Blogs
Porque no los Dos: Helado Negro, "Double Youth"
Courtesy of Asthmatic Kitty. A Pitchfork review described Helado Negro's latest LP Double Youth as “an exercise in reconciling forgotten artifacts with present memories.Û It's clear that even in his fourth album, the son of...
Feedback: Music Out of the Middle Kingdom – 4 of Mainland China’s Best Artists
Courtesy of DongDong. Keep a finger on the pulse of East Asia's up-and-coming musicians and you might first hear the heart of K-Pop's color or Japanese eccentricities. Sometimes it takes deep listening to find a nice tune from mainland China. China's careful...
The Tough Crowd: "In the Bin" in Frederick, MD
Courtesy of the author / Sheetz foreverSometimes I go on spur of the moment adventures. This Saturday morning I woke up early on my own accord and decided I was going to Frederick to go antique shopping. I had never been to this specific spot in Maryland...
Pop Exodus: A Chat about Marina and the Diamonds, “FrootÛ
Courtesy of The Line of Best Fit. Carson and her friend (and "official pop culture consultant"), Olivia, give a track-by-track review of the new album from Marina and the Diamonds. Carson: Have you listened to this album before? Olivia: Nope, this...
Homemade: Denver
Courtesy of CBS Denver. Normally when talking about Denver, one does not immediately think of the city's blooming music scene. When thinking of Colorado's capital, normally the things that come to one's mind are mountains, marijuana and skiing (which, I...
Zen Palette: A Journey through Paris
Ah, Paris; the city of lights, love, fine food, fine wine and fine music. If you follow me on social media, you might've figured out that I visited Paris over spring break. Parisian house music has always been one of my main inspirations for wanting to...
The Current: The Jigsaw Puzzle of SXSW
Courtesy of Do512.In my personal utopia, I'm not currently in D.C., but rather in Austin, Texas. When I hear Texas I think of Sandy from SpongeBob, cowboy boots, barbeque, and Republicans. Basically, a laundry list of my dislikes. However, South by Southwest...
Built To Spill, "Living Zoo" (Warner Bros.)
Old School 90's indie rock by veterans of the sceneBuilt To Spill are back with their first album in over 5 years, and continue to solidify their place as one of the most influential and heartwarming indie rock bands to come out of the '90s. The first single from the...
Summer Cannibals, "Show Us Your Mind" (New Moss)
Modern punk with intelligence and attitude.Summer Cannibals' newest record "Show Us Your Mind" is a modern punk record dripping with attitude. Low, low bass, electrified riffs, and in-your-face integral drumming make for some of the catchiest, tightest, and edgiest...
Grooms, "Comb the Feelings Through Your Hair" (Western Vinyl)
Psychedelic DreampopComb the Feelings Through Your Hair is super psychedelic. Layered and complex, it envelops the listener into a dreamy daze of dreamy, synth-laden pop and rows them down a maple syrup river into a candy cane dreamland. Singer Travis Johnson's...
Matthew E. White, "Fresh Blood" (Domino)
70s-esque groovy soulful and soft indie rock Singer-songwriter Matthew E. White is back with his second album after releasing his debut Big Inner three years ago. White's music is reminiscent of 70's soft rock and soul music with a great retro vibe to it. White's...
Bonson Berner, "Reflection" (Forty Below Records)
Seductive Synth-pop Listening to Berner's sophomore effort Reflection is the equivalent to drinking smooth liquor while taking a train ride into the desert. Bonson has a seductive, crooning way of singing that is equally relaxing as it is enticing. He creates an...
The Prefab Messiahs, "Keep Your Stupid Dreams Alive" (Burger/KYLAM)
Burger garage rock made not by twenty-year-olds.Following Burger record's reissue of their Devolver Anthology two years ago or so, vintage garage band the Prefab Messiahs have hit the studio again to produce the eight songs of Keep Your Stupid Dreams Alive. The music...
Pell, "Floating While Dreaming" (self-released)
Dynamic New Orleans young rapper…with a dream The clean version of Floating While Dreaming is still pretty good, and I see potential for Pell. He has some cool lyrics and dream-like vibe — which is fitting considering he calls his music “dream rap.” His...
San Cisco, "Gracetown" (RCA)
A poet at a beachy coffee shop in Venice Beach is playing this My very first impression of San Cisco was that this was a really fun band that makes catchy, indie surfer sounds, but later on I realized their lyrics are as cool as their beat. Gracetown is chill and...
