New York – Hesitant Alien opens with the jarring beeping of “Bureau.” The track sounds vaguely like My Chemical Romance, perhaps only because it features lead vocalist and co-founder Gerard Way’s unmistakable yowl, but there is also something unmistakably different. Like really different. This observation may seem a little “no duh” to some; however, it
Austin – The Preatures’ breakout EP Is This How You Feel? took its queues well. The Sydney band’s 2012 debut, Shaking Hands, introduced us to a group with a nice premise and an ambition to draw from a lot of different music, but arrangements that were too cluttered for the eclecticism to be obvious or
Brooklyn – Shakey Graves is the moniker of Alejandro Rose-Garcia, a born-and-raised Texan whose auditory personality is as large as his native state. His new record, and sophomore endeavor, And The War Came, is scheduled for release on October 7 via Dualtone Records. Those in the know have waited expectantly for this second effort to
Chicago – Grammy Award winner Gary Clark Jr. brings his live performances to an even wider audience with Gary Clark Jr. Live, out this week on Warner Bros. Records. The release features two-discs filled with electrified originals, like “Blak and Blu,” and classic covers, such as Jimi Hendrix’s “Third Stone From The Sun.” To quote
San Francisco – Back in 2012, the UK’s Alt-J put forth their eerily fascinating debut LP, An Awesome Wave, and quickly made a name for themselves in the realm of rock music. Their debut is wrought with homemade time signatures and viscous modulation, all pulsing gracefully under the canopy of singer/guitarist Joe Newman’s mysterious and
New York – Since the early nineties, the Madden Brothers have played in the pop punk band Good Charlotte. Their side project, The Madden Brothers, began taking shape in 2011, but it wasn’t until this week that they released Greetings From California (on Capitol). The record is a hodgepodge of radio pop, country and adult
Los Angeles – Louisiana duo Generationals have quickly returned with the follow-up to their superbly crafted 2013 effort, Heza. Ted Joyner and Grant Widmer crafted their first three albums from home with the help of a close friend. For this go around, they’ve acquired the help of singer/songwriter/multi-instrumentalist producer Richard Swift (The Shins, Foxygen, The
Portland – For most of you who are reading this, the grand city of Montreal is best known as “that place where Arcade Fire came from.” It comes as no surprise then that the Montreal music scene has been steadily catching fire, in part due to the prominent artistry of acts such as Braids, Majical
Chicago – This summer a sweet little number has been dominating the airwaves. Perhaps you’ve heard of it: “Riptide” by Vance Joy. The curly haired Australian James Keogh, who goes by the moniker Vance Joy, wrote this beauty while finishing up law school. Thankfully for music lovers, the 26-year-old decided his true passion was in
Los Angeles — When Karen O steps on the stage as the frontwoman for Yeah Yeah Yeahs, she is the epitome of feminine ferocity. All that power isn’t without a little glittery razzle-dazzle, grating her bowing fans with a convincing argument to live life in anarchy. Her solo debut album, Crush Songs, is far from