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NIGHTLY AFFIRMATION
On his own, Jean-Philip Grobler, the mastermind and NYC resident behind indie-pop group St. Lucia, records ornately orchestrated mini-pop masterstrokes, coated in plucky new-wave synths and his own smooth vocals. In interviews, Grobler has talked about how important it is to him to pull off “the ’80s feel” of his songs, the bright-sounding synthetic horns […]
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A Pale Horse Named Death
After stints in gloomy Brooklyn metal bands Type O Negative and Life of Agony, drummer Sal Abruscato has a pedigree for pessimism. It’s a state of mind he thrives in, now as the frontman of A Pale Horse Named Death, a goth-metal project he started up in 2011. On two gloriously drab LPs, the most […]
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SOUL MAN
Over four decades ago, warble-throated folkie Neil Young played a couple of nights at Carnegie Hall in support of his classic record, After the Gold Rush. Both nights sold out. Now he’s playing four nights at the same New York institution and at press time demand looked equally high. Although he’s not coming back specifically […]
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KIND OF BLUE
Although Valerie June seemingly came out of nowhere, the Memphis-bred thirtysomething roots singer has been slinging her world-weary, soulful songs for close to a decade. Her August breakthrough, Pushin’ Against a Stone, just got the most attention, thanks to co-production and co-writing credits by the Black Keys’ Dan Auerbach and some funky organ playing by […]
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SURVIVAL OF THE ILLEST
“It’s lonely at the top,” confesses A$AP Ferg at one point on his debut album, Trap Lord. “All this shrimp, and nobody to share it with.” Tonight, the 25-year-old Harlem rapper will have to share some of his shellfish as he celebrates what’s turned out to be an eventful year for the A$AP Mob member. […]
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DREAM TEAM
The members of NYC’s DIIV named themselves after the Nirvana track “Dive,” but there’s hardly anything grungy about their dreamy, fuzzy take on indie rock. It’s a seductive sound that swirls about at concerts without sounding sleepy. Technically, the group’s appearance at Rough Trade is still in support of its 2012 debut, the echo-laden Oshin […]