Every once in a while, one stumbles into an inescapable piece of music. It grips itself into the back of your head and doesn’t let go, no matter the circumstances. This time, Dia Frampton is to blame, with the opening track to her sophomore album, Bruises (2017). What. A. Track.
Seven years is a long time by anyone’s standards. According to “science”, we are almost completely different people than when Rock Dust Light Star (2010) was released (joke). Seriously, though, it’s been a long time since Jamiroquai has fed us lit bass lines and sweet beats. So, do they still have it?
Mastodon have been around for the better part of two decades. During that time, they’ve grown to become a generational icon. They are one of the -if not the– most recognizable names in metal. After three years since Once More ‘Round the Sun (2014, Reprise), they are back with their eighth album, Emperor Of Sand (2017, Reprise). And boy, is it addictive.
I listened to a lot of music during the early 2000s. I was a young High Schooler with not much to do after school but plug in my headphones and plow through hours and hours of new, exciting music. Rinse, repeat. It was the dawn of decent-speed internet and you could now get several albums a day via not-so-reputable methods. Still, several bands fell through the cracks over the years, and some remain. Pedro The Lion is one of the latter.
Seattle has spawned an army of good – no, great – bands over the years. It’s, no doubt, one the music capitals of the world. One of said bands is Minus The Bear, formed in 2001. VOIDS is the name of their latest full-length album, the sixth in their career. So, after all these years, have they still got it?
Continue reading “Listen to: VOIDS, the new album from Minus The Bear”
The moment every teenage boy or young adult fell in love with the inescapable and utopically adorable Sam in Zach Braff‘s debut feature film Garden State (2004), they also fell in love with The Shins, a then underground indie folk band with catchy, significant melodies and a haunting timbre in one James Mercer‘s voice that made them ever-present and impossible to miss.
Continue reading “About The Shins’ Heartworms, introspection and familiarity.”
Acceptance is a unique kind of band. They have only two albums… twelve years apart. Their sound certainly is nothing to lose sleep about, and nevertheless they managed to build a solid following in a very short time and are one of the few bands from the early/mid emo-punk scene to grasp a reach so broad they are practically legends in their genre.
I am by no means an expert in reggae music or reggae culture, but if you ask me, it’s tough to find a good American reggae band. Groundation took the essence of roots reggae, mixed with their jazz and dub influences (and education) and went with it. They have been going with it, what’s more, for nearly two decades.
After the success of their widely acclaimed Opposites (2013), Biffy Clyro are back on attack with Ellipsis (2016), a re-imagining of their sound and a coping mechanism against going mainstream and all that it entails. Continue reading “Album of the Week: Biffy Clyro – Ellipsis”
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