http://www.theredalert.com/ The Red Alert - Features RSS en-us Tue, 18 July 2011 00:14:30 PST Tue, 18 July 2011 00:30:01 PST http://www.theredalert.com/ The Red Alert adam@theredalert.com adam@theredalert.com 5 http://www.theredalert.com/features/otherlives.php Catching up with Jesse Tabish during a big year for Other Lives, which will see them hit the road with both The Rosebuds and Bon Iver. Tue, 18 Jul 2011 23:44:00 PST http://www.theredalert.com/features/otherlives.php http://www.theredalert.com/pages/downloads.php Download new MP3s from Canon Blue, Shabazz Palaces, matt pond PA, Eksi Ekso and more. Tue, 28 Jun 2011 23:33:00 PST http://www.theredalert.com/pages/downloads.php http://www.theredalert.com/features/rtnthe44s.php Many people do not know this, but Los Angeles has a strong country and folk music scene. RT N' the 44s are part of that scene. In a sense, the band is just getting started --on Sundays, RT plays at cafes for fun-- but in another sense, these guys have been around for a long time. Wed, 27 Apr 2011 01:21:00 PST http://www.theredalert.com/features/rtnthe44s.php http://www.theredalert.com/features/sinfang.php Whatever name he goes by, Sin Fang hasn't changed his hard-to-classify sound. On his 2009 debut Clangour, collage-like songs made up of disparate elements—fuzzy guitars, flutes, clattering percussion—rose and fell in euphoric peaks. Tue, 5 Apr 2011 02:45:00 PST http://www.theredalert.com/features/sinfang.php http://www.theredalert.com/pages/downloads.php Download new MP3s from Amor de Dias, Little Scream, The Coathangers and more. Tue, 15 Mar 2011 23:33:00 PST http://www.theredalert.com/pages/downloads.php http://www.theredalert.com/features/ylabamba.php Y La Bamba draw from some familiar sources - a mixture of old-fashioned Hispanic music and of-the-moment indie bohemia that our own Angel M. Baker refers to as "granola gospel." Their latest album, Lupon, is familiar upon first listen, yet also still foreign on the tenth. Tue, 21 Dec 2010 02:45:00 PST http://www.theredalert.com/features/ylabamba.php http://www.theredalert.com/features/smith.php "Up in the Air" moviegoers could be forgiven for not recognizing the name "Sad Brad Smith" - because Smith hadn't released anything else (the corresponding indie cred points have been safely deposited into Reitman's account). A self-released first album soon followed, and now that fine album, Love is Not What You Need, has now been made widely available. Rejoice. Tue, 7 Dec 2010 02:45:00 PST http://www.theredalert.com/features/smith.php http://www.theredalert.com/features/mize.php Anyone who has enjoyed Cheyenne Mize as a collaborator and band member alongside the likes of Will Oldham and Ben Sollee should be sure to make a beeline for Before Lately. An endorsement from Oldham goes pretty far around these parts (and a lot of parts elsewhere), and the duo left us wanting more after their effortlessly enchanting EP of old standards (Among the Gold). But it's one thing to put a fresh and warm spin on "Let Me Call You Sweetheart" - it's another thing to have your own songs carry the weight. Tue, 30 Nov 2010 02:03:00 PST http://www.theredalert.com/features/mize.php http://www.theredalert.com/features/danielleatethesandwich.php The last time I wrote about Danielle Ate the Sandwich, AKA Danielle Anderson, on The Red Alert, I finished my review with: “Let me know if you see her, as she won’t be passing through Los Angeles this time. And also let me know if her voice is really just that amazing.” A reader answered my question (thank you) and wrote “I saw her in SF about 6 months ago and she was actually just as good as anyone hears on her albums or YouTube channel.” Tue, 26 Oct 2010 02:03:00 PST http://www.theredalert.com/features/danielleatethesandwich.php http://www.theredalert.com/features/seaofbees.php Sea of Bees' Songs for the Ravens has proven to be one of the more durable musical treats that has arrived in this writer's inbox this year. Released earlier this summer, the album's shelf life shows no sign of expiring. That's a good thing for Julie Ann Bee (aka Julie Baenziger - or just Jules); as she explained to The Red Alert, she's going to be living with the "new" songs for a while longer, as 2011 will bring a promotional swing through the UK. Tue, 19 Oct 2010 02:03:00 PST http://www.theredalert.com/features/seaofbees.php http://www.theredalert.com/features/tucker.php Since Sleater-Kinney went on hiatus in 2006, it's been singer/guitarist Corin Tucker - she of the mighty wail - who has kept the lowest profile. That was to be expected, since Tucker's foray into motherhood (powerfully channeled through later-era S-K songs like "Sympathy") was one of the major catalysts for change. She's appeared singing alongside Eddie Vedder a few times - on the Into the Wild soundtrack and the awesome John Doe cover "The Golden State" - but has mostly done exactly what she said she would do: focus on family. Tue, 5 Oct 2010 22:09:00 PST http://www.theredalert.com/features/tucker.php http://www.theredalert.com/features/scheer.php In March 2008, Barack Obama delivered a speech in New York titled “Renewing the American Economy.” For voters frustrated by the economic policies of Clinton and Reagan alike, the speech was nothing short of a hallelujah moment. Finally, someone who got it. Nobody needs a recap on what’s happened since that speech in March 2008. But how the hell did it happen? Robert Scheer unpacks the answers in his vital new book, The Great American Stickup. With impressive efficiency and clarity, Scheer charts the chain of events that pulled apart the protective framework of New Deal regulation and left the country on a collision course with unprecedented corporate greed and a debilitating economic meltdown. Tue, 28 Sep 2010 22:09:00 PST http://www.theredalert.com/features/scheer.php http://www.theredalert.com/features/bulat.php Basia Bulat's Heart of My Own is one of the breakout albums of 2010 - at least for anyone who wasn't introduced to her Polaris-nominated debut, 2008's Oh, My Darling. But even those smitten with the first record should be able to admit that the new one is a major step forward. Once upon a time, much was made of Bulat playing the autoharp, and it seemed like "autoharp gal" could become her calling card. Heart of My Own recommends a slightly bolder signature: "one of the best singer-songwriters in the new generation of folk artists." Tue, 21 Sep 2010 03:45:00 PST http://www.theredalert.com/features/bulat.php