The word “melodic,” sullied by so many tuneless noise bands, needs to be reclaimed for the careful practitioners who really deserve it — starting with the Liquor Giants. Ward Dotson’s ongoing outlet for pure power-pop balances lyrical snarl and romantic disappointment, delicate ’60s British psychedelia and chunky arena rock, all cohering in shimmering arrangements. The [...]

Duluth is a cold place, an industrial port city in decline out on Highway 61, hard on the shore of Lake Superior. It’s not difficult to see why a young coffeehouse performer and college dropout named Bob Zimmerman felt he had to get the hell out of there. The artist who would be Bob Dylan [...]

The Fountains, residents of Athens, Georgia, since 1993, like to dress up at Halloween for tribute shows honoring their favorite bands. In recent years, they’ve played evenings of the Clash, Creedence and Violent Femmes, in everything from dresses to Civil War regalia. Similarly, their own work can’t be pinned down to any one style. Their [...]