Keep Ya Head Up: "To Pimp A Butterfly" Secures Kendrick’s Title
Courtesy of L.A. Times.Kendrick Lamar's much anticipated third album, second under a major label, was released last Sunday night, a full week before the scheduled release date of March 23rd. While it's unclear whether the moved up release was...
Another Kind of Currency: On Music Taste, Acceptance and a Sense of Belonging
Courtesy of Fitting It All In. This week, I've decided not to do any lyrical analysis but just write about a few feelings I've had about music for a while. Mainly in the way people judge others for their musical tastes. A day does not go by that I'm...
Feedback: Rotating Around the Core – Music That Makes Change Consistent
Courtesy of Portugal. The Man. In the wide world of music, change can spell the end of a band ÛÒ or, in some rare cases, change gives that band an identity all its own. In most cases bands fall into a groove and alter their albums around it as they go. But out...
The Tough Crowd: Goodwill Part II
Courtesy of Billboard. The Store: This week is a continuation of my adventures to Goodwill. Since realizing that real life means spending money when you don't want to, this week's budget was a little light. I'm sure most college kids don't always have the...
Pop Exodus: An In-Depth Analysis of Tom Hanks in Carly Rae Jepsen’s Pop Song of the Year “I Really (Really Really Really Really Really Really) Like You"
After a brief overview of the “Guitar String/Wedding Ring” hitmaker's latest musical masterpiece, I was only able to see that Tom Hanks either doesn't know how to lip sync or doesn't know the lyrics to a song with the word “really” in it 67...
The Current: Yeezy Boosts – An Analysis of Musicians as Everything but Musicians
Courtesy of The Lala Report.Like most other millennials,' I begin basically any task assigned to me by going straight to Google. It's like there exists some sort of direct pathway from my mind to the search engine, which is convenient but also quite...
Keep Ya Head Up: If You’re Reading This Drake is Still Drake
Courtesy of NY Daily News.Drake's If You're Reading This It's Too Late was released the night before Valentine's Day (so Drake) this past month without any prior announcement or fanfare and within 3 days sold 495,000 copies. All 17 songs off the...
The Tough Crowd: Smash It Up
The Store: Smash! RecordsI'm going to be a little bold here and say if you live in DC and haven't found yourself at Smash Records yet, you are doing it wrong, and I will personally volunteer to drive you there to prove it. Back in my days as a lonely freshman...
Pop Exodus: Probably Better Than a Bunch of Hollywood Directors Anyway!
Courtesy of MTV. Have you ever wanted to direct a music video for a song you loved more than life itself, but have neither the money nor actual skill to do so? Me too. It sucks, so I wrote up a basic synopsis of some imaginary videos for songs I listen to on...
Zen Palette: Get to Know Tülpa
Courtesy of Alaya. A year ago, I came across Babel's track “Life of Eve feat. LÌ´psley” remixed by Tülpa. Immediately, I fell in love with the low-key, melodic and ethereal track. I even included it in a mix that was featured by 8tracks...
Minutia: Pile – "You’re Better Than This"
Courtesy of Stereogum.You're Better Than This is not the album that will allow the uninitiated to understand the cult appeal of Pile. If anything else, it's the complete opposite. Song structures are labyrinthine, relentlessly challenging any convention or formula...
Krill, "A Distant Fist Unclenching" (Exploding in Sound/Double Double Whammy)
Scrappy Boston indie heroes prove themselves cultworthyOn Distant Fist, Krill's clever garage pop has made a giant leap into a bigger sound and a more ambitious songwriting style. Ian Becker's exuberant, huge-sounding drums and Jonah Furman's powerful bass lines...
Smithfield Bargain, "Buttonwillow" (self-released)
Cute, quirky, bluesy, acoustic talentsSmithfield Bargain's sound on is thick, with harmonies deep and sweet. Buttonwillow features superb musicianship and superb singing. For those who appreciate acoustic guitars, thick upright bass, strings, and even some brass,...
Drug Cabin, "Yard Work" (401K Music Inc.)
Are you going on a camping trip in an RV through the mountains? At first I thought this was John Mayer and then I heard the vocals and it sounded like a woman because the vocals are quite high pitched. But I like it. The duo make calming, good for anytime tunes. I...
Jeff Rosenstock, "We Cool?" (SideOneDummy)
High-energy alternative/punk about growing up, feeling bad, and all the folks you love“Malt liquor doesn't make you youngÛ. An amusing but slightly sober (no pun intended) line from the opening track, “Get Old ForeverÛ, that is a good introduction to the lyrical...