REVIEW: COEUR DE PIRATE – BLONDE (2011)
In 2009, you couldn’t avoid hearing Béatrice Martin in France. She was everywhere, and rightfully so. The tattooed piano player with a voice as sweet only Haribo or Willy Wonka could ever craft took the country as well as Canada with her pop songs firmly rooted in songwriter territory. These wasn
Review: Doomtree – No Kings (2011)
No Kings is not hot on the heels of F H : X V or 2008′s Doomtree. It’s in searing pursuit, hugging hairpin curves tighter, and launching a full on Mad Max auditory assault that chases you down, latches on, and refuses to let you go until nearly 47 minutes later. The Minneapol
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: 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: 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: 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
REVIEW: ASTRONAUTALIS – THIS IS OUR SCIENCE (2011)
No way will this review ever do linguistic justice. It’s as futile as saving the life in the opening scene of Cliffhanger. Dare I compare Bothwell to Sylvester Stallone? Nah, well…yes. Unlike Rocky, Astronautalis improves with age and each iteration. The Jacksonville wordsmith had the
CONCERT REVIEW: THRICE AT THE NEWPORT MUSIC HALL (COLUMBUS)
This review originally appeared in Ryan’s personal blog TUNED UP!, which also follows business trends in music in addition to the usual reviews and news. Thrice (Irvine, CA), La Dispute (Grand Rapids, MI), and O’Brother (Atlanta, GA)October 23rd, 2011Newport Mu