March 2013
10 posts
ALBUM REVIEW: CAKES DA KILLA – THE EULOGY
Cakes Da Killa- The Eulogy
8.6
“The Eulogy”, by New York rapper Cakes Da Killa, is the album Nikki Minaj would have made last year if she weren’t such a pussy. “The most clinically insane cunt bitch up in the game” raps his off as the pitch of his voice warps over hyped up vocal samples and claps. Speaking of the beats, they compete with Cakes himself as the highlight of the tape. The...
SXSRumors
SXSRumors
In case you haven’t heard yet, the internet is blowing up today with rumors of who is playing SXSW this year, and so far it’s been crazy. Here’s a rundown of everyone’s been talking about today.
The Perez HIlton party is going to have a special guest who is a Grammy winning artist that is likely to be Alicia Keys.
Lil Wayne is rumored to be playing the Vevo...
#Southie: Blog/Rest Comprehensive Guide to SXSW...
#Southie: Blog/Rest’s Comprehensive Guide to SXSW 2013
As y’all know, the annual mayhem that is SXSW (or Southie, as the locals apparently call it) has begun. While there are negatives to that such as extreme traffic, long lines, and huge crowds, it also means that there is the opportunity to see pretty much every musician that gets talked about on the internet these days. There’s literally...
ALBUM REVIEW: JOHNNY MARR
Album Review- Johnny Marr: The Messenger
7
This album has been available for listen for about a month now, so I’m a little late on this review…Or am I? Maybe I did it as a metaphor for the fact that Johnny Marr’s solo album came out a little late. Like a good 15 years. Mr. Marr has been around the music scene post- Smiths for while now, working with different artists here and there. His...
February 2013
51 posts
ALBUM REVIEW: ATOMS FOR PEACE
Atoms For Peace- AMOK
7.8
“’Atoms for Peace’ was the title of a speech delivered by U.S. President Dwight D. Eisenhower to the UN General Assembly in New York City on December 8, 1953.
‘I feel impelled to speak today in a language that in a sense is new-‘”
Oh wait, wrong Wikipedia article. Here you go:
“Atoms For Peace is an supergroup formed in late 2009…The group consists...
Album Reviews: Psychic Ills & Hilly Eye
Psychic Ills – One Track Mind
6.7
One Track Mind, the fourth record from Brooklyn psych-rock stalwarts is an enjoyable listen. It’s best described as 8 songs of unassuming background psych-rock for a lazy day. These are definitely stoner jams, nice to listen to with a few catchy hooks but ultimately not a ton going on. Some of the best psych-rock incorporates ultra-catchy hooks or large amounts...
WatchDavid Bowie - The Stars (Are Out Tonight)
If you were sitting around studying or watching television on this Monday night and thought to yourself, hey it would be really cool if David Bowie released an NSFW video starring Tilda Swinton and himself for his latest album, then you’re in luck! The video exists, features younger (alien?) like people dressed up as David Bowie who occasionally...
EP Reviews: Fear of Men & Screaming Females
Fear Of Men – Early Fragments
6.9
Early Fragments is a solid collection of singles from the indie-pop group that has come out of England over the past year or so. These 8 songs are all good tracks of 80s inspired indie-pop in a similar fashion to Veronica Falls or Allo Darlin, but is simply not as memorable as either of those groups. Fear Of Men draws upon the dreamier elements of indie-pop with...
WatchYeah Yeah Yeahs - Sacrilege
Hot on the heels of a ton of other huge announcements today, Karen O and the Yeah Yeah Yeah’s have released the first single from their upcoming album. The song is a pretty good Yeah Yeah Yeahs track for the first couple of minutes, but it really kicks into gear towards the end when a full gospel choir comes in and the song builds to an epic crescendo. It’s...
Chaos In Tejas 2013 Schedule Reaction
Today gave us a lot of exciting announcements in terms of new albums (The National, Iggy Pop, James Blake), tours (Nine Inch Nails), and festival appearances (Green Day @ SXSW, if that’s your thing), but the most exciting is easily the announcement of the full schedule for this spring’s Chaos In Tejas. Every year, the good people who put on the festival bring some of the best and...
Album Review: Thao & The Get Down Stay Down - We...
