Category: reviews

Thurston Moore: After Sonic Youth, A New Chapter Begins

Thurston Moore's album, The Best Day, is out now.
Thurston Moore’s album, The Best Day, is out now.

Following the dissolution of Sonic Youth — due to a very public separation between Thurston Moore and Kim Gordon — each member of the beloved and influential band went their separate ways. For most artists fresh from an emotional break up, redefining yourself and finding something new outside the context of the band can come with some growing pains. For Moore, it’s been an opportunity to further explore aspects of his shape-shifting yet identifiable sound in different musical settings.

Continue reading Thurston Moore: After Sonic Youth, A New Chapter Begins

Get Swept Away Inside Radical Dads’ ‘Cassette Brain’

Radical Dads' new cassette EP, Cassette Brain, is out Oct. 7 on Old Flame Records. (Courtesy of the artist)
Radical Dads’ new cassette EP, Cassette Brain, is out Oct. 7 on Old Flame Records. (Courtesy of the artist)

Rarely do I miss having a car. But sometimes, I do miss driving around and blasting the tape deck stereo super loud while confined inside my own private bubble. There’s something about that limitation and its ability to hold you captive; without an easy way to skip ahead to the next song, you get to know each individual fold in an album, to the point where you can sing every lyric and every guitar riff in a way that can be difficult to do now with unlimited streaming. It’s a sentiment that Radical Dads seems to embrace on its upcoming EP, Cassette Brain.

Continue reading Get Swept Away Inside Radical Dads’ ‘Cassette Brain’

‘…And Star Power’ Captures Foxygen’s Wild Dark Night Of The Soul

Foxygens ...And Star Power is out now. (Photo credit: Cara Robbins/Courtesy of the artist)
Foxygen's '...And Star Power' is out now. (Photo credit: Cara Robbins/Courtesy of the artist)

It’s safe to say that few bands have had roller-coaster trajectories quite like Foxygen. Fronted by the classic rock record collection-loving duo that is longtime friends Sam France and Jonathan Rado, the Los Angeles band found success with its delightful 2013 album We Are the 21st Century Ambassadors of Peace & Magic, which won over fans with playful melodies and producer Richard Swift’s trademark Technicolor flourishes that transparently captured the breezy pop psychedelia of mid-1960’s bands like The Zombies and The Kinks. But amid considerable hype and high-pressure expectations, Foxygen almost immediately began showing signs of unravelling.

Continue reading ‘…And Star Power’ Captures Foxygen’s Wild Dark Night Of The Soul

Those Darlins: Magnetic And Hair-Raising

Those Darlins' album, Blur the Line, is out now.
Those Darlins’ album, Blur the Line, is out now.

I first caught Those Darlins in 2012, opening for Best Coast at the 9:30 Club in Washington, D.C. I had never heard the band before but I was immediately drawn in and blown away by its killer songs and captivating singers. Despite its namesake, Those Darlins’ songs are far more sinister than sweet. The Murfreesboro-turned-Nashville band makes scorching hot country-fried, punked-up rockers, and its fantastic 2013 album, Blur The Line, oozes with lip-curling charisma and hair-raising guitar lines, and choruses that can get a crowd swaying, whiskey in hand.

Continue reading Those Darlins: Magnetic And Hair-Raising

U2 Surprises With Free ‘Songs’ On iTunes

U2's Songs Of Innocence
U2’s Songs Of Innocence

Did Bono just pull a Beyonce? Kinda. In an event on Sept. 9, in Cupertino, California, Apple unveiled the latest iPhone models and the eagerly anticipated Apple Watch. Yet, the biggest surprise of the day came from U2, who not only announced its first new LP in five years, but that it was already available and waiting for us to download for free exclusively on iTunes. The album, Songs Of Innocence, was immediately offered via iTunes to over 500 million customers, across 119 countries worldwide. The band also performed the first track, “The Miracle (of Joey Ramone)” for the live audience and viewers streaming the event.

Continue reading U2 Surprises With Free ‘Songs’ On iTunes

Weezer’s Going ‘Back To The Shack’ Like It’s ’94

Weezer's new album, Everything Will Be Alright In The End, is out now.
Weezer’s new album, Everything Will Be Alright In The End, is out now.

Ask anyone who grew up listening to those first Weezer albums, and they’ll tell you that news of a new record comes attached with some trepidation. It’s a fair reaction, especially for fans who felt a little burned by a string of, um, not-so-good, seemingly tossed-off efforts — I’m looking at you, Raditude! Now it’s been four years since the band’s previous record, 2010’s Hurley, and honestly, it’s been even longer since a great Weezer album.

Continue reading Weezer’s Going ‘Back To The Shack’ Like It’s ’94

NPR First Listen: Phish, ‘Fuego’

Phish's 'Fuego' is out now.
Phish’s ‘Fuego’ is out now.

This was originally written for NPR Music’s First Listen series. Read the rest over at NPR Music or Soundcheck.

Whether you know its work or just its reputation, you’ve probably already made up your mind about Phish. Maybe you love the band and its music, maybe you can’t stand them, or maybe you liked them and have since moved on to other things. Phish is one of the most dynamic and celebrated live acts in all of music, with a loyal community any artist would envy, but it’s also divisive. This is a band that inspires passion with its multipart compositions, meandering improvisations, playful (often nonsensical) lyrics and unwavering positivity. For the same reasons, it also courts punchlines from its fervent detractors.

Stephen Malkmus And The Jicks: Enigmatic And Elastic As Ever

Stephen Malkmus And The Jicks' album, Wig Out At Jagbags, is out now.
Stephen Malkmus And The Jicks’ album, Wig Out At Jagbags, is out now.

It’s crazy to think that Stephen Malkmus has been fronting his band the Jicks for as long as he was ever in the band he’s best known for: the influential ’90s indie rock pioneers, Pavement. But here we are, six albums into a solo career, and Malkmus and his shape-shifting group remains as relevant and experimental as ever. On their latest, Wig Out At Jagbags, Malkmus and the Jicks churn out another catchy and off-kilter batch of songs crammed with knotty guitar lines, slack, half-sung melodies, and evocative, if elusive lyrics.

Continue reading Stephen Malkmus And The Jicks: Enigmatic And Elastic As Ever