Loredo
Trawl EP Review
Released March 10, 2014
Genre: Indie Rock, Post-Punk, Alternative Rock
Debut EPs should accomplish three things: 1) They should showcase artistic strengths, 2) they should be a preview of what to expect from your band, and 3) they should leave listeners wanting more. It’s an effective marketing strategy, make three to five songs, release it, and then continue on...
Tycho
Awake Album Review
Ghostly International Records
Released March 18, 2014
Genre: Instrumental Rock, Ambient, Chillwave
Tycho's previous album Dive delivered an underrated, if not, unnoticed release from the Sacramento producer, visual artist and musician Scott Hansen in 2011. Awake finds Hansen improving on his atmospheric, chilly sound, using a more emotive, direct, and wistful approach towards his music. Hansen's organic, electronic compositions...
Pharrell Williams
G I R LÂ Album Review
I AM OTHER/ Columbia Records
Released March 3, 2014
Genre: Funk, Neo-Soul, Dance Pop
The first word you hear on the opening track, "Marilyn Monroe," is "different," and then gentle strings arrive, like something you'd hear off of a Lana Del Rey album before the song breaks into some soulful territory. From this point on, it's...
The Sons of Hermann Hall is a curious place. On the outside, it looks like an ancient home, with peeling paint and foggy windows. Even the first floor, which contains the bar and restrooms, maintains a bonafide vintage feel. There’s pool, a water fountain, and some other bar games; there’s also a fully stacked snack bar for people who...
Emotions are curious things. They are complex; no two people respond the same way to a given situation. One thing is for sure, however. They are a deep insight into the dark enigmatic depths of the heart. Belgian band Old Ivy explores emotional ups and downs on their debut Extended Play record titled, "The Greater Mind."
Old Ivy plays a...
Released in late 2008, Mirror’s Edge shared shelve space with such heavy-hitters as Call of Duty: World at War, Battlefield: Bad Company, and Fallout 3 , causing it to be generally overlooked. Failing to meet low sales expectations, the game by EA developer DICE, the same people who brought you the Battlefield franchise, only moved around 1 million copies...
What is the definition of Emo? Is it the musical embodiment of Hot Topic stores? Is it, perhaps, an onomatopoeia, because the word "emo" sounds like a whine? Is it a word that MTV just made up? Is it a word that people just made up? Is it even a thing?
Honestly, I have no idea. I just know that...
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...
