Blitzen TrapperTuesday, Dec. 2, 2008The IndependentWords by Jennifer Maerz, photo by Chrissy LoaderBetter than: Seeing the Parson Red Heads alone.I recently read an interview with M.I.A. where she laughed off the fact that in the beginning, record labels had no idea where to place her music. Makes sense, since her output is an international concoction stamped with so many different styles the woman's gotta need a new passport every time she records a new single. And in the end, it all worked in
By Michael Roberts
In 2008, independent rock returned to the underground, where it belongs. Given the grand catastrophe that is today's record industry, most major-label executives don't have the time or energy to convince music fans they might like something a little out of the ordinary. They're too busy recycling variations on what were once sure things while desperately searching for career exit strategies that don't involve tall buildings, open windows and running leaps. As a result, fri
By Noah W. Bailey
Picking the best folk and Americana records of the year isn't nearly as hard as discarding those great records that just didn't feel right stuck in the category.
Releases by Calexico and DeVotchKa felt far too worldly to pigeonhole as folk or country, for instance, while Blitzen Trapper's fantastic Furr smells more like the Kinks than Neil Young. [Editor's note: That's why we put it on our indie-rock list.] We likewise discarded Shearwater's near-masterpiece Rook, despite the
