Blog: The Rotation

This post will serve as a sort of test drive for the classic rock column I plan on launching in full in the fall. So sit back, and enjoy the ride on this train. To start off; No, there is not an obscure subgenre of jazz called “metal bop.” However, part of my goal with this column is to inform and educate readers on the development of certain classic rock genres. With it being Jazz Fest in DC and Black Sabbath releasing their new album this week, I thought it would be interesting to honor both [...]

Nine Inch Nails fans have plenty of reasons to be happy these days. After a 4 year hiatus in which frontman/one-man-band Trent Reznor released two motion picture scores (one of which netted him an Oscar) and created brooding electronic music with his new band How To Destroy Angels, Reznor’s flagship group NIN has not only announced an extensive fall tour and new album but also released a new single, “Came Back Haunted.” Largely abandoning the more experimental and ambient sounds of his recent side projects, Reznor picks up right where [...]

• nineinchnails - Came Back Haunted (2013)

No amount of wind or rain could stop the 19,000 fans packed into City Hall Plaza from belting out the chorus of “Some Nights” alongside fun. front man Nate Ruess. “I’m going to catch a cold because of you,” he joked as the rain poured on, “but this is the biggest show we’ve ever played, this has been the night of my life. In what they called a “career highlight,” fun. returned to Boston, Massachusetts last weekend for the Inaugural Boston Calling Music Festival on May 25 th and 26 th [...]

Sun; pouring rain; more sun; more pouring rain - the Sweetlife Festival definitely had its share of weird early summer weather. But none of that detracted from the experience that was had listening to the bands playing there last Saturday. If anything, the pouring rain added to the religious experience - especially during Phoenix's set. One after another, amazing artists played at main stage, ensuring that no one would give up their seats along the pavilion - that is, until it started pouring. Though I have never previously listened to [...]

I'll admit it, I don't have particularly high expectations for Tyga albums. Tyga, the rapper most known for strip club anthem “Rack City,” is pretty much the definition of mediocre and generic pop-rap that straddles the gap between the clubs and the radio. So naturally when I started my first listen through of Tyga's latest album, the unfortunately titled Hotel California , I was not expecting much. Much to my surprise, as I neared the end of the album, I found myself actually enjoying parts of Hotel California . Hotel [...]

Experimental Sounds; That is what makes the Flaming Lips such an intriguing band, their experimental sounds. Their songs introduce a combination of futuristic synthetics and raw vocals, an odd combination to say the least. To add to their bizarre musical chemistry is their weird choice of song names; not just simple one or two word titles [example, "Butterfly, How Long It Takes to Die"]. Since the mid-1980s, the band has been wowing crowds with their elaborate live performances, even ranking among Q Magazines "50 Bands to See Before You Die" (take that one to heart). At the turn of the [...]

It is that time of year again. You're either done with finals, still have one or two left, or somehow still have all of your final papers due on Saturday. If you belong to these previous two categories, this song will represent you at varying levels. Those who are just tired of finals will connect to the disconnected, non-linear lyrics and narrative. Others might just mind the overall darkness and jumble of the song to represent your current state of mind. Hopefully King Crimson's portrait of the "21st Century Schizoid Man" will give you a cool song [...]

"Do It" is the headboppin', fingersnappin' intro track on mysterious artist Tuxedo's first EP. While the promising release is only three songs deep, the collection of smooth and soulful grooves has garnered much praise, including many a comparison to popular crooner Mayer Hawthorne.  The similarities may not be coincidental, as word on the street is duo "Tuxedo" is secretly a genius collab between producer JakeOne and ... surprise... Mayer Hawthorne himself. While the verity of such claims has yet to be proven, the overwhelming quality of the EP stands alone; regardless of Tuxedo's identity, download all [...]

Carbon Leaf is a folk-indie-bluegrass-Celtic band from Richmond, Virginia that manages to blend four different styles of music to create-in my humble opinion-the perfect sound of the summer. A little bit of a country, an impressive lead singer (who once showed up to a concert with his face entirely covered in one large bushy beard, completely unrecognizable except for his distinctive Southern-drawl-inspired crooning voice) and lyrics about returning to the greatest state in the Union-Virginia. What more could you want? -Samantha L, proud Virginian and host of Historical Hipsters, Thursdays [...]

Wiz Khalifa and Curren$y are two of rap's most prolific artists. Where other artists would be content to release an album every year or two, these guys drop a half dozen albums, EP's or mixtapes a year. Their most recent offering is a collaboration work named Live in Concert released to celebrate their favorite holiday, 4/20. Like the artists who created it, Live in Concert is not particularly ambitious, but it is extremely successful at what it does. One thing that cannot Wiz or Curren$y cannot be impeached for is [...]

