REVIEW: YOUTH LAGOON – THE YEAR OF HIBERNATION (2011)
It was on an overnight camping trip that I first heard of the artist Youth Lagoon. I had been speaking with a friend about music tastes, and somewhere between Local Natives and Jon Foreman, Youth Lagoon came up. I recall thinking “huh, what a strange name” and mak
Review: Florence + The Machine – Ceremonials (2011)
Florence Welch is a force of nature. Firebomb hair, voice like an avalanche, hurricane of dance moves; she’s an elemental juggernaut. Over the past two years, Welch and her Machine have been on an unstoppable ride, with snapshot performances from Saturday Night Live to Letterman to
REVIEW: MINA TINDLE – MINA TINDLE EP (2011)
It could just be me, but it seems French singer/songwriters are upping their game of late. Maybe it’s because everyone’s been doing Erasmus the past decade, breaking out of their comfort zones and spending times around off-campus parties in college towns in America soaking in the culture while r
Review: Surfer Blood – Tarot Classics EP (2011)
What comes to mind when you read the name “Surfer Blood?” Contrast comes to mine. Surfing evokes carefree pleasantries in my mind, while blood implies passion and life with a sense of brooding. This might give you an idea of what to expect when listening to the alternative punk
REVIEW: ONE WIN CHOICE – CONVEYOR (2011)
Very quickly, you’re schooled in the ways of finding accurate results in an experiment in isolating elements. You would expect a town to be prosperous, friendly and carefree if you isolated negatives such as crime, which Toms River, New Jersey has been quite successful in doing in being called the
REVIEW: MARIJUANA DEATHSQUADS – CRAZY MASTER (2011)
You’ve probably run across at a concert one time or another that either stuns or disappoints. Odds are it’s their recordings that drew you in; an addictive rhythm, heart-tugging lyric or simply sheer curiosity if he or she could pull it off. Mine were The Blood Brothers, Manchester Orchestra and
REVIEW: SWITCHFOOT – VICE VERSES (2011)
The Christian alternative rockers Switchfoot from San Diego have been around for over ten years and show no signs of slowing down soon. They gathered fans in their niche of the Christian market with their first three records before finding crossover success with 2003’s The Beautifu
Review: The Loom – Teeth (2011)
Last May, Brooklyn’s The Loom stopped by Madison with their fellow friend Christopher Paul Stelling to perform a rather multifaceted set that didn’t quite content itself in the folk genre. Drums were markedly more uptempo. Guitars quavered into psychedelia. Teeth is
Review: WATERS – Out In The Light (2011)
Van Pierzalowski has been a very busy man these last few months. From moving back to the Bay Area (A.K.A. Yay Area) from Oslo where he spent some time regrouping after the dismantle of his last band Port O’Brien. To forming his newest musical project WATERS and releasing the debut album Ou