Thao & The Get Down Stay Down
7.6
After a recent collaborative album with Mirah and Merril Garbus, Thao Nguyen is back to making enjoyable indie tunes with her band Thao & The Get Down Stay Down. We The Common is a largely enjoyable record that fans of female indie stars like Tegan and Sara or Regina Spektor will love. The record feels like it could fit nicely alongside those artists...
Album Review: Jim James - Regions Of Light And...
Jim James – Regions Of Light And Sound
6.9
Jim James’ first solo record builds off of many aspects of My Morning Jacket’s Circuital, differing in that it largely abandons the southern-rock jam aspects for a more reflective sounds. Regions of Light And Sound of God overwhelms with soul, blues, and psych elements to make for a mixed bag of a listen. You can tell things are different right up front...
Album Review: Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds - Push The...
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds – Push The Sky Away
7.7
After a few decades of doing this, Nick Cave has definitely earned the title of indie rock’s most cranky elder statesman. Just read excerpts from his Twitter Q&A, where he exclaims how much he hates it and even cusses out a few fans. See, for all of Cave’s imagery of the ocean and old-timey sea references, he begrudgingly keeps up with...
Album Review: Veronica Falls - Waiting For...
Veronica Falls - Waiting for Something to Happen
7.9 You start up this record expecting just another twee album, but when the bass drops in on “Tell Me,” you can tell that Veronica Falls has something else up their sleeves. Underneath all of the jangly guitars, dueling vocal harmonies and rattling tambourines, is an album with a lot of depth. And this is great for those of us who...
Listen to the new single from The Men, "I Saw Her... →
The Men - I Saw Her Face
Well, this is a strange combination. The new single from Brooklyn noise-rockers The Men is premiering today exclusively on Entertainment Weekly rather than one of the more usual music blogs. A listen to the track, their most accessible to date, shows you why. The Men spent last year’s excellent album Open Your Heart on honing their noisy squalor into tight rock...
“If Cobain were alive now, you wonder if he’d be on Twitter. You can almost...”
– Happy Birthday Kurt - Mark Richardson
A great article to read today.
Album Review: Beach Fossils - Clash The Truth
Beach Fossils – Clash The Truth
7.4
In the years since Beach Fossils’ acclaimed first record, many other bands perfected the jangly lo-fi psych pop that Beach Fossils excelled at. Diiv took the music to a darker place with elements of Joy Division post-punk, and Real Estate made the incredible Days, a treasure of a record with elements of breezy indie pop. For their second full length record,...
Album Review: Iceage - You're Nothing
Iceage - You’re Nothing
8.9
The past two years have been a sort of a renaissance for punk, with the pop-punk of Japandroids, Fucked Up, and Cloud Nothings, the hardcore of Off! and Trash Talk, and blistering punk from bands such as Savages, White Lung, and No Age. Integral to this so-called scene is a group of Danish musicians who formed incestuous band relations with projects such as Lower,...
Album Review: Foals - Holy Fire
Foals - Holy Fire
7.4
Although I hadn’t listened to Foals much before “Holy Fire,” I was very excited to hear that the British band was putting out another album this year. I have fond memories of dancing to them during one hazy morning of ACL 2010. The album is a great listen throughout full of catchy hooks and beats you can’t help, but tap your foot to. However, I...
Album Review: Torres - Torres
Torres – Torres
8.2
Mackenzie Scott is a tremendous songwriter, something that becomes evident pretty early on when listening to her wonderful debut album. She’s a folk singer with elements of classic country, following in the vein of similar artists such as First Aid Kit, Angel Olsen, or even EMA. She accentuates her heartbreaking lyrics with sharp noisy guitars that highlight the track....
EP Review: Gold Panda - Trust
Gold Panda – Trust
7.3
Gold Panda’s latest EP is available now digitally, and is an enjoyable slice of chill electronic music that sounds similar to many of the solid music Four Tet has been putting out recently. These three tracks (Four if you count the hazy minute-long intro) are interesting, laidback electronic music for late nights and headphones. The title track kicks things off, and while...
Mixtape Review: Four Tet -0181
Four Tet – 0181
7.1
Four Tet has just been on a roll lately. In the two and a half years since 2010’s excellent There Is Love In You, he’s been a workhorse, churning out singles, mixes, and great live sets. 2012’s Pink was one of my favorite albums of last year, a collection of singles that was a reminder of Four Tet’s range and skill. He even recently put out a great song with a super long...
