REVIEW: LADY GAGA – ARTPOP (2013)
You know those bands you absolutely loathe – the ones you think you will never like and will do whatever it takes to not hear any of their stuff, then for whatever reason something just clicks, you’re enjoying what you’re hearing, and want to repent your past sins? Avenged Sevenfold was one of
REVIEW: THE GROWLERS – GILDED PLEASURES (2013)
There is something instantly likable about The Growlers new album Gilded Pleasures. On a surface listen it sounds groovy as hell. The recordings are pleasurably low fi, the songs are catchy and cool, and the writing is funny and alarming. Vocalist Brooks Nielsen spins a doped up dream of Laurel Ca
REVIEW: COLD WAR KIDS – HOLD MY HOME (2014)
A year and a half after releasing Dear Miss Lonelyhearts, The Cold War Kids return with their fifth full-length album, Hold My Home. Though not as comprehensive or thematically dedicated as their 2013 loosely based concept album, Hold My Home blends a solid collection of songs, b
REVIEW: PROTEST THE HERO – VOLITION (2013)
Back in 2006 was around the time I started to really get into music. It was around the same time I got my first iPod and ever since I’ve been trying to find the next good album or band. Soon after, I wanted to go to my first concert and my favorite band at the […]
REVIEW: TRIVIUM – VENGEANCE FALLS (2013)
Today we welcome our newest contributor, Lucas Mengelkoch! Lucas is a recent music and media business graduate based out of Minneapolis. He has played a number of musical instruments over the years and is one day hoping to become a sound engineer for a recording studio. Welcome to Mez
REVIEW: THE LOWER 48 – THE LOWER 48 (2013)
“She fell in love with the Sixties/ And they broke her heart,” The Lower 48’s Ben Braden and Sarah Parson sing on “That’s What I’ll Say,” a bustling, enthusiastically fun cut off the band’s self-titled EP release. It’s no secret that the 1960s are a prominent influence on the
REVIEW: HAIM – DAYS ARE GONE (2013)
There are certain things about SXSW each year that stick with you. 2012 was no different. Be it rumors of a super group of two rappers with four hands performing songs off an upcoming project. Or talking food trucks with beloved European singers. Or the ever-present rumblings regarding which sponsor
REVIEW: GROUPLOVE – SPREADING RUMOURS (2013)
When it comes to an artist’s music being featured in a commercial, that commercial can fall into one of two categories: an Apple ad, or an ad for any other service or product in the world. Who can forget the promising campaigns of the various iPod generations featuring Feist’s “
REVIEW: SISTER CITY – SMALL TALK (2013)
A fragrant, calculated desperation clings to the sonic atmosphere of Small Talk; it appears that Sister City needs a good Oedipal hug and tug from an early 90’s Weezergroupie. The musical tricks that Adam Linder, lead songwriter, employs are surprising, calculated, and infectio