REVIEW: OBERHOFER – NOTALGIA (2013)
Last November, I caught up with Oberhofer’s leading man, Brad Oberhofer, while the band was in Milwaukee touring with fellow Brooklynites, Matt and Kim. It was then that I first got wind of the collection of songs that would become Notalgia. Oberhofer had actually been lis
REVIEW: BORN RUFFIANS – BIRTHMARKS (2013)
Birthmarks is a curious title for Born Ruffians’ third LP. What is a birthmark– an inconsistency, a blemish in the skin that forms at or around birth and doesn’t go away, stays with that person for life. They are generally harmless; in different cultures there are a number of myths a
Review: The Strokes – Comedown Machine (2013)
Where would American rock ‘n’ roll be today without The Strokes? Say what you want about them, but is rock music not better off today because of them? Yes, those prep school kids from affluent families who decided to form the New York band back in 1998. I was in junior high in 1998 and the
CONCERT REVIEW: LESCOP AT POP IN (PARIS)
Lescop (Paris)April 7th, 2013Pop In in Paris, France Imagine the biggest buzzing group of the moment in America posting on Facebook at noon, announcing a show down the street from you-not in a venue, but a concert bar. A 200 capacity max, maybe, concert bar (obviously smaller in the venue
REVIEW: COLD WAR KIDS – DEAR MISS LONELYHEARTS (2013)
There is so much more to the Cold War Kids than what they’ve gotten credit for. I’ll never forget the Long Beach-based band’s performance at Lollapalooza in 2007. At that time, their debut album, Robbers & Cowards, had managed to spark a buzz frenzy with the indie
REVIEW: PIONEER – BLACK PASTURE (2013)
For me, summertime in Wisconsin means a lot of things. There are ingredients to the recipe; some that have been in place since I was little. Backpacking adventures in Northern Wisconsin, trips to my favorite lakes (Devil’s Lake and Lake Superior), grilling out, sand bank hangs on the Wisconsin Riv
REVIEW: CHVRCHES – RECOVER EP (2013)
I bet if you told anyone catching one of the many showcases that CHVRCHES performed at SXSW that they were looking at one of the members of the perennially introspective soundscapey The Twilight Sad, they’d likely look at you as if, finally, someone had reached the physical limit of