Smoke & Fire. Have you ever heard that one track that makes you stop for a second and consider the beauty that is music, and the way it can affect each and every one of us so differently? Especially in today’s world? So much of the music produced is thrown aside simply because it’s in one genre or the other, or because so-and-so made it and they have beef with another person and therefore you, good conscious moral you, can’t listen to it on principle. But then you’ll hear the
Read MorePunk rock and basketball certainly aren’t the first things that come to mind upon listening to singer-songwriter Stefan Pruett’s debut single, but both make up the cornerstone of “Carefree” – a smooth slice of 80s dream pop that plays like a lost track from The Breakfast Club and the National’s first foray into EDM. If that sounds like an earful, listen and judge for yourself: If the culture clash of punk and hoops isn’t immediately apparent, Pruett wouldn’t blame you. The evolution of his music into the dark pop
Read MoreScottish rock instrumentalists Mogwai – a group that I reviewed a few months ago – are back with an EP to follow up their 2014 Rave Tapes album. The 6-track EP, titled Music Industry 3 Fitness Industry 1 features three new songs recorded during the Rave Tapes sessions, and three remixes of album tracks. The EP has spawned the single “Teenage Exorcists,” one of the bands most catchy and ambitious vocal tracks to date. Music Industry 3 Fitness Industry 1 is available on iTunes here, but first, take a listen to the single on SoundCloud,
Read MoreThis past Wednesday marked a glorious occasion for fans of dance-along, paint-your-face indie pop. Giddy, metro rock outfit Walk the Moon – still selling out shows on the back of their massively successful second album – released a taste of what’s next in the form of the whimsical dance floor track “Shut Up and Dance.” The Ohio foursome – comprised of members Nicholas Petricca, Kevin Ray, Sean Waugaman and Eli Maiman – have spent the summer supporting Panic! at the Disco on their Gospel Tour, but it appears that they
Read MoreEven 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 unique
Read MoreJack White, “Just One Drink” Jack White will always be known The White Stripes. Jack and Meg brought cool and intrigue back to rock and roll and created “Seven Nation Army,” which has one of the most recognizable riffs in music history. The White Stripes are retired and Jack is now an indie mogul in Nashville with his own record company, two side project bands, and his own solo career. He’s touring right now behind Lazaretto his second solo album and playing two and a half hour concerts with set
Read MoreLooking for some new tunes to stick on a playlist, impress your friends, or find your new favorite band? You’re in luck. Here are three summer jams to rock your weekend! 1. A Sunny Day in Glasgow, “In Love With Useless” For fans of: Passion Pit, Grimes, Dirty Projectors Windows down, top up, sunglasses on, hats off. This is the song of the summer for people with ADD. 2. Strand of Oaks, “Same Emotion” For fans of: Dinosaur Jr., My Morning Jacket Guitar solos, anthemic lyrics, a wall of
Read MoreWanting 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 away
Read MoreAs 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 music
Read MoreThe scene around the Newport Music Hall in Columbus, OH is familiar. This place is as stereotypical as a concert venue gets; old-timey, even. There’s a marquee above the door, advertising that day’s show on one edge and the upcoming six on the other. The doors are closed, covered in graffiti unpainted and untouched in the two plus years I’d been coming to shows here, almost like a point of pride. The line stretches long but not as long as I’d expected. Usually it trails up the sidewalk at least
Read MoreI truly believe that the hallmark of any great artist, of any great musical outfit, is the ability to evolve musically, to grow personally, and to have every new album serve as a showcase for that latest great step forward. There is little more impressive than progress. Against Me!‘s latest album, the deeply personal Transgender Dysphoria Blues, not only represents a bold new step for the band and frontwoman Laura Jane Grace – it represents a colossal step forward for the LGBT society, and hell, the American public at large. If Transgender
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