Music

A&E

All aboard the ‘Night Train’: Jason Aldean chugs ahead of the pack

By Colleen Garrott | October 25, 2012

Country superstar Jason Aldean opens his fifth studio album, Night Train, with a tribute to classic Americana, “This Nothin’ Town.” It’s hard to go wrong singing about small towns, drinking beer and Friday night football, but to avoid slipping too far into country music stereotypes, Aldean also reminds us “it ain’t all just porches and plows.” Aldean has long been the go-to-guy for a good, loud country party song, but when it comes to romantic ballads he’s got a thing or two to learn.

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A&E

Flying Lotus soars

By Will Keel | October 18, 2012

Stephen Ellison, a hip-hop producer, abstract sound auteur and explorer of altered states, is not known for being the most down-to-earth kind of guy.

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A&E

This ‘Spirit’ proves destructible

By Catherine Jessee | October 18, 2012

Nelly Furtado is one of pop’s more prolific artists: she has released an album every three years since 2000.

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A&E

Folk favorite chats with A&E about The Avett Brothers’ huge benefit concert

By Caroline Gecker | October 18, 2012

We now know Playboy considers the University the nation’s number-one party school, but here’s a question just as debatable: Is Charlottesville a Southern city?

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A&E

The British are coming: Muse lays down 'law'

By Andrew Shachat | October 18, 2012

English rock band Muse is back with its new album The 2nd Law. The record marks the group’s return to the studio after its successful Resistance tour, which passed through Charlottesville in 2010.

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A&E

Music's prodigal 'Sons' return

By Katy Greiner | October 11, 2012

When Mumford & Sons released their single “I Will Wait” — aptly named for fans who struggled through a three-year musical dry spell from the group — in early August, they coupled it with a YouTube video showing a random street passing under the camera’s eye.

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A&E

Shelton’s yuletide album hits close to ‘Home’

By Colleen Garrott | October 11, 2012

If you want to hear all your favorite, traditional Christmas tunes with a few extra syllables of country twang thrown in courtesy of Blake Shelton, then Cheers, It’s Christmas is the album for you.

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A&E

Rebels with a cause

By Andrew Shachat | October 11, 2012

Reggae fans, rejoice! The California-based band Rebelution will be making its way through Charlottesville Oct.

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A&E

Food & Liquor II leaves listeners hungover

By James Cassar | October 4, 2012

The entertainment world constantly regurgitates formulaic and uninspired ideas. The film industry is supersaturated with half-hearted continuations of franchises.

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A&E

No ‘mirage’ here: ‘Horses’ spur authentic rock sound with new album

By Saniah Aljunied | October 4, 2012

As temperatures cool and leaves turn a pleasant washed-out gold, the early-fall release of Band of Horses’ Mirage Rock is nothing but timely.

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A&E

Little Big Town tears up country charts

By Colleen Garrott | October 4, 2012

It takes the perfect storm to create a great album, and Little Big Town’s fifth studio album, Tornado, is tearing up the country charts.

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A&E

'Jack' of all trades: White wows C-ville audience

By Stephanie Dodge | October 4, 2012

If I could combine the Jack White concert I saw at Firefly Music Festival in July with his concert last weekend in Charlottesville, I’d be in Jack White heaven.

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A&E

'Awakened' has us 'dying' for more

By Robert Shimshock | October 4, 2012

Since the 2007 release of An Ocean Between Us, the Grammy-nominated quintet As I Lay Dying has become one of the crusaders of melodic metalcore, a subgenre whose decline has been marked as its former champions experiment with other brands of metal.

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A&E

The Killers triumph with fourth album

By Stephanie Dodge | September 27, 2012

Trying to contain my enthusiasm at finally hearing The Killers’ latest album, I started listening to Battle Born on repeat as soon as the pre-release stream started on iTunes.

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A&E

Seeing ‘Stars’ at the Jefferson Theater

By Monika Fallon | September 27, 2012

Canadian indie pop band Stars brought its month-and-a-half-long North American tour to the Jefferson Theater Tuesday.

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A&E

‘Truth’ doesn’t hurt

By Shelby Gee | September 27, 2012

The Truth About Love, like most of Pink’s albums, is a collection of rowdy songs with enough enthusiastic beats, trashy lyrics and gentle cheesiness to make them perfect for singing along at an obnoxiously high volume. As the first few songs play, it seems as though the singer’s sixth album will be her most subdued effort to date.

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A&E

Kanye's ‘Summer’ not so hot

By Millicent Usoro | September 27, 2012

After listening to G.O.O.D. Music’s Cruel Summer, my very first thought was that Kanye West did not need to make this album.

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A&E

Big & Rich strike back

By Colleen Garrott | September 27, 2012

Hold on to your cowboy hats because country’s craziest duo, Big & Rich, has just released its fourth studio album, Hillbilly Jedi. Despite the title, much of the record showcases the duo’s more serious side.

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A&E

‘Life of the Mind’: ‘Ben’ there, done that

By James Cassar | September 27, 2012

Ben Folds is a busy guy. He has sat alongside fellow precocious pianist Sara Bareilles as a judge on NBC’s The Sing-Off.

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A&E

DMB: Out of this 'World'

By Katie Cole | September 20, 2012

It’s been more than 20 years since the Dave Matthews Band was formed right here in Charlottesville.