In an era of mash-ups and cross-genre collaborations, the most alarming genre erosion for staunch rockers must be the collapsing stigma between electronic dance music and traditional rock. With post-punk icon Mark E. Smith (the Fall) and Jan St. Wenner and Andi Toma of Mouse on Mars, Von Sudenfeld is another symptom of that collapse. (more…)
Balkan Beat Box must put on an amazing live show. Recorded, they sound like a block party, namely a Brooklyn block party with different styles of music pouring from windows and stoops. (more…)
Everyone involved in the creation and composition of music dreams of creating an anthem, a song fraught with power and potency, that enthralls the masses and flings them into ecstatic and inescapable bouts of fist pumping and shouting along with the chorus. Such songs literally hit all the right notes, and exert a magical force over listeners, turning them into lifelong devotees of your music. (more…)
By and large, we know what to expect from a Sage Francis album. Human the Death Dance, his second release on Epitaph, doesn’t stray from his familiar format and flow, mixing witty lyrics with introspective topics and social commentary. (more…)
Trading in three-minute punk songs for twenty-minute freeform space rock epics may seem like an unusual switch, but for Mario Rubalcaba, whose resume includes drumming with punk legends Rocket from the Crypt (as Ruby Mars), The Hot Snakes, and the Black Heart Procession plus a stint as a professional skateboarder for Team Alva in the 80s and 90s, it comes as naturally as breathing. (more…)
God Save the Clientele is a perfect demonstration of a band fulfilling its potential. Just looking at the chronology of The Clientele’s releases, their route to this record is apparent. (more…)
Sheer, unpredictable joy emerges from the speakers when the five fine gentlemen of Through The Sparks launch into their captivating romp across what is sure to be one of the most satisfying records all year. (more…)
During the spoken-word intro of “Every Little Bit Helps,” the last song off Julius Airwave’s new album The City, The Forest, there is a moment when songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Rick Colado says, “objects in motion tend to stay in motion” while “objects at rest tend to stay at rest.” (more…)
This British Columbia quintet, pounding out the abrasive circus-rock anthems made popular in recent years by bands like Wolf Parade and Sunset Rubdown, comes close to perfection with its fourth album. The opening blast beats (drum beats rapidly alternating between snare and cymbal) of “Idle Songs” set the hyperactive tone for the rest of the album. (more…)