Album Review: Frightened Rabbit - Pedestrian Verse
Frightened Rabbit – Pedestrian Verse
7.5
As a longtime Frightened Rabbit fan, I am very pleased to let you know that Pedestrian Verse is absolutely a return to form for the Scottish band. The Midnight Organ Fight was one of the best albums of the late 00s, delivering emotionally honest and expert songs. In the years since then, they released a disappointing follow up album in The Winter of...
Mixtape Reviews: Raekwon & Pusha-T
Raekwon – Lost Jewelry EP
7.1
With the Wu-Tang Clan getting ready to celebrate their 20th anniversary with a new tour, the esteemed member Raekwon decided to celebrate with a short 12 track EP, the first release for the new label he started name Ice H20. It’s a short one, coming in at only 30 minutes, and it starts off okay, before he settles into his comfort spot by spitting the kind of...
Mixtape Review: Kool A.D. 63/19
Kool A.D. -63/19
7.1
Bieber.
Bieber. Bieber.
The name Bieber is mumbled throughout almost every song on tese new tapes by Kool A.D., the more laid back half of the former goober stoner-rap group Das Racist. The man is taking some notes out of the BasedGod’s book these days putting out three mix tapes in the past couple months. The first one, 51, was a Cali-drenched, hazy good time and the track...
Mixtape Review: Future Presents F.B.G. The Movie
Future – F.B.G. – The Movie
7.8
Technically, this mixtape is billed as a release by Freeband Gang, It’s supposed to be a group tape, like A$AP Mob, but functionally it serves as a Future mixtape, given that he raps on nearly all of the tracks, and his presence is all over the ones he sits out on. I sat on Pluto until the end of the year, a decision I completely regretted, as the album was a...
Album Review: Ex-Cops - True Hallucinations
Ex-Cops – True Hallucinations
7.2
Nostalgia is a theme that never seems to go out of style, and this young band from Brooklyn does a great job on their debut of combining various important influences to make for a very enjoyable album. Ex-Cops are heavily influenced by 60s pop, writing the kind of peppy tunes that made Guided By Voices so great initially, while also infusing elements of psych...
Album Review: Grouper - The Man Who Died In His...
Grouper - The Man Who Died In His Boat
7.4
A recent trend in music, or at least the last month or so, is the release of material that was recorded years ago. There was a recent more high profile example of this last week, but a smaller, quieter, and very talented artist did the same thing this week as well. Liz Harris is a wonderful musician who makes a brand of folk music consumed by electronic...
Album Review: Esben & The Witch - Wash The Sins...
Esben & The Witch - Wash The Sins Not Only The Face
6.1
I’ve never listened to Esben & The Witch’s first album, but after an initial listen of their recent release, it becomes easy to obtain a firm grasp of their sound. There are the introductory gothwave elements that resemble contemporaries such as Zola Jesus or Austra, yet without any of the electronic groove that drives those...
Album Review: Unknown Mortal Orchestra - II
Unknown Mortal Orchestra - II
7.8
My opinion regarding Unknown Mortal Orchestra’s R&B filled second album may be in the minority, but I strongly preferred it to the fuzzy garage rock of their stellar debut. That album grew on me over months of listening, but II grabbed me from the jump with its impeccable first half, showing a great deal of variety as they prove they are much more than...
James Blake - Retrograde (Radio Rip)
UK...
Album Review: Local Natives - Hummingbird
Local Natives - Hummingbird
8.3
Anyone who knows me well will tell you how big a fan of The National I am. I fell in love with them late in high school, and they swiftly become one of my favorite active bands. The reason I bring them up is that their presence is felt all over the second album from this great L.A. band, as guitarist Aaron Dessner of The National produced this album and played...
EP Review: Kitty - D.A.I.S.Y. Rage
Kitty – Daisy Rage EP
6.5
You’ve got to admire the rapper formerly known as Kitty Pryde. She’s extremely self-aware about the fact that she’s not the best rapper, unlike say, Kreayshawn, who just seems like a caricature at this point. Kitty plays off of this, making raps that are full of charming self-deprecation, such as “Wiz is black and yellow and I’m white and fucking terrible”. Also, she’s...
