Browsing Tag
pop
10
Score
The Rockometer: Modern Vampires of the City by Vampire Weekend
Vampire Weekend Modern Vampires of the City XL Recordings Those nerds in Vampire Weekend, with their expensive educations and fancy words, J Crew oxford shirts and indifference to our indie rock insecurities, have gone and done it again. With Modern Vampires of the City they now have a second pop masterpiece on their hands and this one may be eve...READ MORE
8
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The Rockometer: Calendar Days by Dick Diver
Dick Diver Calendar Days Chapter Music Listening to the album Calendar Days by the Melbourne quartet, Dick Diver, is like eavesdropping on conversation between two close friends at a cafe as the pair go over life's curious demands. During its course, they cover both the big issues, dreams and aspirations, regrets and failures, and the little th...READ MORE
7
Score
The Rockometer: Paper Moon by Georgiana Starlington
Georgiana Starlington Paper Moon Hozac Records One can file Georgiana Starlington's Paper Moon along side other low-key folk albums by Mazzy Star, The Dutchess and The Duke, or Mark Lanegan and Isobel Campbell. One can also file Paper Moon under pleasant surprise. Nothing in the recorded history of the brother-sister duo, Jack and Julie Hines,...READ MORE
Jam Packed Wednesday with The National, Laura Marling, Hebronix (ex-Yuck), and Pure X
As of this afternoon, approximately 712,000 people have listened to The National's new single, "Demons," on Youtube. I was not one of them. I may have sampled a few seconds here and a few seconds there, but I never really settled in with it. The National need your time, like that. "Demons," from their forthcoming album, Trouble Will Find Me (4AD on 5.12), like much of their best work, isn't the type of track to awe on a sample or ev...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: “Weight” by Mikal Cronin
Much like his frequent collaborator, Ty Segall, Mikal Cronin is a walking, talking, rocking youtube of music history. Together, they've thrashed through garage, punk, and proto-metal in the Ty Segall band, on solo releases, on tour, and under the banner Ty Segall and Mikal Cronin for an album, too. And again, like Segall, Cronin is no stranger to the modest pop song. Segall showed off his own pop fancy on Goodbye Bread, a 2011 al...READ MORE
Play Me: “Diane Young” and “Step” by Vampire Weekend
Lost amidst the chit-chat of the critic class, obscured by discussions of class in indie rock and cultural appropriation (this music of well-to-dos borrows for those who can't afford to dry clean their oxfords!), is the fact that Vampire Weekend are a lot of fun. Turn your brain off for a minute, and maybe, you know, go out and actually see a band live, and you'll witness first hand how Vampire Weekend inspires not just think pie...READ MORE
7
Score
The Rockometer: The Desserters by Rachel Zeffira
Rachel Zeffira The Desserters Paper Bag Records When one is capable of time stand still, take your breath away, and sweet Mother Mary moments, as classically trained opera singer, Rachel Zeffira, has shown herself capable of during her short, still-developing pop career, capable enough and pleasant enough become not nearly good enough. Zeffira...READ MORE
Play Me: “Heavy Shit” by Colleen Green
Colleen Green and her one woman punk band first grabbed the attention of the underground with her 2012 release, Milo Goes to Compton. Green's from Boston. She's in Oakland now. Who knows if she's ever been to Compton, but if you caught the Descendents reference, then you know where she's been in a figurative sense. "Heavy Shit," on the other hand, is a about where she's going, and, should you pay attention to the lyrics, the a...READ MORE
Play Me: “Face to Face” by Shellshag
Even though the recipe is simple, and it rarely changes from one release to another, "Face to Face" proves Shellshag has a groove that doesn't need any extra spice. Just take two DIY vets --John Shell and Jen Shag, add cowbell and fuzz guitar. Mix in a smart pop melody, and shake. It'll please every time. Look for Shellshag's next release, Shellshag Forever, April 16th on Don Giovanni Records. 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
6
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