Courtesy of Brooklyn Vegan We're not even a month into 2014 and already 2013 pales in comparison. Unannounced, Pile released their colossal 7-minute single, “Special Snowflakes.” After seeing the song live and having the air vacuumed right out of my lungs, all the...
Uncategorized
Shaken Not Stirred: Dave Van Ronk
The revival of folk music is in full swing. With artists like The Tallest Man on Earth and Jake Bugg, this American music form, popularized in the 1960s, has earned a spot in the hearts of our generation. Woody Guthrie and Bob Dylan undoubtedly played major roles in...
Shaken Not Stirred: Protest Music
I'm always intrigued by music with an intended purpose, music with a clear and straightforward agenda. I'm not talking about the repetitive expression of love or the overanalyzed pain of heartbreak, but music with the goal of arousing complex thought and devotion to...
Gem Club – In Roses (Hardly Art)
Might make you cry, but like, in a good way. Most of Gem Club’s songs follow a pretty simple, yet powerfully emotive formula: synth and vocal tracks are looped over the slow, almost drone-like cello playing of Kristen Drymala,, which is joined by Christopher Barnes’...
Damien Jurado – Brothers and Sisters of the Eternal Sun (Secretly Canadian)
Straight out of a 70s rock band Brothers and Sisters of the Eternal Sun is Damien Jurado's psychedelic indie rock send up to the brash and smokey bands before him. A collaboration with Richard Swift of The Shins, the album fuses dark lyrics with vibrant dizzying...
Leading Ladies: Sweden’s Naomi Pilgrim, Prepares for Debut
It looks like 2014 will be another exciting year for music. Newer, fresher musicians will be making their debut and one of the standouts for the class of 2014 will be Naomi Pilgrim. With a debut EP set for release this year, Pilgrim will be venturing out into the...
Dum Dum Girls – Too True (Sub Pop)
A more optimistic, extended edition of End of Daze. The five songs that compiled the Dum Dum Girls' EP, End of Daze, released two short years ago was a small gift to the music world, with each song serving as an anthem. The group has returned with a full-length album...
Kenna – Relations (Dim Mak)
A mostly on-the-mark offering of new-wave grooves This five-track release culls together three previously released mixtape features, coupled with two remixes of the title track. “Relations,” co-produced by Chad Hugo of The Neptunes, boasts a funky instrumental with...
Against Me! – Transgender Dysphoria Blues (Total Treble)
Long-awaited, honest punk rock answer to some complicated questions. Following a tumultuous year for Against Me!, especially frontwoman Laura Jane Grace, the band has released their first album on their own label, Total Treble Music. The album deals with Laura...
James Vincent McMorrow – Post Tropical (Vagrant)
Giving James Blake a run for his money. There is no denying that Early in the Morning was far more than just a solid folk album. However, Post Tropical is a radical departure into a genre that is just now finding itself. The album makes a significant contribution to...