If Mark Thomas Kluepfel could make up his mind what type of band he leads, Action Action might not be half bad. But if the second LP from the Long Island quartet is any indication, the songwriting frontman has a long way to go to figure out what kind of musician he is – or […]
It’s no surprise a band with stage names like Sam E. Slaughter, Dev Metal and Raary Decihells has an affinity for chain saw guitars and throaty, shrieking vocals. But what the poorly named London-based trio Test Icicles has that many of its trash-and-glam peers lack is an appreciation for less jarring undertones. For every stop-and-start, […]
If hype is a gift, then the Strokes are as privileged as their white-collar, prep school upbringing implies. But as that hype becomes a weight, the band seems poised to suffer from its namesake. Following a 2001 debut, the act was christened both the savior of contemporary rock ’n’ roll, and more difficultly the heirs […]
It is equal parts risky and ambitious to release a double album – especially in today’s music-buying society. Spreading out songs over two records, and not condensing down to only the essential tracks, causes holes in an act’s song-writing to become more noticeable. Listeners are forced to switch back and forth between releases, instead of […]
The use of psychedelics can be a good thing. When applied right, the approach is mind expanding, and can result in abstract and accidentally brilliant moments. Yet when used incorrectly, and without moderation, it’s dangerous. It permanently can alter someone’s mental state and create a foreign environment without reason or bounds; the same can be […]
Originality, the basis for all things artistically credible, is as connected to those who follow as those leading. Be the first and you’re ground-breaking; have too many imitators, and be responsible for market over-saturation. Often times a band’s influence is judged by the number of great, yet more likely annoying, followers. And if imitation is […]
Nobody likes listening to a grandmother’s long-winded stories. Yet, the Fiery Furnaces – the brother/sister duo of Matthew and Eleanor Friedberger – thought those tales would make great music. The Friedbergers recruited their grandmother, Olga Sarantos, to sing throughout the band’s third LP. And thus, a band which has built a reputation over a handful […]
Certain albums make better soundtracks than the overly-hyped public relation tools that pass as movie soundtracks nowadays. At times, a band can piece together tracks that are cohesive enough to backdrop the movie in our minds and diverse enough to compliment any scene we place ourselves in. The Texas quintet Flyleaf’s debut full-length is a […]
Sometimes an album’s subtext merits as much attention as the music, and the journey of the band outweighs the record’s end result. It’s virtually impossible to listen to Wilco’s “Yankee Hotel Foxtrot” and not concentrate on the well-documented year of turmoil the band went through while recording the album. The songs on Nirvana’s “MTV Unplugged […]
If Franz Ferdinand’s self-titled debut was the equivalent to an image-savvy, swaggering scenester’s night out, then the band’s follow-up is the after party. There are hints of the glitz, but the foursome let down its guard a bit; the skinny ties have been loosened but not undone. But make no mistake, the finely-tuned casualness is […]