Most music that is heavily punk influenced can sound very similar. It can be really good but in the end they all have a common sound to them. Electro punk, Post-punk anything punk can get a little boring at times. Yet if there was ever a punk influenced band that could break that stereotype it is defiantly Kiss Kiss . Kiss Kiss is a New York based progressive post-punk rock explosion. The only true way to describe it is awesome. (I am going to write the remainder of this review as a excited 14 year [...]
The article I'm responding to can be found here . First and foremost, Pitchfork is a website with success that I cannot and will not degrade; they have earned every bit of their popularity. My reviews may never amount to anything close to what Pitchfork puts out on a daily basis, but the curious difference that let's me sleep at night, is knowing I will never put out a review like the one in question. It's almost sickening to see such blatant hate recycled, reused and distributed in a one page review. I still believe [...]
I am kicking myself for not bringing Minuit to the attention of all AWMusic readers sooner. How I let a review of their third album, Find Me Before I Die A Lonely Death Dot Com, slip by is beyond my comprehension, and no doubt electro-pop fanatics will question my judgement once they feast their ears on the band's aural talents. Minuit (pronounced Minwee, as helpfully pointed out on the album cover) are a New Zealand-made threesome consisting of the lovely Ruth Carr and fellow knob-twiddlers Paul Dodge and Ryan Beehre. The band's success in places like London and [...]
Since breaking onto the scene in 2000, The Starting Line has relentlessly touted and toured their infectious brand of pop punk around North America, until the announcement of their hiatus, slash, break-up, slash, need to spend some time apart, in 2008. As either a going away present to a very loyal fan base, or a hint that this is one of those, not permanent type break ups, TSL has offered up Sombody's Gonna Miss Us, a live concert CD/DVD recorded at their very "last" show at the 2008 Bamboozle Fest. Live albums can be hit [...]
We haven't or at least I haven't been personally great with promoting local talent and admittedly I'd like to take the time to do so every now and then. Four great local bands, not all from Toronto but from the surrounding areas and are playing a show at The Garrison on Saturday November 28th. I'm familiar with two of the bands, The Germans and Black Hat Brigade. The Germans opened for a Vampire Weekend show an without knowing any of their material, they showed off good stage presence. Black Hat Brigade , I know particularly [...]
For the past decade, it's been interesting to see the evolution of a band created from one man and his emotions and experiences. This evolution has come at the cost of the happiness of one Jon Crosby, the man behind the moniker "VAST". In that time the music has taken on a tone of self-hate and self-destruction, possibly due to the difficulties of his personal life, or with regards to gaining the rights of his past musical works. Whatever the reason may be, since the release of his album "Turquoise & Crimson", the music has been gradually losing the [...]
Before I go into any specifics about the album, I have a quick disclaimer: If the only Weezer you will listen to is Pinkerton and The Blue Album , stay far, far away from Raditude . Case in point: Lil' Wayne contributes a verse on one song. So, if Weezer's lean toward the mainstream sickens you, steer clear, because they don't even pretend to be anything less than a pop band on Raditude . With the disclaimer out of the way, I can now safely say that Raditude [...]
First let me start off by saying that there should be a word limit to album titles, sometimes they get out of hand. There also needs to be some kind of truth in advertising thing as well, I mean, The Hearts We Broke On The Way To The Show sounds a wee bit pretentious doesn't it, never mind a bit wordy. But this is really apropos of nothing. The second thing I want to address is that second or two of foreboding you sometimes get when you look at something and think [...]
"I think that possibly maybe I'm falling for you." Earlier Landon Pigg was mentioned in a music commercial post. If "Falling in Love at a Coffee Shop," was played a general consensus would state that the song is from a ring commercial on television, even though Pigg has released other singles from his second album LP . Many of the artists featured on television are known by their one song, and not for their real musical talents. Luckily, I'm here to clear that up. Landon Pigg's new album, [...]
I'm still debating how worthy Animal Collective' s Merriweather Post Pavilion is (e.g. it probably is top 10 worthy but I still need some more convincing/time with the album). It's good and I've come back to it on occasional but not being that biggest Animal Collective fan to begin with, it's hard to say how much I like it. Anyway, here's a neat music video that's directed to Abby Portner (hmm don't know the relationship to David Portner aka Avey Tare but there's probably a connection). I dig the video much more then Summertime Clothes as it [...]
