Music
Essays, blog posts, playlists, and more focused broadly on music. For more playlists visit my Spotify profile.
- Björk “The Music From Drawing Restraint 9” Review ()
Björk has made a handsome living from defining and recreating boundaries in the aural arts. One of the key characteristics made throughout her career has been the tremendous lack of separation between what is recorded and what her fans marvel at. As her career progresses she has been given the liberty of continually defining herself […]
- The Plot To Blow Up The Eiffel Tower “INRI” EP Review ()
San Diego’s The Plot To Blow Up The Eiffel Tower have been receiving quite a bit of recognition within the confines of modern indie, but when it comes to bands with more than 7 words in their names, this usually spells trouble. The band’s INRI EP successfully serves as a quick once over of the […]
- Zero 7 “The Garden” Review ()
Who is Zero 7? Remember that one movie with that one perfectly placed song? If the movie you’re thinking about was Garden State, chances are you already know Zero 7. However in an attempt to change what might be perceived as the duo’s image stemming from the success of 2004’s When It Falls (and exposure […]
- Gisli “How About That?” Review ()
Now living in Norway, Icelandic drummer/singer Gisli’s album How About That? comes as somewhat of a reminder as to what was both good and bad about one-man-band self-indulgence. On one hand, artistic freedom can allow a unique sound to blossom, but, sometimes a little outside input doesn’t hurt. With musical reference points plucked from just […]
- NOFX “Never Trust A Hippie” EP Review ()
The latest EP from NOFX, Never Trust A Hippie, serves as a precursor and introduction to the band’s album Wolves In Wolves’ Clothing. Through the band’s 23 years together it has provided a unique take on classic liberalism ranging from 1991’s blast on vegetarianism (Liberal Animation) or 2003’s response to Bush’s presidency (War on Errorism). […]
- Sonic Youth “Rather Ripped” Review ()
Once a mere footnote in a monolithic, vibrant art-rock scene, Sonic Youth now not only own the scene but have the power to adopt bands, tour selectively and afford whatever luxury an aged musical patriarch might want. But at what point in time did the band go from yet another voice in the crowd to […]
- Snow Patrol “Eyes Open” Review ()
Irish indie rockers Snow Patrol fell into fashion with the band’s 2003 release Final Straw. Blending into its surroundings Snow Patrol found popularity through the band’s fresh appeal; though in all reality it had been a long time coming. Forming in and around 1994, Snow Patrol reveals Eyes Open as the band’s fourth album, finding […]
- Gnarls Barkley “St. Elsewhere” Review ()
Stemming from a remix collaboration between the two, Danger Mouse and Cee-Lo present Gnarls Barkley as a collaborative experience far from either of the members’ brands. Danger Mouse recalls that “it’s not so much a Cee-Lo and Danger Mouse record as the two of us together being something else. There was kind of a different […]
- Mike Patton Interview ()
Mike Patton has one of the most expansive bodies of work in modern rock music, ranging from the now defunct multi-platinum selling Faith No More to recording with the thunderous math/noise rock band the Dillinger Escape Plan to multiple guest spots with avant jazz composer John Zorn. His most recent project, Peeping Tom, reveals collaborations […]
- The Sky Drops ()
Delaware collective The Sky Drops take an unlikely hypothetical question and answers it. While sitting around, a group of herbal aficionados might touch on some musical intellectualism from time to time and question whether or not stoner rock can flow seamlessly into a melodic pop-guitar crunch. A hypothetical response to such a question could be […]
- The Prototypes ()
Merely listening to Paris’ The Prototypes requires a number prerequisites, and if “(Don’t You) Forget About Me” doesn’t ring any bells with you, I’m afraid it might be a lost cause. The opening notes on “Je Ne Te Connais Pas” reminds me of something from The Breakfast Club, gutted, renovated and rejuvenated. As the current […]
- Hurra Torpedo ()
Norway’s Hurra Torpedo is unquestionably the world’s leading kitchen appliance rock group. What does that mean exactly? Well, it’s fairly self-explanatory, riffage and, uh, stoves and stuff. The Oslo band plays a solid brand of rock & roll with just enough shtick to pull of a solid rock show. As if Turbonegro-like cockiness doesn’t make […]
- Guiltmaker “Driven By Arms” EP Review ()
Guiltmaker is a band made up of former Florida-based hardcore bands and fall somewhere in between whatever is considered to be emo these days and indie rock. Shaun Drees and Dan Radde conceived the idea for the band and began work in 2004, eventually filling empty spots with former band-mates, and as for the band’s […]
- Victor Scott ()
Victor Scott, a London-born Vancouver musician, plays to the amusement of the ears within the context of a variety of genres. Before taking a seven year detour into the wonderful world of jazz guitar Scott found himself longing for more musically, and it was this search that brought him to John Zorn, Daniel Johnston and […]
- The Submarines: Declare A New State! Review ()
