Widely known for their melancholy track “Sometime Around Midnight” on their first album, the Airborne Toxic Event has made a romantic comeback this spring with “Such Hot Blood.” It has been two years since the alternative rock band with the woman who plays violin released their sophomore album, “All At Once.” As expected, the band’s unique sound made its...
Frank Turner is easily one of the most emotionally expressive songwriters in music right now. On Turner’s fifth solo album, “Tape Deck Heart,” his first since 2011’s “England Keep My Bones,” Turner pours out his feelings on love and life with his clever and poignant lyrics. Though not as strong as previous albums, Turner still manages to outshine most...
I feel that the majority of people who listen to the Black Eyed Peas solely do so because of Will.I.Am. The reason people listen to Will.I.Am is still unbeknownst to me. After giving the rapper/writer/producer another shot, despite my typical reluctance toward listening to generic club music, William Adams has only managed to solidify my belief in his lack...
After their flashy, dance-friendly album “It's Blitz!,” the New York trio Yeah Yeah Yeahs claim they're returning to basics on their fourth studio production, supposedly reminiscent of “Show Your Bones” (2006). I say “supposedly” because while “Show Your Bones” was a great milestone for the ever-evolving band, “Mosquito” feels painfully inadequate and unable to follow the energy of their...
The Man on the Moon returns with “Indicud,” the third album that plays a hefty interlude to Kid Cudi’s astronomical series. When describing his latest album, Scott Mescudi (“Kid Cudi”) identified Dr. Dre’s “2001” as his inspiration and said this was the opportunity to add “more energy into signature sound.”
As soon as the album begins, there is little...
4 out of 5 stars
After Paramore’s fast rise to stardom thanks to Hayley Williams’ electric voice, a swarm of criticism and lackluster music seemingly tore the band apart. Coinciding with the release of their third album, “Brand New Eyes,” Paramore lost its cohesiveness when the Farro brothers departed from the band. But out of celebrity scandal and band breakup...
I have been waiting for “Ride Your Heart” for a few eons now, and after being teased with two seven-inch records, Bleached has finally released their first full length album––and it didn’t disappoint. The Clavin sisters, Jennifer and Jessie, have taken off their skuzzy punk coat on this release and replaced it with pleasant pop hooks and beachy instrumentation....
Youth Lagoon’s sophomore album “Wondrous Bughouse” is nothing short of a magnum opus. It has something for everyone: the bubblegum pop kids, the experimental cats and the beat groovers. The album’s lush quality is likely to be bottlenecked into the dream pop genre, but one should not ignore frontman Trevor Powers’ ability to explore the avant-garde side of music....
In the years since Britain’s indie-pop queen Kate Nash’s international debut in 2007 with her breakout album “Made of Bricks,” the singer has become known for her signature plucky style. After a three-year period of dabbling in charity, films and feminist advocacy, Nash returns to the music scene with her third album “Girl Talk.” The bold and quirky songs...
During the rise of chillwave, circa 2009 and 2010, many bands that were high on the wistful atmosphere of the genre started up a burgeoning dream-pop scene that has survived to present day. Of these rooftop-bumping bedroom bands, Beach Fossils has garnered widespread blog appeal with their hazy guitars and low fidelity vocals. After three years, the relatively adolescent...