Me
Talking Politics
| March 24, 2013 at 11:09 AM
Mo Takes His Turn
March 21, 2013 at 12:59 PM
[Q&A] KMFDM's Sascha Konietzko on art, Columbine and having balls
On The Download
| March 18, 2013 at 3:22 PM
See this film series: The Belmont World Film Series @ Studio Cinema in Belmont
Outside The Frame
| March 18, 2013 at 11:00 AM
See this film: This is Spinal Tap [with post-film talk by expert from Acoustical Society of America] @ the Coolidge
March 17, 2013 at 12:00 PM
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BLOG POSTS BY JONATHAN DONALDSON
[live recap] The Magnetic Fields @ Berklee Performance Center
Operation Cody Simpson: A Phoenix writer braves a tween concert for his daughter
[live review] Jens Lekman @ the Somerville Armory
[newportfolk] 5 artists to watch this weekend at Fort Adams State Park
[live review] Jonathan Richman @ Somerville Theatre
[live review] Belle & Sebastian @ Wang Theatre, Oct. 15, 2010
[live review] Vampire Weekend, Beach House, Dum Dum Girls @ Pavilion 09.12.10
[out online] The Titantic drifts into Boston Harbor
[show recap] Deerhunter escapes Royale