![[Hype Hype Hooray] When I Finally Sat Down and Listened to Thriller](http://cdn.elbo.ws/posts/4288701_lg.jpg)
Every [two weeks?] Jamie Hale takes a long, hard look at the music industry and the blog scene that feeds it. Here, he releases those findings and makes snarky, sarcastic remarks. Admittedly, both Jamie and Knox Road are a part of this scene. So sue us. I've never heard Michael Jackson's Thriller . Sure, I've heard "Thriller," the song, but I never actually sat down and listened to the whole record it's on. I'm not really ashamed to admit that. But this week I decided I would finally do it. Why the hell [...]
I carefully stuck to the pattern, piece by meticulous piece, and this was my life. I built it up until it no longer had legs to stand on. The pattern became random; I couldn't keep track. And I was finally happy. This is my life. Fire and the Wheel - "Wheelbarrow de la Muerte" [MP3] Fire and the Wheel on the web | Bandcamp
![[MP3] Tigermilk: “Talátur”](http://cdn.elbo.ws/posts/4283595_lg.jpg)
Tigermilk , aka Paulina Tala, comes to us as a recommendation from blogging buddy Mike Mineo of Obscure Sound . I've always enjoyed Mike's thoughtful artist profiles, so there was little chance Tigermilk would fall off the map. Talátur, off Tigermilk's upcoming Turi EP, is at once both soothing and sophisticated. The global influence is impressed upon us from the start, as the EP was actually dedicated to Atacameños, an ancient tribe in northern Chile. I couldn't imagine a more fitting image than the above to go with the sound. With the hushed harmonies, I imagine tens [...]
My fellow Newtonite (Newton, MA), Gabe Goodman, has resurfaced after last summer's Friendly Fires EP with the Midnight Sour EP. He turned an elderly 19 since I last wrote about him, so clearly there have been musical changes that come with the old age. He's still an experimental electronic force, but this time with an extra sliver of R&B flair (oh and a Bandcamp page instead of MySpace - God bless him). Enjoy. Gabe Goodman - "Midnight Sour" [MP3] Gabe Goodman - "Bent Fiction" [...]
![[Abby's Road] The Happiest Melancholia](http://cdn.elbo.ws/posts/4273798_lg.jpg)
We, as music lovers and collectors, are blessed and cursed I think. Here’s the scoop: we have at our fingertips a seemingly endless supply of emotional stimulants and downers. If elated one can crank up a particularly smasheverythinganddance record to conjure up even more jubilation; if supremely sad, the leveling quiet of, say, post rock or classical scores can calm frayed nerves. For most of us, music is never ever just background noise. For me, for sure. The problematic slice of The Pie of Musical Self Medication is that for the astute listener, music carries some insanely heavy [...]
As you may or may not know, we recently threw a concert at Pianos in partnership with exfm . I had been promoting like a jerk all over the Twittersphere and Facebooks, so you probably did know. Fine. What you may not have known, however, was much about Port St. Willow, the project of Nick Principe and one of our acts at the show (photos here via A Heart is a Spade ). He has received some critical acclaim but stands to earn a great deal more with his debut LP, [...]
Taking a step back from his duties in Barn Owl seems like a golden opportunity for Jon Porras to break out and make a record that sounds nothing like Barn Owl. I’m envisioning a quiet folk record or a more rock-inspired, Sonic Youth-esque instrumental album. Instead Porras returns a solo effort that draws directly from the roots of Barn Owl and his solo work as Elm to create something unique. Black Mesa builds on the atmospheric instrumentals of Barn Owl but the sound of Porras’ songs tread into the spiritual. These songs demand a certain [...]
![[Hype Hype Hooray] “Drugs” and TEENS](http://cdn.elbo.ws/posts/4259353_lg.jpg)
Every [two weeks?] Jamie Hale takes a long, hard look at the music industry and the blog scene that feeds it. Here, he releases those findings and makes snarky, sarcastic remarks. Admittedly, both Jamie and Knox Road are a part of this scene. So sue us. The other day I was listening to "Drugs," by Black Lips when the message of the song really set in. The track jump starts: "Rad attitude and my nose is a runny / I like you lots but you think that I'm a dummy / Can [...]
CATCHIEST SONG IN SO LONG. Cheers Elephant - "Leaves" [MP3] Cheers Elephant, a quartet from Philadelphia, dropped their latest full length, Like Wind Blows Fire , today. It's been streaming in full on Spinner , but for some reason this band hasn't taken over the pop world. Hopefully this release propels the fellas to stardom, as their layered harmonies, peppy guitars and dynamic percussion leave me giddy. Cheers Elephant - "Falling Out" [MP3] Cheers Elephant - "Doin' it, Right" [MP3] [...]
