Brooklyn

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At home with Sharon Van Etten

Lady and her Tramp
Sharon Van Etten is peeling an orange in her South Brooklyn apartment.
By LIZ PELLY | February 15, 2012

A Place to Bury Strangers | Onwards to the Wall

Dead Oceans (2012)
Onwards to the Wall clocks in at 16 minutes and 35 seconds, and it could shatter into smithereens at any moment.
By REYAN ALI | January 24, 2012

Merge (2012)
On their homonymous debut, Hospitality sound like 800 different trendy bands at once (from Twin Sister to Tennis to TV on the Radio), so if it's pure originality you're after, you've come to the wrong department.
By RYAN REED | January 24, 2012

Huntington pays tribute to God of Carnage

Parent flap
If Lord of the Flies wanted an upscale-urban bookend, it could do worse than God of Carnage (presented by the Huntington Theatre Company at the BU Theatre through February 5).
By CAROLYN CLAY | January 18, 2012

Review: Pariah

Dee Rees's first feature
Compared to the non-stop trauma of Precious , or even Gun Hill Road , Dee Rees's first feature plays like an episode of The Cosby Show .
By PETER KEOUGH | January 03, 2012

Caveman | Coco Beware

Magic Man! Records/ORG Music (2011)
Hold up on that Brooklyn backlash just yet, there's still some sweet music coming out of the trendiest and most despised of the five boroughs.
By MICHAEL CHRISTOPHER | November 16, 2011

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

Das Racist | Relax

Greedhead (2011)
They still have jokes for days, but lyrical dexterity has taken precedence on their debut LP.
By MICHAEL C. WALSH | September 20, 2011

The improbable rise of We Are Augustines

Comfort music
With new management, new supporters, and the same Pela fans, We Are Augustines remain a work in progress.
By MICHAEL MAROTTA | September 22, 2011

Newton's New Art Center exposes heavy metal from within

The black art
Named for a Candlemass song, staged in a former church, and curated by a pair of noise-loving MassArt grads, the upcoming group show "We Still See the Black" brings a thunderous charge of wrathful, subtle, beguiling, and teeming contemporary art to Newton's New Art Center beginning September 15.
By CARLY CARIOLI | August 24, 2011

Active Child | You Are All I See

Vagrant Records (2011)
Pat Grossi used to be a choirboy, which is not surprising at all, given that his full-length debut under the Active Child moniker sounds like it was cut in some sort of dimly lit, hallowed hall under the cover of night.
By MICHAEL CHRISTOPHER | August 16, 2011

Random Axe | Random Axe

Duck Down (2011)
It's no wonder that it takes a 10-ton Uzi to get rap fans psyched about posse cuts these days.
By CHRIS FARAONE | July 12, 2011

Ladybug Transistor in Boston with Hallelujah The Hills

The Ladybug Transistor create a new pop shade

Growth spurts
Brooklyn might not be the first place that comes to mind when thinking about overgrown blooms and country air. But for the past 16 years, Gary Olson of the Ladybug Transistor has made the city parks and street-lined canopies of Flatbush his own private garden.
By JONATHAN DONALDSON | June 29, 2011

Review: White Irish Drinkers

John Gray's semi-autobiographical coming-of-age tale
Writer/director John Gray's debut feature is a solid indie effort, a semi-autobiographical coming-of-age tale set in Brooklyn circa 1975.
By PEG ALOI | March 25, 2011

The World/Inferno Friendship Society | The Anarchy and the Ecstasy

Chunksaah Records (2011)
Jack Terricloth once likened playing in a band to being married and having a full-time job. Hence, his World/Inferno Friendship Society fashion themselves a kooky circus punk co-op, not a band.
By BARRY THOMPSON | March 17, 2011

Exploring the frosty electronic pleasures of Brahms

Digital symphony
Naming your band after a mighty musical figure whose work has preceded your group's by almost a couple of centuries takes some moxie, but don't mistake this choice for hubris. It's not quite a tribute, says Brahms's Cale Parks, but rather a way to channel something from his past.
By REYAN ALI | February 22, 2011

Hooray for Earth find new life in the dirty Apple

C'mon get happy!
Sometimes it's well and good to wave the flag of home-town pride and condemn New York City as an overhyped, overcrowded, unholy chore to drive through. Other times, you've got to get the fuck out of Boston.
By BARRY THOMPSON | January 18, 2011

Review: In the Footprint: The Battle over Atlantic Yards

The Civilians fight the battle over Atlantic Yards
I've seen a lot of musicals in development; this is the first I've seen about development.
By CAROLYN CLAY | January 21, 2011

The Hundred in the Hands | The Hundred in the Hands

Warp Records (2010)
Eye-rolling hipsterdom may have reached new heights with Brooklyn boy/girl duo the Hundred in the Hands, who lifted their moniker from the Fetterman Massacre of 1866.
By MICHAEL MAROTTA | October 19, 2010

Necro: Horror business

Brooklyn hip-hop artist embraces his bad rap
When you're a Necro fan, tough love is the name of the game.
By CHRIS FARAONE | October 05, 2010

Twin Shadow | Forget

Terrible Records (2010)
Those who were hanging around the music scene in Allston around 2004 may be surprised to discover that the George Lewis Jr. behind Twin Shadow is indeed the same George Lewis Jr. who fronted Mad Man Films back in an earlier life.
By RYAN STEWART | September 22, 2010

Eli ''Paperboy'' Reed | Come and Get It!

Capitol Records (2010)
Local boy Eli "Paperboy" Reed isn't so local anymore.
By JONATHAN DONALDSON | August 10, 2010

Review: Breaking Upwards

It isn't pretty, but it works
Young (he's 27) director Daryl Wein's debut feature is kind of a mess: he withholds and warps the emotions of the main characters till there's little sympathy to be had.
By MICHAEL C. WALSH | July 13, 2010

Suckers | Wild Smile

Frenchkiss (2010)
Dissenting from the almighty forces of fuzz-pop and the subgenres that have defined its counterparts for the past year or so, the Brooklyn-based Suckers' debut full-length is both frustratingly and pleasantly difficult to place in today's indie-rock landscape.
By CARRIE BATTAN | June 16, 2010

The Terror Pigeon Dance Revolt! | I Love You! I Love You!

I Love You! I Love You! I Love You And I’m In Love With You! Have An Awesome Day! Have The Best Day Of Your Life! on Luaka Bop (2010)
The Terror Pigeon Dance Revolt! are a dance/electronica collective known around the Manhattan/Brooklyn scene for their elaborate live performances, where members wear outrageous costumes made of stuffed animals and have on-stage pillow fights.
By DAVID BOFFA | May 12, 2010

Javelin | No Más

Luaka Bop (2010)
No offense to 2009 or anything, but there’s something really refreshing about a Brooklyn-based, MySpace-made indie band’s releasing an album devoid of blatant art-rock agendas and half-assed attempts at cohesion.
By CARRIE BATTAN | April 14, 2010