21 years later it’s hard to remember just how big a hammer blow the original soundtrack to Danny Boyle’s film “Trainspotting” was to the mid-1990s pop music scene, but it was. The inclusion of Iggy Pop and Lou Reed along with ’90s British bands like Underworld and Primal Scream reestablished those old guard protopunks in […]
Lately it’s become clear to me than it ain’t sh*t if it doesn’t have a sense of humor. So thank the electronic stars for Joe Goddard. Best known for his role in beloved indietronica/electro-pop UK group Hot Chip, Goddard also served as half of the 2 Bears and as a songwriter, producer, DJ, remixer and […]
It’s the end of March–are you ready for it to be summer already? If you’d like to skip the blooming crocuses, flash freezes, and everything else that goes along with Mud Season (a.k.a., Spring), you can either book a ticket to Tucson or just put Britta Phillips‘ new cover of The Cars’ “Drive” on repeat. […]
New York City-based band Parlour Tricks (formerly Lily and the Parlour Tricks) were named Best Pop Band of 2014 by the Village Voice but the type of pop music they produce isn’t quite what you envision when you hear “New York City.” With their lovely three part harmonies (Lily Claire on lead vocals with backup from Morgane […]
Lanterns on the Lake: the band’s own sonorous name is the first indication that these are musicians with a thing for beauty. But not too much beauty. The Newscastle, England-based quartet (Hazel Wilde on vocals, Paul Gregory on guitar, Ol Ketteringham on drums and piano, and Bob Allan on bass) like to contrast soaring softness […]
When you hear the delicate opening guitar line of Cross Records’ new single, “Steady Waves,” The Pixies may not be the first band that comes to mind. But this duo out of Dripping Springs, Texas utilizes Pixies-style loud-soft-loud dynamics beautifully, even if Cross Records’ version of loud is on the softer side. Cross Record’s dramatic […]
I know what you’re thinking: “Keep Shelly in Athens?” Look, coming up with a good band names is hard. Just ask Atomic Mass (they eventually changed their name to Def Leppard). This band is not from REM’s Georgia hometown; they’re a duo from the Athens, Greece neighborhood of Kypseli. Or, as one YouTube commenter explained: “Those aren’t […]
I have a theory about Track 3. In my experience, Track 3 tends to be the most important song on a typical album, if not the “best” song, then the most representative one. I think maybe it’s because Track 1 is used to simply grab the listener’s attention; Track 2 is a cool down, and by Track […]
Recommended activities while listening to Small Black’s new single “Boys Life” include: • Staring out the window from a train in the rain; • Driving through a wintry landscape, preferably through the neighborhood where your old crush used to live; • Gazing at the distant people below as your plane departs or lands; • Standing […]
“It’s an old song, revisited. It had been written three years prior, from a place where a sense of belonging was being constantly chased.” That’s how Little May, the Sydney, Australia-based trio of Annie Hamilton, Liz Drummond, and Hannah Field describe their new release, “Home.” It makes sense, considering the runaway success they’ve had touring […]