Most Popular
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An ancient Apollo statue landed in Cleveland and touched off an international outcry
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Joe Cimperman hopes to tear down his former hero, Dennis Kucinich
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Beat Down
Cleveland teachers swap stories of school violence.
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Everybody Hates Mike
The peril of coaching an icon.
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Secret Valentines Notes from C-Town Celebs
Our I-Team uncovered the private love letters of Cleveland's biggest names. You'll be shocked by what we discovered.
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$100 Bounty on That Kid (19)
Copley-Fairlawn finds a way to keep the impostors out.
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At Indie-Rock Singles Night in Cleveland, an event for hipsters lacks one key ingredient: Hipsters (14)
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Dennis Kucinich’s brave talk about working and fighting — from the safety of the officer’s tent (10)
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Beat Down (3)
Cleveland teachers swap stories of school violence.
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Sour Notes (434)
Underneath its glossy exterior, the Cleveland Orchestra has a dark side. His name is William Preucil.
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Crazy Talk
Miranda Lambert is a lot like any other girl with a soft spot for guns and setting exes on fire.
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The Bravery's New World
New-wave revivalists discover the power of three-chord guitar rock.
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Beer, BBQ, industry schmoozing: Rounding up SXSW 2008’s local delegates
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Keep on Truckin'
Jason Isbell finds life after the Drive-By Truckers.
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It took them 10 years, but the Sadies finally craft a country-rock classic
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Dispatch: Either Derek Anderson gets roster bonus in '09, or Quinn fans celebrate
02:49PM 03/07/08 -
Cleveland's power brokers take a turn at high fashion
02:39PM 03/07/08 -
Sound of Ideas Host Dan Moulthrop steals our idea, raises money for cancer
02:21PM 03/07/08 -
Review: Nellie McKay seduces the crowd at Nighttown
02:12PM 03/07/08 -
Alex Bevan, ModQuad Shows Canceled
02:07PM 03/07/08
What we are writing about
- Black Sabbath
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- Cleveland art
- Cleveland dining hotspots
- Cleveland theater
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Recent Articles By Michael D. Ayers
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Goldfrapp
Seventh Tree (Mute)
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American Music Club
The Golden Age (Merge)
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The Lemonheads
With Racoon. Monday, December 17, at the Grog Shop, Cleveland Heights.
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Celebration
With Dragons of Zynth. Sunday, November 25, at the Beachland Tavern.
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Liars
Liars (Mute)
National Features
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Houston Press
"It Was Like an Armageddon Movie"
For days after Hurricane Rita, a Texas prison was hell on earth.
By Chris Vogel -
SF Weekly
The Candidate
Our columnist knows Ralph Nader's running mate all too well.
By Matt Smith -
The Pitch
How Not To Be a Rap Star
First of all, lay off the Ecstasy.
By Nadia Pflaum -
Village Voice
Project Runaway
What becomes a gossip columnist most?
By Michael Musto
Hello, Blue Roses
The Portrait Is Finished and I Have Failed to Capture Your Beauty (Locust Music)
By Michael D. Ayers
Published: January 23, 2008
Don't expect Dan Bejar's latest project to sound anything like the music he makes with his other bands, Destroyer and the New Pornographers. While Bejar arranges the tunes, strums the guitar, and plays backup singer throughout The Portrait Is Finished and I Have Failed to Capture Your Beauty, Hello, Blue Roses is really a vehicle for his girlfriend, singer Sydney Vermont.
Portrait sounds like a 1960 psych-folk record. There are lots of flutes, and Vermont's soft, wispy voice coats the entire album in a laid-back haze. But Bejar does his best to counter the sleepiness with his twisty guitar riffs. "Heron Song" and "Shadow Falls" start off slow, but they quietly build beats till a thick sonic fog, which recalls David Bowie's more esoteric recordings, emerges. But these reference points are few and far between. Except for the poppy "St. Angela," Portrait is a sad and reflective record that has little in common with Bejar's previous work. Good thing there's a new Destroyer album coming soon.
