Music Reviews Archives - Little Village

Mission Creek 2019: A look back (VIDEO)

Posted on May 17, 2019 by Daniel Boscaljon

Each Mission Creek Festival has its own flavor that weaves through the nights, the venues, the conversations, the drinks and cigarettes to create an identity more than the sum of its parts. One major shaping influence is the nature of the Mission Creek Festival ethos, which makes it an event that would be impossible to imagine elsewhere — it is one part experimental, one part traditional, one part Iowa City, one part books, one part music, one part conversations. It is a celebration of the Iowa City community as much as it is a celebration of art. […]

Mission Creek 2018: A look back

Posted on Apr 16, 2018 by Daniel Boscaljon

It is impossible for any one person to offer a complete perspective on the Mission Creek Festival (MCF), as even the avid attendee is still limited to one body and one set of guiding preferences. More than most years I became aware of my limitations as a reviewer and the radically different possibilities for what MCF means, is and becomes. […]

Elite 8: The top albums of 2017

Posted on Dec 5, 2017 by Andre Perry

Here is another year of albums to consider. It’s silly to rank music at all and also fun in that it ignites passionate conversations about the art that has moved us (for better or worse) in the last year. Please accept this list as an invitation to hear something new, and introduce us to something new by sending your own list of wonderful musical moments — albums, songs, shows, etc. — from 2017. […]

Chastity Belt’s musicianship sets the band apart

Posted on Jul 2, 2017 by Daniel Boscaljon

Due to a busy two nights at Gabe’s and competition from Jazz Fest, the crowd for Chastity Belt was smaller than I had anticipated. Those gathered in the upstairs, however, were treated to a delightful and tuneful evening of music. […]

Review: MONO constructs a sonic canvass at Gabe’s

Posted on Jun 29, 2017 by Daniel Boscaljon

MONO returned to Iowa City after just over a year touring on 2016’s Requiem for Hell. The crowd was oddly thin, but appropriate: it was perhaps the quietest that I had heard Gabe’s during a show. The band was illuminated with a quiet red light, and throughout their set the band seemed to play around its steadfast glow. The light was warm, and evoked a sense of patience that let each band member’s instrument enter into, and exit from, each song. The distinct contribution of each performer could be acknowledged and recognized. Both the band and the audience were equally engaged at the occurrence of sound as it sprang forth from the stage: All present were enraptured at its production, in its occurrence. […]

Review: Orchestra Iowa brings gusto and grace to John Williams’ beloved film scores

Posted on May 25, 2017 by Rob Cline

When I spoke with Maestro Timothy Hankewich a few days ahead of Orchestra Iowa’s presentation “John Williams: A Night at the Movies,” he was insistent about one thing. The audience should come to the Paramount Theatre in costume. So Saturday […]

A hushed full house at The Mill for the Pines, Dead Man Winter

Posted on Apr 20, 2017 by Daniel Boscaljon

The Mill was the perfect venue on April 19 for a Wednesday night of atmospheric delicacy, performed for a hushed full house. The Pines, local legends transplanted to Minnesota, framed the night with a sense of intimate delicacy. Their first songs, without percussion, allowed the audience to focus on the twining of harmonies and whispered vocals that generated a sense of intimacy. […]

Aesop Rock’s flawless delivery enthralled fans at the Blue Moose

Posted on Jan 10, 2017 by Daniel Boscaljon

I walked into the Blue Moose on Monday toward the end of Sandman’s set, listening to him close with what sounded like a prayer before prefacing the onset of Aesop Rock, whom he compared to Mozart as the pinnacle of […]

Album Review: JCϟjp — Self-titled

Posted on Jan 3, 2017 by Kent Williams

JCϟjp JCϟjp jcjp.bandcamp.com/releases JCϟjp by JCϟjp The name JCϟjp is an unpronounceable acronym of the group members’ names, Justin Comer and Jason Palamara. Palamara is a violinist and electronic musician currently working as a lecturer at Iowa State University. Comer […]

Album Review: Josh Fina — Feel Me EP

Posted on Aug 2, 2016 by Kent Williams

Josh Fina Feel Me EP www.kindgesturerecords.com Electronic dance music’s natural habitat is a dark room with the sound system turned up until the bass hits you in the solar plexus and your fillings vibrate. The Feel Me EP attacks that […]

Black Mountain builds an unhurried tension in their June 15 show at The Mill

Posted on Jun 17, 2016 by Daniel Boscaljon

The opener for the solid summer Wednesday evening crowd at The Mill this week was Majure, who preceded his reputation (signifying mostly a certain laziness on my part, as a Google search took me instantly to his profile). It was […]

Album Review: Blake Shaw — Listen Hear

Posted on Jun 14, 2016 by Luke Benson

Blake Shaw Listen Hear www.blakeshawbass.com Listen Hear is the latest release from Iowa City composer/musician Blake Shaw. Recorded at Flat Black Studios, Listen Hear is an incredibly accessible jazz album featuring a strong quintet of players with Shaw on the […]

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