Blogs

Exhaustingly optimistic Hailing out of Montreal, the Sam Roberts Band experimented with self-discovery and used it as the anchor for their most recent LP. There are catchy riffs exuding out of guitars that will be hypnotic to many listeners. It isn‰'t anything too out...

Storytelling, synths and supernatural Just one year ago I found myself up against the stage of a dark Austin, TX bar as two mysterious women opened their mouths to let something inside them escape. What I heard haunted me as hypnotic drumming and static drones...

Well done psych-punk debut. On their debut album, Montreal-based band PYPY (like the Greek letter you‰'d recognize from math class) marry psychedelic rock and classic punk. With elements ranging from shredding 60s-style guitar solos to hard, fast, repetitive 70s punk...

Guitar heavy instrumental. Indie and ambient sound. Woodsman is an instrumental band that uses guitars and percussions to create a sound that gives an rhythmic outdoor feeling. Songs like “Obsidian” are much more mellow and have sonic flares throughout the...

Submit thyself before the alter of psych! On the eighth day of the British Invasion, God created the mellotron, and banished the verse-chorus-verse song structure to hell! Since then, tens of thousands of teenagers and twenty-somethings have brushed the strands of...

Whimsical and exuberantly poppy. The first track of this EP may take you by surprise, the title “Pretty Colors‰” is definitely appropriate because that is in fact what the lyrical content is all about; there is actually a part of the song where Sable Young lists...

Reverbed guitar goodness This duo rising out of Montreal could eventually create as much hype as our beloved Japandroids, but they have quite a ways to go. Xavier Germain-Poitras‰' reverbed and distorted guitar playing pounds away constantly in all ten songs. Although...

Rootsy and smart modern rock Dynamic rock band US Royalty, from right here in Washington, D.C., has put out a reflective, rootsy sophomore album. The band expertly combines occasional reverb, soulful guitar riffs, deep basslines, and punchy percussion to make for an...

Edgy, creative indie-pop. Bear Hands‰' newest album has all the best qualities of indie pop. The album opener, “Moment of Silence‰” builds into an upbeat, passionate dance-y track with positive lyrics. Then, the band launches into several edgy tracks with a focus on...

Drifts, but doesn‰'t wander. I didn‰'t even know I liked acid country. You will, just try it out. They call their sound “acid country‰” but they mean it in the best kind of way. Web of Sunsets‰' album is all of the good things about country- they don‰'t rush anything,...

Maturity and confidence, like your lonely, interesting, talented aunt who can sing. Ane Brun compiled the best of her work since 2003, re-recording five of her top songs, and unveiling some unreleased tracks in a 32 track album. The compilation is everything you would...

In its baby stages…. Arthur Beatrice is not an individual, but instead a group of four from London. The group sticks to simplicity- barely there beats on some tracks, while others feature more pressing rhythms and a touch of synth. They fall under the indie pop...

Heartfelt storytelling on his own terms Primarily known from his work with Disclosure, Sam Smith and his blossoming solo career only feature a handful of tracks at the moment; however, his most recent release leaves listeners yearning for a debut album schedule to...

Consider me brought to the yard I don‰'t want to say that “Jerk Ribs,‰” the newest single by Kelis, is “life changing,‰” but whenever I try to describe this single, that is all I can say. The single features blaring horns, jiving bass, and a heartfelt sound leaves me...

Ambient lush pop romantics NO formed when the bass player and frontman ended their respective relationships; and that sums up story they‰'re trying to tell. Following their debut EP in 2011, Los Angeles based NO continued to channel the aura of failed romance to...

An urban folk odyssey that can‰'t decide what it is The latest from anti-folk hero Hamell On Trial starts with a one two punch of six minute stories, the first a sermon on the redemptive virtues of rock and roll (“Artist In America‰Û), the second, the title track, a...

Easy, breezy electro-pop One time I was in New York City with my family, and my sister wanted to go into the big Forever 21 store, where they played a lot of generic electro/pop/house stuff that seemed to blur together into one sugary wane of numbness. Orthy‰'s music...

This is a tough one For as stark as Ghettoville can be sometimes be, it is a dense, wildly abstract piece of work. This won‰'t come as a shock to those who have been following Actress up until this point, but for the average listener, some patience is needed. The...

A wavy, soulful expression of self In a journey to create the most personal expression of music, Gabriel Garzün-Montano has put every aspect of himself into his debut EP, “Bishoune: Alma del Huila.” Each strum of the bass, each shake of the tambourine,...

Quick paced garage rock The quick paced rock and roll sound of Shelters can be heard on their new EP, Penny Gaff. Most songs are short and punchy, like “Les Fleurs Du Mal” and “For The Lovers,” which use quick power chords over clear vocals....

Punchy Rock and Roll “Shiner‰” is a 4 song EP by the fairly new band Mainland who have assembled from New York, California and Texas. The four person band makes fast rock and roll music with the use of classic rock and roll riffs and add in synths that give the music...

Indie sounding Passion Pit but more dynamic and just better. CYMBALS is a London electronic band whose newest album includes eleven tracks ranging in length from one minute up to nine minutes. The album starts and finishes with two songs in French, “French in the...

Mellow indie-rock similar to Local Natives. Cosmos starts with the song “Terrors,” which brings in ambient sound with guitars underneath the vocals. Punchy power chords highlight the chorus, but these same ambient sounding guitars fall behind most of the...

Making big strides with shoegaze influences. In their previous EP released back in 2012, Is/Is began scratching the surface of the genre we love and know as shoegaze. After spending almost an entire three years on tour, cooped up in a small, beaten-down minivan, the...