Jul 10th, 2008 · Californian garage rock revivalists the Shys titled their second full length record You'll Never Understand This Band the Way That I Do, and from the way it sounds, you can't help but wonder if the band in question is the White Stripes. Between the album's heavy, blues-inspired guitars, minimalist drumming, and lead singer Kyle Krone's distinctive howl, the record could easily be packaged in red and white. But while Detroit's duo can at times err on the side of experimentalism, the Shys have taken the crunchy guitars and heavy, fuzz-filled solos, and added more traditionally poppy group choruses and catchy melodies to come out with gritty rock that is immediately accessible.
Keywords: CA · Detroit · package · Singer · duo · album · melodies · guitar · gritty · White Stripes · Em · Californian
Jun 30th, 2008 · Propelled by in-unison rock riffs and thundering drums, the upbeat and surprisingly poppy song "Cold Son" toys with dynamics to a surprising degree. Amid Malkmus' characteristically thoughtful words, angular, aggressive melodies build tension before the cathartic release of a singable refrain.
Keywords: dynamic · Upbeat · songs · comfort · melodies · thundering · unison · degree · Poppy · Angular · cathartic · Malkmus
Jun 13th, 2008 · Athens, GA band Mass Solo Revolt hasn't lost sight of its predecessors — Pavement, Built to Spill — harnessing those raw sounds from the early '90s to create a less polished, yet still infectious, throwback indie rock sound. The opening chords to the band's debut CD, Easy Mark could have been pulled straight off Pavement's Slanted and Enchanted, offering the same lazy, off-kilter sound. Lead singer Martin Brummeler's idiosyncratic lyrics about "crooked teeth" and "rubber knives" add to the song's quirky feel; the track proves uniquely poppy with catchy hooks.
Keywords: Ga · CD · indie · Singer · songs · rawness · idiosyncratic · throwbacks · quirky · Lazy · Pavement · Em
Jun 4th, 2008 · In recent years, poppy production has skyrocketed in Afghanistan. A group of businessmen has been trying to offer an alternative, by urging farmers to grow flowers for perfume instead of for drugs. It has been a frustrating and costly project.
Keywords: Afghanistan · Drugs · products · Farmers · perfumes · businessmen · skyrocketing · Poppy · Poppies · Alternative
Mar 13th, 2008 · New Yorker David Gussin says he invented the classic "everything" bagel 30 years ago, marrying poppy seeds with sesame seeds, salt, onion and more. A rival foodie challenges that claim, but Gussin's not giving in.
Keywords: Food · Onion · bagel · Poppy · foodies · Sesame · Yorker David Gussin · Gussin
Feb 25th, 2008 · Frustrated by government raids on opium poppy crops, more and more Afghan farmers are turning to a lucrative alternative that's just as illegal: cannabis, the source of marijuana and hashish. The new crop has taken hold in Kandahar province.
Keywords: Kandahar · Afghan · illegal · Farmers · opium · marijuana · province · cannabis · Poppy · Alternative · hashish
Dec 31st, 2007 · William Wood, U.S. ambassador to Afghanistan, evaluates U.S. operations in Afghanistan, increasing public support for the Taliban, and poppy eradication. His assessment comes after the discovery of stocks of opium worth $500 million.
Keywords: Afghanistan · Taliban · ambassador · public · opium · discovery · eradication · Poppy · William Wood
Dec 9th, 2007 · Joel Hafvenstein spent a year in Afghanistan trying to lure opium-poppy farmers to give up what he calls "the perfect crop." He discusses his book, "Opium Season: A Year on the Afghan Frontier," which documents the tragic turn that the project took.
Keywords: Afghanistan · Farmers · opium · Tragedy · tragic · Poppy · Joel Hafvenstein · Opium Season · Afghan Frontier
