REVIEW: OLD EARTH – A LOW PLACE AT THE OLD PLACE (2012)
Despite the musical vibe of some of our more high-profile, bearded singer-songwriters, Wisconsin isn’t just a bleak and lonely land of secluded log cabins. We can be a happy, interactive bunch— a beer, a brat and a Packers win can remedy a lot around here. But when you record a
REVIEW: O’BROTHER – BASEMENT WINDOW (2012)
O’Brother may be one of the most underrated bands on the touring circuit today. The five-piece is known for performing a combination of post-rock and post-hardcore. They come across as intense in recorded form, but exponentially moreso in their live performances. After the release of two EPs, near
REVIEW: BAD BOOKS – II (2012)
Since Bad Books released their debut album two years ago, the folks that make up the supergroup have been incredibly busy. Kevin Devine released his sixth album, Between the Concrete and Clouds and Manchester Orchestra released their third album, Simple Math. With Kevin De
REVIEW: MACKLEMORE & RYAN LEWIS – THE HEIST (2012)
Macklemore is a prime example of what it is to be a musician nowadays. Patient and fan-focused, but not in the sense you’re focusing your efforts to appease but appreciate. Fan appreciation pizza party? How could you not like an artist that does that? Blueprint has honed this humbleness as we
REVIEW: FRANKA DE MILLE – BRIDGE THE ROADS (2012)
When the pizzicato arpeggios of the cello are accentuated by neoclassical piano and a lilting, reedy accordian melody on Track 4 (“Gare Du Nord”) of Franka De Mille’s album, “Bridge the Roads,” it’s pleasantly hard to breathe. The two opening tracks, “Come On” and “Fallen”
Review: Mumford & Sons – Babel (2012)
Earlier this year, a documentary was released allowing viewers to ride the rails along a journey of Old Crow Medicine Show, Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros and Mumford & Sons on their tour in an old American train. A ingenious idea hearkening back to the heyday of
REVIEW: ALT-J – AN AWESOME WAVE (2012)
I’m all for shortcuts, be it that they make life much easier. Once you get them down, you can tear through complicated things in no time at all. Isn’t it ironic that one shortcut is making the music world grind to a halt to bask in its spacious, calculated scores? Alt-J, or ∆ as it is [&helli
REVIEW: NO DOUBT – PUSH AND SHOVE (2012)
It’s been 11 years, but you can’t tell from looking at the band. No Doubtfrontwoman Gwen Stefani appears to have not aged 11 days in that span; and, after giving birth to two children, she is still able to pull off the midriff tank top like it is 1996. To add, always-color
REVIEW: WRITE THIS DOWN – LOST WEEKEND (2012)
Lost Weekend kicks off with a bang, sounding the refrain of “We’ve come to shake things up, we’re here make things interesting!” In a way this is the slogan of the hard rock collective from Minnesota that is Write This Down. The band is veterans to the underground rock scene, but i