We All Have Hooks For Hands is a band is a South Dakota band signed to Afternoon Records. I was actually interested after listening to a few things as much as it polarized me. One thing I should point out immediately, Eli Show has one annoying voice. Not that it's important or anything but reviewing the album in front of my girlfriend had her annoyed. I think some of the annoying things revolve around the wailing/high notes that are not really hit too well. It's squeaky and screamy (emoish perhaps) and at times it does take away [...]
In part because I thought it'd be fun to have back to back picks of the week with the word 'Whale' in the title of the band name, and in part because I've been listening to Noah and the Whale's The First Days of Spring almost exclusively this week, I present to you... Noah and the Whale's The First Days of Spring ... that was anti-climactic .. . Before seeing Noah and the Whale at Criminal Records a couple of weeks ago they [...]
I know I am jumping on the bandwagon of Neon Indian reviews a bit late but this ep definitely deserves just a bit more attention. Alan Polamo and Alicia Scardetta were the buzz of the summer and this album doesn't disappoint. Everyone keeps saying it is reminiscent of the forgotten 80s which I get just it reminds me of old anti-drug propaganda videos with crazy colours in the background and talking hotdogs a lot more. The entire album is heavily production based with little vocals which suited the feel of the album really well, [...]
Yeasayer's back with a taste of there up coming sophomore album "Odd Blood" in stores February 09, 2010. The Brooklyn band recently released their first single "Ambling Alp" for free off of their website . "Ambling Alp" is extremely infectious, with its crisp sounds and intriguing vocals by Chris Keating. The track is more adventurous than songs off their debut album "All Hours Cymbals" as explores more electro pop sounds as but still holds on to their indie edge. I can't wait to see what "Odd Blood" as a whole will sound like, but [...]
Lust In Space is an addicting new addition to Gwar's ever expanding library of albums. Adding both to their old antics, charm and humor as well as improving their music as a whole, Lust In Space takes their metal into several new galaxies of mind blowing astonishment. The Good : Continues the titular adventures of Gwar, vastly improved style of metal, good for a laugh; a good combination of raunchiness and depravity rolled into one, some songs are pretty addicting, great story/lyrics, some great riffs to be heard, displays some unique qualities [...]
Welcome to the island of misfit ideas. Welcome to a land dominated by the id and the ego. This is Puscifer. Deep within the recesses of Maynard James Keenan's mind lives a world that just does not fit his other projects. What is Puscifer? The opportune question should be how do you describe it ? It's best understood as you blast the music on a car stereo driving on a desert road. Its best felt at a time when you just couldn't care less about anyone but yourself and with this EP iteration: "C" is for (Please Insert Sophomoric [...]
Girls , a band out of San Francisco, California is a band that benefitted from a significant Pitchfork review with a 9.1 score out of 10. That's put them in top 5 album of the year company. That score alone did induce me to check out the album but of course I'm doing an album review almost two months after the fact. Much has been talked about with Christopher Owen's childhood which involved the Children of God cult or namely called The Family International. While it was an interesting read (as much as I feel bad for the [...]
I think this is a first for me. I have heard, and seen, many, many, many different musical instruments in performance but this may be the first time I've heard a musical saw being used. Will Hanson uses it liberally in this collection of nine, um, unique (?) songs. I'm hesitant to say unique because I'm sure somewhere someone else has written a song about a serial killer who dismembers his female victims in an attempt to create the perfect girlfriend ( Girlfriend Materials ) but I can't think of one off hand. Hanson can only [...]
I'm tired of hearing about shit that "sounds like Panda Bear " too, which is what makes New Zealand's Signer such a damned impressive find. I wouldn't even necessarily say that Signer sounds that much like Panda Bear, but I can understand why it would make sense to use Noah Lennox as a reference point for Signer's music. However, though presumably employing similar means, Signer uses them to a very different - and to me, much more enjoyable - end. When someone uses the word "lush" to describe music, there is the connotation of the [...]
"I don't remember you looking any better, but then again I don't remember you." On the list of musical artists able to change people's lives, John Mayer is number one. From Room for Squares to Where the Light Is , John Mayer has stolen my entire soul. Lyrically, he is smart, and philosophical. Skill wise, he is beast mode at guitar. Musically, he can make your bad days awesome and your awesome days awesomer. Before the release of his new album, Battle Studies , [...]
Vampire Weekend - Cousins
‘09 Been Kind
WKND PLYLST!! This has nothing to do with NEW MOON!