Longtime Boston natives The Submarines have a history every bit as unique as the duo’s sound. Blake Hazard attended Harvard (oh, and her great-grandfather was F. Scott Fitzgerald) met John Dragonetti through his job at the time, putting albums together for HepCat, A&M; and Sugar Free records, and the two began collaborating from there. Now […]
- The Vines “Vision Valley” Review ()
At the peak of the garage-rock revival, “Get Free” took The Vines to a state of stardom that most bands could only dream of. And after leaving a mark on every city, fan and reporter while touring the band shot back with the lackluster album, Winning Days. Despite an ongoing deal with Nissan to use […]
- ASG ()
Wrightsville Beach, North Carolina’s ASG bow down to whomever it is that may be the king(s) of rock these days, spouting influences along the likes of Queens of the Stone Age, Janes Addiction and In Flames. You say wild, I say yes. I am loving the snowballing boom of great deep south flavored un-stoner rock. […]
- The Lovely Feathers “Hind Hind Legs” Review ()
What an odd thing it is to compare other people of the same age to yourself, isn’t it? In my high school, someone a year ahead of me was drafted into the NHL. Nationally, the trend becomes bleaker. Lebron James was born over a year after I was. I can barely spit out “necessity” and […]
- Priestess ()
Let’s play a quick game: Wolfmother is to Australia as Priestess is to…Canada. The Montreal band one of a few is helping to give me the feeling that retro metal is coming back into fashion. There’s always been something about stoner rock that gets me down. It tends to seem far less melodic at times […]
- Ornament ()
It’s hard to say whether or not comparisons are generally a good thing. In one way, comparing two bands or musicians can give an audience an understanding of what to expect with unknown music. On the other hand, comparing Ornament’s “At The Gates” to much of what was on Moby’s Play could be taken in […]
- Nathan Asher and the Infantry ()
Raleigh, North Carolina’s Nathan Asher and the Infantry blend a unique brand of dim rock with a hidden Moog-like essence that serves to lure you in until you are captured in lyrical fascination. Winner of not only the 2005 John Lennon Song Writing Contest (Electronic) but The 2005 Great American Song Writing Contest (Rock/Alt), the […]
- “Invaders” Review ()
Kemado Records’s Invaders is an explosive 18-track release which comes as a culmination of just as many stoner-rock bands as it does different hard rock sounds. With a variety of previously unreleased tracks from bands like The Sword, Comets on Fire and Big Business combined with hard rock mainstays such as Pelican and High on […]
- The Raconteurs “Broken Boy Soldiers” Review ()
“Remember a time when all was not fine and up from the dingy sewers came four lousy thieves who flourished like trees behold The Raconteurs.” Or so reads the CD cover from the inaugural release from this Detroit-based band entitled Broken Boy Soldiers. The group is a culmination of Detroit musicians, including solo artist Brendan […]
- The Eighteenth Day Of May ()
There’s a fine line between folk and rock and it’s becoming ever foggier for me. London’s The Eighteenth Day of May might exemplify what I mean by this. Using instruments such as the classic autoharp and the viola along side the bass and guitar, the band harkens back to a sound that reminds me of […]
- Jemina Pearl & Jonas Stein (of Be Your Own PET) Interview ()
Be Your Own PET is one of the most exciting bands I’ve heard recently. The group of teenage rockers got together at the Nashville School of the Arts in 2002 and have already played some of the world’s most exclusive festivals and shows. Recently I was able to bounce a few questions off of guitarist […]
- Mellowdrone “Box” Review ()
Los Angeles-based Mellowdrone has most definitely seen its fair share of drama leading up to the release of Box. Whether is be Venezuelan-born guitarist and lead singer Jonathan Bates’ impeding series of meetings with record executives or lead guitarist Tony DeMatteo’s near fatal car accident, the band has had to take steps to ensure that […]
- Tingsek “Tingsek” Review ()
Malmo, Sweden native Magnus Tingsek’s self-titled debut album is a celebration of soulful Scandinavian lounge-rock. Tingsek, though only 27, got his musical feet wet long ago, playing various instruments with his brother while growing up. The two sang Depeche Mode and Beatles to each other and Magnus slowly grew into a wide variety of instruments. […]
- The Subways “Young For Eternity” Review ()
The Subways are a young band from England that epitomize modern DIY principles. After releasing a series of successful singles and 7″s the band began recording using a home studio and uploading their songs to the internet. Within no time The Subways were being praised by the late John Peel and playing prime festivals like […]
- Barb Yuhas (of I Object) Interview ()
The openly pro-choice, anti-war I Object is a band which looks to perservere within the DIY East Bay scene fueled by the recent release Teaching Revenge. After a bit of a line-up change the band has settled on a solid four piece and are about to embark on a two month tour of Europe. I […]
- David Bowie “Serious Moonlight” DVD Review ()
Initial hesitation to the teeth-grittingly-bad Davie Bowie of the early ‘80s that lived in my head shortly gave way to the real David Bowie of 1983 mere minutes into the footage. The Bowie I saw was powerful, sharp and even funky; I was witnessing the David Bowie who I never knew existed. There has always […]