REVIEW: THE STROKES – THE NEW ABNORMAL (2020)
The Strokes have always been indebted to the New York bands that came before them. The city is ground zero for the founding of numerous musical movements and has been claimed to be the birthplace of punk rock. The raw, melodic, and straightforward sound of their breakthrough debut, Is This
REVIEW: ARCTIC MONKEYS – TRANQUILITY BASE HOTEL & CASINO (2018)
One of the biggest rock bands in the world is set to release one of the most highly anticipated albums of the year, and Alex Turner doesn’t want to talk about it. Outside of a handful of interviews with the Arctic Monkeys’ frontman, the marketing surrounding the release of the British band’s s
REVIEW: DJANGO DJANGO – BORN UNDER SATURN (2015)
I deem myself lucky to have witnessed some of the very early days of Django Django surrounding the January 2012 release of their debut album. It was in Europe, well before their 1960s sounds harmoniously bubbled over the ocean into sold out tours in the States. The quartet united while at
REVIEW: THE NATIONAL – TROUBLE WILL FIND ME (2013)
Both their harshest critics and most devout fans will agree, one of the most prominent elements of The National’s music, is, and always has been, the sadness. From the alt-country beginnings of their 2001 self-titled debut, on through the promising musical growth of 2003’s Sad Songs fo
REVIEW: LOCAL NATIVES – HUMMINGBIRD (2013)
Local Natives have just released their sophomore album, Hummingbird, and we couldn’t be more pleased. It’s been a few years since their debut Gorilla Manor, and the band has been through a lot since then. They parted ways with bassist Andy Hamm in 2011, and in the middle of writin
INTERVIEW: ALT-J (CAMBRIDGE)
Back at one of the [PIAS] Nites here in Paris, Alt-J was sold out. Every disc. They weren’t even performing. Nor there. Sold out. All of them. Since the video of “Breezeblocks” began circulating, the Leeds/Cambridge group’s album An Awesome Wave has been the talk of F
Review: Wintersleep – Hello Hum (2012)
Wintersleep‘s LP, Hello Hum, demands a glass of Canadian Club and a massive window, covered in frost, overlooking the Cape Breton Highlands. Unfortunately, I had to resort to a humid St. Louis roof and a bottle of Jack Daniels. Simply a disclaimer; nothing more. The record begins with a
REVIEW: KNIFE & FORK – THE HIGHER YOU GET, THE RARER THE VEGETATION (2012)
For a lot of people, the name Eric Drew Feldman might not conjure up much recognition. However, when his name appeared in the subject of an email from a friend it caught my attention easily. I got my first spark of fervor for playing music when I found Nirvana, and when I retraced t
REVIEW: MAPS & ATLASES – BEWARE AND BE GRATEFUL (2012)
Maps & Atlases are an art rock band that’s no stranger to the touring or festival circuit. They have been quietly building a dedicated following, playing small venues all across America over the past few years and they have played a number of festivals. This summer, they will