Authors Articles by Jon Birondo '15
Jon Birondo '15
Jon attended Immaculate Conception Catholic School in Grand Prairie before attending Jesuit. He began writing for The Roundup his junior year, covering his main interests: movies and music. He now heads the Arts & Entertainment section as the Co-Editor. Aside from writing, Jon is a member of the drumline, plays a variety of instruments, and is currently working on a short film. Jon hopes to attend the University of Texas to have a career in the film production business. Jon also co-founded and helps run the music review site Pretty Neat Grooves with his friend Michael White. You can find it at prettyneatgrooves.com. His favorite band is Radiohead and his favorite movie is The Social Network. He lives with his parents, two younger siblings, and dog.
Mogwai
Rave Tapes Album Review
Sub Pop Records
Released January 20, 2014
Genre: Post Rock, Progressive Rock, Electronic Rock
*For those new to the post-rock genre, the concept is very simple. Take the instruments of rock music, electric guitars, drums, bass etc., take away the vocals and play the instruments to move the music like words would do. See Explosions In The Sky, This...
Stephen Malkmus and The Jicks
Wig Out At Jagbags Album Review
Matador Records/Domino Records
Released January 7, 2014
Genre: Indie Rock, Alternative Rock, Psychedelic Rock
Thom Yorke never made it out of the cave of electronic music that he and his band Radiohead settled in with the release of 2000's centennial Kid A. He released a debut riddled with odd samples and artificial drum...
Standing at attention and resolute in the cold wind, the Jesuit Ursuline Ranger Band members undertake their daily practice in Postell Stadium for their annual marching show, which they perform at every football game and marching competition of the year. The loud percussion and bold brass ring out in the early hours of the day, an odd sound to...
2013, a monumental year indeed. We witnessed the downfall of Blockbuster, the evolution of Miley Cyrus, the craziness of the Harlem Shake, the selection of a new Pope, the Obamacare fiasco, the birth of Prince George of Cambridge, the iPhone 5S/5C release, and the massive typhoon in the Philippines.
Aside from these monumental events, 2013 was also a BIG year...
Jake Bugg
Shangri La Album Review
Mercury (U.K), Island (U.S) Records
Released November 18, 2013
Genre: Indie Rock, Alternative Country, Blues Rock
There are a lot of expectations put on an artist after a debut album so cohesive, raw, and impressive as Jake Bugg's eponymous debut. Many critics compare him to great musicians like Bob Dylan, Johnny Cash, Neil Young, the "long lost Gallagher"...
Of Montreal
Lousy with Sylvianbriar Album Review
Polyvinyl Records
Released October 8, 2013
Genre: Indie Pop, Psychedelic Pop, Psychedelic Rock, Folk Rock, Indie Folk
Psychedelic pop/folk outfit Of Montreal return to their musical roots with simple, organic instrumentation and less electronic production resulting in a grand and impressive return from the Georgia band.
If you're new to Of Montreal, do not fret. The point of...
Darkside
Psychic Album Review
Matador/Other People Records
Released October 4, 2013
Genre: Ambient, Electronica, (Subtle) Rock, Microhouse
Michael White said it best in his Disclosure review for Pretty Neat Grooves (a music blog Michael and I co-founded and run): "...electronic music has always been a hard genre to comprehend". This difficulty to comprehend is partly due to the instrumentation and scope of sounds, though...
