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For Your Eyes and Ears
Moving Pictures: “Keep Your Eyes Peeled” by Queens of the Stone Age
In what is turning out to be a daily occurrence, Queens of the Stone Age have 0ffered up a new preview off of their forthcoming album ...Like Clockwork (Matador 6/4). Earlier today, live clips Later with Jules Holland were hopping around the internet. Yesterday, a video was released for an edit of the album track, "Kalopsia." Monday, a live clip from Belgian radio was making the rounds. That was the second time tracks from that appe...READ MORE
Jam Packed Tuesday: Horrible Fest Edition
Cleveland's Horriblefest has a reputation and most of it dates back to its first time 'round in 2005 when a near riot broke out after a member of the band Rot Shit tossed a live eel into the crowd. The Black Lips and King Khan and The Shrines BBQ Show were headliners. People tend to forget that part. Ever since that first year, however, the promoters have had a hard time hooking the casual music fan who thinks of Horriblefest ...READ MORE
Watch Me: “I Appear Missing” by Queens of the Stone Age
About this new Queens of the Stone Age jam, "I Appear Missing," about the best I can say for it is that it's a new Queens of a Stone Age jam. I'm racking my brain here, and I can't remember the last time a ballad heightened my anticipation for a new release by a hard rock band. Racking...Racking...Racking...and I've got nothing. If you wanna get stoked about the new album, your best bet is to go back and replay the first single, ...READ MORE
Watch Me: “Better” by Odonis Odonis
Remember when "Indie Rock is Too White" was a thing? I try not to. Nor do I try to think much about the opposite discussion, how dare those white indie kids take inspiration from non-white music. Yes, they contradict each other and yet, internet people who considered themselves to be subject matter experts got caught up in both of these debates. Still, those two internet discussions found their way to the top of my mind when I...READ MORE
Play Me: “The Sound of Law” by Daughn Gibson
How could one not be impressed with All Hell, the 2012 debut record by Daughn Gibson? With an unlikely combination of downtempo-electro, hip-hop, country and western, and trucker music, the man practically invented a genre all his own. And as if the vision wasn't impressive enough, there was the voice -- A strong and foreboding baritone which recalled the legendary man in black, himself. "The Sound of Law," is the first taste ...READ MORE
Play Me: “Never Run Away” by Kurt Vile
Damn you, Kurt Vile. How am I supposed to write anything critical or snarky about your new single with your young daughter adorably prancing around the screen. You win. You get the free pass. All I can say is, "How cute!" And, Walkin' on a Pretty Daze, the new album by Kurt Vile is out April 9th on Matador Records. MP3: Kurt Vile - Never Run Away Next time, you won't be so lucky.READ MORE
Top Jam: “Toe Cutter – Thumb Buster” by Thee Oh Sees
Sure, John Dwyer and his San Francisco psych outfit, Thee Oh Sees, give the likes of Ty Segall and Robert Pollard solid competition in the ongoing battle of the most prolific bands contest. They've released a lifetime of music in the past five years, alone. But what's often lost when we talk about Segall, Pollard, and, especially Dwyer is that these songwriters, to a man, have the jams to justify their output. And damn, what a he...READ MORE
Jam Packed Tuesday feat. Suuns, Primal Scream, Disappears, Eluvium and Barn Owl
While I can't necessarily recommend the video -- There's more flash than a red carpet and enough pulsating black and white to make your eyes pop like a manga comic character, Suuns' video for "2020" shows the band beginning to fulfill the promise of their 2010 Zeroes QC. Before, I had them pegged as Radiohead acolytes with more style than substance. The thick bass groove of this surprisingly, danceable number suggests otherwise...READ MORE
Watch Me: “Sunshine” by Nights
It should go without saying, but not every band in your local scene arrives fully realized. For every one act you're convinced could be huge, ok indie huge, if only the right person or right website would only notice, there are countless others who need more time to get it right. Unfortunately, when you're working local gigs in a town like Cleveland, time isn't always your ally. Whether it's band members moving away or the tedium...READ MORE
Jam Pack Wednesday: The Strokes, The Stevens, Mogwai, Pure X, and Rachel Zeffira
The Strokes' "All the Time" is not the return to form single everyone wishes it would be. To be a true return to the peak of reserved cool, one would first have to forget about 2011's superior, "Under the Cover of Darkness," and how throughout the rest of the album, Angles, the band tried their hardest to avoid the skittish rhythms and big hooks which made them stars. In other words, Angles sounded a lot like this mess -- A four minu...READ MORE
Ridiculous, Your Name is Beck and a 167-Piece Orchestra Shilling for Lincoln
Last night, upon seeing Beck's new car commercial composition, a cover of David Bowie's "Sound and Vision," for a new Lincoln campaign, I could think of only one word, ridiculous. So, I took to facebook and typed, "One word: Beck's cover of Bowie's "Sound Vision" for Lincoln is ridiculous. The arrangement is over the top ridiculous and the amount of $$$ on this production is even more so." And, "Plus, let's thank about this for a...READ MORE
