alternative Tag

Fans of British jangle pop rejoice! The 1975 will return later this afternoon with their new single “Love Me,” which drops at approximately 4PM/PST. How can we be so sure, you ask? Two weeks ago, the notoriously cryptic band posted a countdown on the splash page of their website teasing only that something big was on the horizon. Well, the short wait and speculation are both over. // L O V E M E – H O T T E S T R E C O R D – TRead More

Even those who frequent Pitchfork and BIRP might have a difficult time stumbling upon a certain quintet of upstarts from Hamilton, Ontario. Funny, considering that Arkells all the rage on the Canadian indie scene, amassing the Juno Awards (the Canadian Grammy) for New Group of the Year in 2010 and Group of the Year in 2012. A brief journey through their discography is all it takes to see why. Their debut album Jackson Square announced them as a loud, persistent force backed by a subtle Motown influence and a uniqueRead 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

Believe it or not, nine years have passed since a little known five-piece from San Diego burst onto the scene and into the ears of every American with a melancholy, beautiful power-ballad by the name of “Boston.” Seemingly overnight, Augustana – the creation of crooning frontman Dan Layus – found themselves thrust into the mainstream. “Boston” appeared on everything from MTV’s TRL (THAT WAS STILL A THING!) to episodes of Scrubs and One Tree Hill, and was played repeatedly on every major radio station. The song went on to becomeRead More

No working musician today seems less concerned about the changing landscape of rock and roll than Jack White.  On June 10th the eclectic singer-songwriter will drop his sophomore solo album Lazaretto, yet another collection of fuck-you rock and Southern sensibility that we’ve come to expect since he and Meg burst onto the scene thirteen years ago with White Blood Cells.  We’ve already gotten a taste of what’s to come with the ferociously gritty title track and the Icky Thump-esque instrumental “High Ball Stepper.”  Bent on teasing us further, White justRead More

What’s in a name?  For a band like Metallica or Five Finger Death Punch the answer may be obvious.  Others are a little harder to peg.  Take Australia’s Birds of Tokyo for instance.  For a first time listener, it isn’t instantly clear what to expect when you hit the play button on Spotify.  “I’m not sure we really know either,” admits BoT guitarist Adam Spark.  Sound check is in full swing at Los Angeles’ Bootleg HiFi, so he and lead singer Ian Kenny are tucked in a back room withRead More

Rock and roll has always been a bit of a boy’s club, but don’t tell that to Alex Kandel, frontwoman of Kentucky’s Sleeper Agent. The rooftop lounge of Hollywood’s Bardot is packed with bodies and the stage seems impossibly small for the six-piece Bowling Green outfit, yet Alex still commands the room, bounding through the band’s energetic twist of alt-rock like a young, fiery Joan Jett.  Backed by real-life fiancé Tony Smith on guitar and vocals, she and her scrappy band of misfits turn it way past eleven after openerRead More