So little information is provided about Josh Eygenraam on his website , except that he's from Edmonton, and if you think an email to us helped at all, it didn't. I don't really have a problem with that, though. Because all I really need to know is how the music sounds. Oh, it's good. It's fun. It's not dreary, swooning stuff. This is, like, early 20002s indie rock with a healthy dose of piano and some folk twang. Gimme some of that. The below songs are off Eygenraam's new full-length, Cheap Talk , which you can [...]
![[Abby's Road] Sweet Child O Thine](http://cdn.elbo.ws/posts/4245357_lg.jpg)
A few weeks ago I was a part of a think tank (ha) of friendly, music nerd types who also fall under the “hoping to be parents in the near future” category. As we gathered around a table brimming with cocktails, the conversation lingered to our parents and their musical tastes. Moms and dads out there, we DO talk about you sometimes, so check yourselves. We went round and round about how our musical choices differ from what our parentals fancy and how, as we grew older, a lot (not all, but a great deal) of the music [...]
I definitely needed a fiesty voice and intensely impassioned songs to wake me up during this drab and rainy week. Thanks to London's six-piece The Murder Barn for giving me the spark I need to get to the weekend. Wait for the songs to pick up; they get pretty dark and awesome. The Murder Barn on the web | Facebook
![[MP3] S. Carey: “Two Angles”](http://cdn.elbo.ws/posts/4240582_lg.jpg)
And for once, everything felt just right. Stream S. Carey's entire Hoyas EP (available in stores May 8th) at Stereogum | Preorder
The Shins! The Sweetlife Festival was a memorable day of great music and great grilled cheese. And, when it really comes down to it, aren't those two things what life is really all about? I'm going to break this recap down into two parts, first reviewing the performances at the Treehouse Stage, and then talking about the headliners at the Main Stage. The Treehouse Stage was meant to showcase up-and-coming, little-known artists, and that it did, introducing me to a variety of [...]
We've had many favorites come through Knox Road over the years, taking enormous pride (even if it's not ours to take) in seeing great results. So when Akudama, a highly-championed KR band, went on hiatus last year, it put a big fork in our hearts. The band had other projects (most notably, Snowmine), but even during their break, their commitment to the future of Akudama never waned. The guys just knew they needed some time away. And that time has passed. Say goodbye to the hiatus and hello to the wonderful new Akudama EP, set for official release [...]
![[Hype Hype Hooray] How Much Influence Does Indie Music Really Have?](http://cdn.elbo.ws/posts/4229824_lg.jpg)
Every [two weeks?] Jamie Hale takes a long, hard look at the music industry and the blog scene that feeds it. Here, he releases those findings and makes snarky, sarcastic remarks. Admittedly, both Jamie and Knox Road are a part of this scene. So sue us. This week I got my TIME magazine, as usual, on Monday morning at work. This week’s issue wasn’t a typical issue, it was a double issue called “The 100 Most Influential People in the World.” Always musically-minded I skipped over the politicians and billionaires and comedians to find out which [...]
The latest record from Maps & Atlases , Beware and Be Grateful , opens with just the tiniest sample of sound that seems like it could be taken from an episode of Twin Peaks, then fades directly into a song that has the bones of at least three other songs wrapped up in it. This amalgam of sorts is entitled "Old & Gray" and covers the opening throes of love in daydream doodles all the way through the hope of having someone stand by you until you reach the decrepit gray of old age. Maybe its [...]
The Spring Standards have always been a band deserving of more attention. With guy-girl folksy troupes gaining popularity (The Civil Wars, The Head and The Heart, etc.), The Spring Standards are worthy of some recognition. What's nice is that The Spring Standards aren't afraid of their poppier side, which we see on "Here We Go," the second single off forthcoming two-disc EP yellow//gold . yellow//gold is out May 1 via Parachute Shooter Records and is full of supremely catchy choruses within genre-melding jams. They still get back to their sentimental side on tracks like "Only [...]
![[Abby's Road] My humble apology](http://cdn.elbo.ws/posts/4214107_lg.jpg)
So. SO… I am kind of at a loss for words this week. You see, I am taking this required Integration Course required by good ol’ Deutschland for all auslanders. I am kind of up to my ears in Nominative and Dative cases, sentence structure and all of the amazing stuff that makes writing for KR possible. But in German. I have something a little more interesting (than what I’m about you yammer on about) simmering between my ears but my attempt to get it down on paper, so to speak, resulted in a lackluster version [...]
What's with this thematic time of the year thing being totally off with artists' releases? A couple days ago we got some new tracks from Wintermitts, and now we're getting a helluva dark song from Arc in Round called "Hallowed." This would have been a perfect release on, say, October 31. But noooo, indie musicians have to buck the norm and we have to expected the unexpected. Whatever, yo. Check out "Hallowed" below, featuring Kurt Vile on trumpet (which sounds awesome in this song), off Arc in Round's forthcoming s/t album. The album will be out June 5 on [...]
Knox Road
Weekly Mix Vol. I
Duquette Johnston Offers Up Cherry Blossom
