Blogs

  Beets frontman offers up strong solo debut N.A.P. is the first solo album from Juan Wauters, first on the scene in 2006 with his folk punk band, The Beets – the first band to start the Captured Tracks label. The Wauters family came to America from Uruguay, Juan...

  Cool and psychedelic 2014 is a highly anticipated year for the all-female, psychedelic band, Warpaint. The quartet embodies a spectrum of emotions with songs that can seem dark and sinister while others reveal a raw vulnerability. This vulnerability can be...

  Sweet, psychedelic pop-rock Quilt‰'s newest release, Held In Splendor, showcases the band holding life in splendor indeed. Much of the album seems like a springtime trance, with dreamy vocals over rolling bass and poppy percussion. Delicate guitar melodies...

  A soundtrack without a film, but not without value Listening to this album without the accompanying screenplay provides a different experience than Gambino intended. For example, the groan-inducing hash-tag rap punchlines (“I got penthouses on both coasts, pH...

  Rawk On Not wanting to go down as just another So-Cal garage punk group, together PANGEA tack the familiar trappings of the genre and marry it with the muscle and mania of grunge, creating a sonic beast on a mission to drink, party and feel like crap about it...

  Indie-Rock, Pop, Groovy The problem I find with a lot of indie-pop and indie-rock these days is a lack of originality. Thankfully, on Hospitality‰'s new album Troubled there is everything but generic pop music. Amber Papini is the lead singer of this Brooklyn...

  The boys are back Dylan Baldi is a genius. With each Cloud Nothings album, he expands his musicality. It‰'s hard to believe that less than four years ago he recorded his first LP in his parents‰' basement and released it as a solo album. Since then, he has...

  Dutch dudes making seriously infectious garage rock Don’t let this band’s name overshadow their potential. The four rockers from the Netherlands debut with a record packed with energy, rebellion, and seriously impressive playing. There’s something to be said...

  “Hooky-punk rock’n‘roll neon explosion into the future‰Û Super Party Fun Time! is the most appropriately named album a DJ could ask for and I would argue one of the most universally appealing. The band might be a bit of a joke, but it‰'s so worth the...

  Rootsy traditionalism It‰'s no secret that Jack White is a sucker for old timey roots music, and the latest release from his Third Man Factory of Dreams is a clear reflection of that. Produced by roots guitar hero Ry Cooder, The Haden Triplets is a treasure...

  What happens when you strip down Known for writing sweeping, generously produced pseudo-anthems like “The Funeral‰” and “No One‰'s Ever Gonna Love You,‰” Band of Horses might not seem like the first choice to play an acoustic set, let alone an acoustic set at...

  Mellow dreams and power vocalist With consistent low-fi energy and soulful female vocals, this indie-pop Baltimore group sounds like the best night‰'s sleep you‰'ve ever had. With steady and tame drums and lullabye organs, the Mt. Royal creates a great dynamic...

  Alt-pop London power duo Coming off a tour with Chvrches, this London duo had more than enough steam to release debut album Galore and jump right back into a headlining tour. If nothing else, the alt-pop album radiates a feel-good energy akin to blooming spring...

  Instrumental cuts for a journey to nowhere This no-frills instrumental album couldn’t have a more fitting title. Long Car Rides plays like a mixtape of short, pleasant beats to accompany a trip to who-knows-where. Producer Keto creates a dreamy vibe throughout...

  Minimalistic electro pop Chiaroscuro, Swedish band I Break Horse‰'s sophomore album minimalistic approach to the usually blaring electronic indie scene. Starting out with “You Burn‰” which is a slow burn that drifts into “Fade‰Û, I Break Horse‰'s creates a...

  Abrasive, guitar-driven post-punk with the occasional soft spot It’s pretty bold to claim, as Jack Name does in the title of the first song on his new album Light Show to have your “own Electric Ladyland.” It’s even bolder when you consider that the song in...

  Angsty synth-heavy indie pop At their best, Camera2 make beautifully layered, impossibly catchy, dancefloor-ready synth-pop. Songs like “Appetite” and “Freak Show,” the first two on their new EP, reveal the band’s bright and infectious grooviness. In both of...

  Sexy synth-rock. Kansas synth rockers Noise FM offer up a charged, provocative album that would be most at home in a dingy underground club. The album is high energy throughout, with dominant, grooving basslines and super catchy choruses and lines, all with...

  A folk album that will mend your broken heart. Peggy Sue has been around for the past ten years, in which they have undergone a few name changes, released multiple LPs, and toured with a lot of popular artists emerging from England. Despite all of this, the...

  A synthy, upbeat indie rock album For those who love synthesizers, bumpin‰' beats, a small dose of guitars, and males who have decent voices that can carry a tune, look no further than Gardens and Villa‰'s album, Dunes. The album is an easy listen, and will...

  The National on Xanax The artists formerly known as We Are Augustines kick of their new record ready to fill some stadiums and touch some teenaged hearts. Think of everything you like about the National, the spacious, swelling instrumentation, the...

  Shoegaze, psych, mellow Deerhunter with a little Arctic Monkeys Brooklyn based band, Invisible Days, has released their self-titled EP with six new tracks. The band, who has released two singles and one other EP, plays very accessible shoegaze, chill and psych...

  Showcasing some of Minnesota‰'s finest Twinkie Jiggles, also known as Sean McPherson, is a Minnesotan bassist who has been a key player in the Twin Cities Hip-Hop industry for years. His latest creation, Too Big To Fail, has brought together a wide array of...

  A Soulful, Bluesy, Jazzy, Old School Sound Former contestant on NBC‰'s The Voice, Jessica Childress has such a powerful voice drawing comparisons to soul legends like Diana Ross. She takes this sound and expresses it in rock, blues and jazz settings, in...

  Another Run of the mill “blues-rock‰” duo It seems that in recent years, any guitar/drums duo playing some form of raw rock music is inevitably compares to The White Stripes and The Black Keys and labeled as either garage rock, blues rock or blues-punk. Such is...