The Triangle area is getting its very own taste of Mardi Gras a little early this weekend. “Hey Pocky Way: A Mardi Gras Primer” will celebrate the food and music of New Orleans this Saturday at Trotter Hall in Durham.
Pompeii ??? “Pompeii” is a movie of epic proportions. With battle scenes, fireballs and romance, audiences everywhere have some aspect to take pleasure in. Yet, can a movie fully be enjoyed when most audiences already know the ending?
With the release of the band’s sixth studio album Wig Out at Jagbags, Stephen Malkmus & the Jicks has opted for short and sweet and laid down a collection of cleverly written pop songs with a rock guitar punch.
Owls Two Pop rock ?? More than a decade after Owls’ last release, the band has reunited on Two, an album drowned in stale ’90s vibes and repetitive, headache-inducing riffs.
Horseback Piedmont Apocrypha Post-rock ???1/2 Local musician Jenks Miller’s latest project appears under the guise of Horseback, an ethereal mix of metal and post-rock instrumentals.
Yellow Ostrich Cosmos Electronic ???? Through the combination of ethereal electronic ambiance, rhythmic diversity and introspective lyrics, Yellow Ostrich takes listeners on an emotional journey in its new album, Cosmos.
Mark McGuire Along the Way Electronic ???? Mark McGuire’s Along the Way is your progtronic masterpiece for an ultimate Zen listening experience.
The Great Beauty ???1/2 “The Great Beauty,” directed by Paolo Sorrentino, is an intimate Italian film that tells the story of journalist Jep Gambardella, played by Toni Servillo
RoboCop ?? Make no mistake: “RoboCop” is fun. Its 108 minutes of action-packed visual dynamite secure it a place among those light, mediocre adventure flicks usually reserved for mid-summer releases.
Winter’s Tale ? “Winter’s Tale” tries so hard to be a film that moves beyond mere romance — it contains hints of magical realism, New York gangsters, fantasy, Heaven vs. Hell and a heavy sense of fate and destiny.
Six inches of snow one week, mid-sixties and sunshine the next. Whatever the weather, Dive staff has you covered.
Vertical Scratchers Daughter of Everything ???? Alternative The debut release of alt-rock group Vertical Scratchers is a confident collection of spunky tracks, thanks to the established music careers of members John Schmersal and Christian Beaulieu, both veterans of multiple indie punk acts.
Angel Olsen Burn Your Fire For No Witness ???? Folk When Angel Olsen took the the shadowy stage at the Fletcher Opera Theatre during last year’s Hopscotch festival, she was met with reverent silence. Solely accompanied by her reverb-soaked Danelectro guitar, Olsen’s high and lonesome wavering was amplified but the venue’s airy stillness.
Vivica C. Coxx wishes to change the face of drag in the Triangle. Coxx will host her her third show at the Pinhook this weekend.
As Hiss Golden Messenger, Michael Taylor leans heavily on American music traditions, but bends them heavily with his own style. When Michael Taylor of Durham’s Hiss Golden Messenger first released Bad Debt in 2010, the soft-spoken, intimate record did not reach a large audience. With most of the record’s supply burned in a warehouse fire during the London riots of 2010, the “lost” LP created a mysterious smoke around the origins of Taylor’s experimental folk project.
Cloud Becomes Your Hand Rocks or Cakes ???? Rock Brooklyn-based band Cloud Becomes Your Hand’s debut album Rocks or Cakes is an experimental and colorful 36 minute journey. While the record might not be for everyone, the band pushes the envelope of what rock can be in terms of instrumentation and song structure.
The LEGO Movie ????1/2 Everything is awesome! From the variety of beloved characters to the long line of jokes, “The Lego Movie” sets the bar high for animated movies in 2014. The film is cinematically dazzling with stop-motion animation that shows off several Lego worlds and some impressive action sequences.
The Monuments Men ?1/2 Despite flaunting a stellar cast and being based on an inspiring true story, “The Monuments Men” is a disappointing, unsatisfying film with a serious case of an identity crisis.
Odesza My Friends Never Die ??1/2 Electronic pop Odesza is an electronic production duo from Seattle consisting of Harrison Mills (aka Catacomkid) and Clayton Knight (aka BeachesBeaches). Its new EP My Friends Never Die sticks to its familiar sound of long, dubstep-influenced bass lines, choppy, pitched vocal samples, and trap-influenced crunchy drum lines that create dream-like soundscapes with an interesting dub twist.
Broken Bells After the Disco ????1/2 Rock Shrouded in doubt after three long years of waiting, the rock duo Broken Bells is back with its second full-length LP, After the Disco. And while remnants of the group’s style from its self-titled release still remain, major shifts in the band’s artistry are evident.
