Music Category

A while back I wrote “Rappers I’d Totally Kick it with in a Non-Sexual Way,” and in the name of more rapper-inspired lists that no one cares about but me, I’m coming back at ya with my list of rappers with the sexiest voices. Everyone always asks what got little ol’ white me into rap…well this is one of the reasons, albeit a very small one. Just a warning: some of these voices may be NSFW. I recommend having a change of underwear near by. Here we go:   5.Read More

Writtalin recently brought you 5 Rock Bands Who Peaked Way Too Early. Today, we bring you five bands Rivers Cuomo could take a few lessons from. These are bands that might have started out with an awesome sound, but still found a way to get better with age. This is rare, because fame, money, and drugs eat rock bands for breakfast. Led Zeppelin ended their reign with Presence, In Through the Out Door and Coda. Great current bands like Queens of the Stone Age can’t find an extra gear to eclipseRead More

As an artist, when people ask me about my influence and I say “Radiohead” they’ll either leave it at that – for fear of ensuing snobbery – or launch into a full on debate over the use of row boats in “Pyramid Song.” Appreciation surrounding the band is complex, but Radiohead’s my favorite band simply because no other group has made me appreciate music in such a meaningful way. It’s peculiar being a Radiohead fan, because we’re a marginal step away from a cult, and love to bicker at one anotherRead More

Some music groups evolve and get better with every single album they put out. However, other groups start out hot…and then regress for the rest of their musical careers. Here are five bands who started out with all sorts of promise, only to get mired in mediocrity.   #5 – The Killers Sometimes a band tries SO hard to evolve and experiment and grow that they find themselves instead regressing and devolving. Such is the case with the Killers. After breaking into the mainstream with 2004’s multi-platinum Hot Fuss, theRead More

I decided months ago that it was appropriate and ethical to be in my underwear during a phone interview for a potential job. But here I was faced with a new question of ethical dilemmatude: Is it acceptable to conduct a phone interview in my underwear? In the name of all things great and pantless, I decided Yes.  Always and of course.  Basically, it is encouraged. Camila Grey, lead singer and guitarist of Uh Huh Her had a smokey, easy voice that probably would have gotten me out of myRead More

Wanting something that isn’t real. Reaching for someone as they walk away. Looking for something you can never find. These are the dire themes of Lost in the Dream, arguably the best album released thus far in 2014. In the most concrete sense, Lost in the Dream is about The War on Drugs bandleader Adam Granduciel cruising Philadelphia’s midnight streets while mourning a relationship. He’s broken up, but he hasn’t moved on. He can’t figure out why things went wrong, because the more he searches for truth the further awayRead More

1. ‘Merica Every year, Bonnaroo tells the story of America in four days. People come to a 600-acre farm in Middle America hoping for the best but not knowing what to expect. Massive amounts of dollar bills are exchanged, people get drunk, friends are made, and on Monday you have the worst case of Mondays this side of Mike Judge’s imagination. Bonnaroo offers everything for everyone. You can watch the World Cup while eating a grass fed hamburger and drinking a microbrew. You can watch Skrillex, Damien Marley, Robbie Krieger,Read More

NOTE: This post was co-written by Writtalin contributors Cat Hausler and Sophie Tahran. The two are besties and life-long festival buddies. It’s been four weeks to the day since we started on our journey to Sasquatch. No, we’re not talking about going on a quest to find the giant, furry monster that supposedly haunts the Pacific Northwest, but the epic three-day music festival that stole our hearts. This year’s Sasquatch was our first, and after the amazing time we had, it most likely won’t be our last. Here’s a breakdownRead More

As we move further into the 2010s, many bands seem to be dropping the “indie” from their indie pop moniker in favor of the straight-forward melodies and smooth production that dominate the Top 40 airwaves.  Not that that’s necessarily a bad thing.  For every Imagine Dragons that trades in their quality for popularity, there is a group that effortlessly thrives on sweet, melodic pop music. Take DC threesome Jukebox the Ghost for instance.  Buoyed by frontman Ben Thornewill’s powerful, crooning voice and melodious piano hooks, they prove that pop musicRead More

Nowadays, it’s not a matter of whether or not you’ll pony up $400 to attend your local 3-day music festival, but rather which one you’ll go to. We’ve all heard of Coachella and Lollapalooza, but those behemoths have birthed a whole sea of imitators across the nation.  From Firefly and Governor’s Ball on the East Coast to Outside Lands, Bottle Rock and Sasquatch on the Pacific and all the Bonnaroos, EDCs and Austin City Limits in between, it now seems impossible to drive a hundred miles without an expensive, overstuffed showcaseRead More

Lana Del Rey, even with her melancholy vocals and brooding melodies, is far from epitomizing what being sad really is. If for whatever reason you’re having a rough start to your summer, here are ten of the saddest songs ever written to send you deeper into your dark place.     #10: Modest Mouse – “Little Motel” Whether you interpret “Little Motel” as referring to a divorce, a disintegrating relationship, or even the loss of a loved one, there is nothing happy about this track. Isaac Brock’s subtle vocals overRead More

Ahhh summer, the time of year when new music blossoms just as the flowers do. Here are my Top 5 Artists to look out for this summer:   Sia   Sia isn’t exactly an unknown artist. She has written hit songs for artists such as Katy Perry, Rihanna and Beyonce. However, after the success of her featured vocals on hits such as Titanium and Wild Ones it is no surprise that she would attempt mainstream success herself. Recently, Sia released the lead single off her new album “Chandelier” which has alreadyRead More

Streetz 94.5: You’ve been spendin’ all your life livin’ in a gangsta’s paradise. You’re a hoodrat with a dark past and you’ve done some things you’re not proud of, like listen to a T-Pain song every once in a while. You’re the slightly more underground version of Hot 107.9, meaning you’re the underdog but you’re on the come up. I respect your hustle. V-103: You’re smoother than a baby’s bottom stuffed in a tiny velour track suit. You’ve got the moves that make all the ladies swoon, and the fact thatRead More

In modern music, true musicianship, true composition, has largely gone by the wayside. Relatable lyrics, power chords, and computer-automated sheen has become the norm. However, there exist several groups, generally categorized as “post-rock,” that continue to focus on the music – the real nuances and complexities of melody, progression, and instrumentation – to create sonic soundscapes that allow a listener to truly lose themselves in the sound and the environment it creates. Perhaps the best known band in the genre is Austin’s Explosions in the Sky, who have found breakthroughRead More

Here in the North West sector of our country, the rain has let up (sort of), school’s out (for those who are students and don’t go to U of O or any other school on the god forsaken quarter system), and people are trading in pants and flannels for shorts and tanks (they’re not), which means… It’s time for Sasquatch, the Northwest’s premier annual music festival!   For those of you who are unfamiliar, Sasquatch is a three-day, outdoor music festival stationed on the cliffs of the Colombia River Gorge.Read More