Yoünusual is quite an experience. Their self-titled album is a listening experience that unsuspectingly draws in your attention. Each song is an adventure: an adventure that brings together elements so diverse that it parallels the diversity of the infamous study group at Greendale Community College. The Italian three-piece works into their debut album, Yo ünusual , influences of electronica, rock riffs, and orchestra. Their unique sound permits every track to tell a melodic story, complete with an introduction, rising action, epic climax, falling action, and resolution. There is certainly an undeniable [...]

It seems like all the bands I like come from Seattle: Band of Horses, Fleet Foxes, the Postal Service, etc. and, Telekinesis as well. A band that released its first album in 2009 with the help of Chris Walla—the guitarist from another Washington state band (can’t guess? Death Cab for Cutie!)—manages to knock out of the park its newest album Dormarion . Dormarion is  comfortable swinging equally between guitar-driven jams punctuated with whined electronic verses and quiet percussion-based ballads. Telekinesis mixes sounds and instruments to achieve a truly eclectic [...]

Several months ago, when reviewing Boys School’s debut album , I asked “Why can’t there be more albums like Boys School’s Boys School ?” That question has been answered with the arrival of 180 , the debut album from British rock band Palma Violets. 180 , like Boys School , is a refreshing take on 60s garage and psychedelic rock, bringing the sounds of the summer of love to spring 2013. Additionally, I hear the disc as taking listeners through an abbreviated history of Anglo-American underground rock music. These reasons alone make [...]

Musical troubadour and all around chill dude, Kurt Vile has become a name synonymous with carefree, suburban-minded rock also currently being pumped out by bands such as Real Estate, War on Drugs, and Ducktails.  His 2011 breakout Smoke Ring for My Halo established Vile as an indie folk mainstay and perfected a psychedelically infused acoustic sound all his own.  The smoked-out production of Halo was properly suited for traditional song lengths of 3-5 minutes and, on Walking on a Pretty Daze , Vile clears the air out with songs that explore bolder, more experimental songwriting. [...]

With less than a week left until finals end and summer officially begins, it's time for me to break out Atmosphere's "Summer Song." For years, no matter what my favorite summer jam of the moment might be, this track has been the one constant. Some summers I've played it every day, some summers less often, but the effect is always just as powerful. Fair warning - this probably isn't the best song to put on your summer party playlist. Its melancholy tone is better suited for solo drives on warm nights. Summer [...]

This is just a wee post to encourage all of you to stay strong during finals. Hopefully Bruce and I can keep you strong fellow students, as exams and paper weigh down on your minds. Just remember that "Every rung just makes us stronger." Good luck during finals week! - Jackson Sinnenberg, host of Sinn 6:66, a classic rock show that airs Fridays 4-5pm

Josh Epstein (left) and Daniel Zott (right) performing at the Rock and Roll Hotel Thurs. April 25th As I sat down on the plush couch in the Dale Earnhardt Jr. Jr.’s pre-show lounge at the Rock and Roll Hotel, I nervously admitted to Daniel Zott and Josh Epstein, the duo behind the infectious, hard-to-categorize Detroit group,  that I had never interviewed a serious band. After reassuring me that they were “chill guys” and offering me some Kale leaves to eat (“They taste good and calm the nerves,” Josh told me), the two graciously answered my questions [...]

If you couldn't tell from their name, Elvis Depressedly is a group of early-twenty-somethings that make mostly sad, lo-fi music for people who don't think they're too cool to listen to a group called Elvis Depressedly.  Their newest EP, holo pleasures, is all about frontman Matt Cothran - also of Coma Cinema   and "Weird Honey" shines as the EP's bittersweet centerpiece, demonstrating exactly why Cothran is one of my favorite up and coming songwriters. "If there's a cold spot in hell, I hope you get it/If there's a cold spot in hell, I [...]

So, yeah, it's been a couple of months since  Muchacho  was released. I loved the album then, and I am definitely loving it now. This track definitely didn't get enough attention—maybe because of the hefty 7-minute length—but it's a joy to listen to. Far more upbeat, but just as raw and full of life of the rest of  Muchacho , "The Quotidian Beasts" deserves a listen. - Sean Stempler, c0-host of The Soundtracks, Saturdays 11pm-12am

It seems the overcast atmosphere of Raz Simone's hometown, Seattle, has made its way into his music . His debut solo EP, Solomon Samuel Simone ,  is the kind of album to listen to and think about on a rainy day. In the first track, "These Kids Throw Rocks," Raz manages to transition seamlessly from rapping about rape to making a Harry Potter reference, showing the quality of both his range and his flow. As the first song might indicate, the subject matter is serious, and the album is dark; but not aggressively [...]