Psyched to be a part of the Blerd Team… Blerdy Blerd Blerd. Anyway… Aretha Franklin is the Queen of Soul, and always will be. Ditto for Michael Jackson and his King of Pop distinction. Sharon Jones made that abundantly clear in a recent “A-Sides” interview. Having said that, there’s still room for another queen in the worldwide music castle. Jones is the self-professed “Queen of Funk.” The lead singer of the appropriately named Sharon Jones & the Dap-Kings is as […]
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bLISTerd: The 100 Best Albums Of The ’00s (100-91)
We’re in 2012. Is it too early for ‘00s nostalgia? Oh, the first decade of the new millennium. The decade we were introduced to the iPod, the smart phone, texting and all sorts of technological advances that have made us incredibly lazy beings. We decided to start voting for our pop stars on TV, Janet Jackson torpedoed her career by showing us a nipple, and Mariah Carey went crazy and then made a comeback (but she’s still crazy). Oh, and […]
Discography Fever!: Van Halen (Part One)
Tomorrow marks the release of Van Halen’s first album with David Lee Roth in 28 years, and the band is already on the road in support of the disc. Bits and pieces of the A Different Kind of Truth have been circulating online for the last month, to mixed reaction. Regardless of what the take home value of the new album may be, the Popblerd staff thought it an opportune time to look back at the band’s discography, warts and […]
Who The Hell Are…If These Trees Could Talk?
It’s been some time since we’ve heard new music from Akron, Ohio’s post-rockers If These Trees Could Talk (their last album was released in 2009). Fans of heavy distortion, well-woven melodies, and layers of sound can rejoice knowing that the band has announced plans to release a new album, “Red Forest,” on March 20th. “Red Forest” was treated with a major sense of DIY, as it was entirely self-produced over the last calendar year. CD and digital download versions of the album will […]
Cold as Ice: The Popblerd Rivalry, Part 2
For the vast majority of the NHL season, column writers Jay and I are on pretty good terms, following the action, dividing the writing, and commenting on the league’s many stories, players, and events. But for a few nights each season, the fellowship must be broken. And this week, it was rendered asunder for two straight days. Why? Because his Toronto Maple Leafs and my Pittsburgh Penguins met for a rare back-to-back series, one at each team’s arena. This is […]
Cold as Ice: The Popblerd Rivalry, Part 1
For the vast majority of the NHL season, column writers Jay and I are on pretty good terms, following the action, dividing the writing, and commenting on the league’s many stories, players, and events. But for a few nights each season, the fellowship must be broken. And this week, it was rendered asunder for two straight days. Why? Because his Toronto Maple Leafs and my Pittsburgh Penguins met for a rare back-to-back series, one at each team’s arena. This is […]
Spin Cycle: Crosses’ “EP 2”
So in August of last year, with low to slow-building (sounds like BBQ, doesn’t it?) fanfare, the music world was introduced to Crosses. Described initially as a witch-house (throw a couple Crucifix symbols around and call it a gimmick for marketing lovers) and featuring a pretty heady mix of both 80’s nu-wave with White Pony and Saturday Night Wrist-esque Deftones atmospherics; EP1 was unleashed as a free low-grade download to would-be listeners. Featuring the duo of Chino Moreno (of Deftones, […]
Spin Cycle: Lana Del Rey’s “Born To Die”
In the world of pop culture, everyone wants a story to go behind the face. With a face like Lana Del Rey’s (born Elizabeth Grant) there’s generally going to be a lot of questions along the lines of “who’s that girl?” and “What’s her story?” For those not familiar with the short story – the kid grew up in upstate NY and was shipped off to boarding school at 15 after getting involved with drugs and alcohol, is a daughter […]
Spin Cycle: Nada Surf’s “The Stars are Indifferent to Astronomy”
It’s still hard to believe it has now been 18 years since Nada Surf’s “Popular” graced the airwaves. In fact, since 2002 (i.e. the last 10 years) the band has done quite well at establishing themselves as one of the finest indie pop rock acts for your money. Let Go is a stand-alone defining moment in their career – from the opening chords of “Blizzard of ‘77” we began to hear what separated Nada Surf from their pop rock leaning […]
The Blerd & Gonzo Cover Convo: “Cruisin'”
What the hell is a Gwynhuey? Find that out and more in the latest installment of the Blerd & Gonzo Cover Convo.
Cold as Ice: Midseason Review, Part 2
Believe it or not, half of the NHL season is officially behind us. To commemorate the milestone, and look at both things past and to come, Cold as Ice co-editors Stephen and Jay sat down to discuss the season so far. In part two, they talk about the Winter Classic (including HBO’s series 24/7), the growing concussion problems of the NHL, and our predictions for the second half. Stephen: Speaking of hockey’s growing popularity, the Winter Classic has really been […]