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Author Archive
The Jukebox From Hell 14: “Crazy B*tch”
As we at Popblerd passed around the latest list of new releases to divvy up albums for review, one particular album stood out like a sore thumb: Buckcherry, the band you’d always hoped was dead, is gearing up to release a new record. This is a moderately startling development, precisely because it’s not that startling: as we all know, rare is the past-its-prime band that has the self-awareness and decency to call it a day when they cease to be […]
Spin Cycle: Jim James, Regions of Light and Sound of God
At first listen, Jim James’ first proper solo album might sound a bit alien to fans of his daytime gig, My Morning Jacket. It’s an intangible thing to pin down — vocally, James sounds as dynamic and distinctive as he ever has on record, and musically, Regions of Light and Sound of God bears a few particularly distinctive earmarks of his other band’s inimitable style. The vast, canyon-scaling vocals, the slow-burn funk that seeps into ambient soundscapes… it’s all there. It’s […]
The Popblerd Interview: Soul Khan
New York-based rapper Soul Khan is making moves, both literally and figuratively. Once known as a titan of the burgeoning battle-rap scene, Soul Khan’s focus these days is making music. Lots and lots of music. Since retiring from dismantling opponents to focus on his art, one thing’s become clear: Khan is a hungry, creative emcee. His vast network of personal and professional acquaintances unite to make each album or EP unique, vivid; in December of 2012, he concluded a run […]
Drews & Don’ts: 6 Karaoke Songs With (Sort of) Hilarious Lyric Flubs
As you may or may not know, writing for Popblerd is merely what I do during the day; at night, I dive headfirst into the glamorous world of karaoke, where I make my money congenially badgering people into singing in front of strangers. (I also do the “Cupid Shuffle”, like, a lot. It’s a dance comprised of four simple steps, which really speaks to my whiteness dancing abilities.) But the simple fact remains that, while karaoke has gained a lot […]
Spin Cycle: Frightened Rabbit, Pedestrian Verse
Scottish indie-rockers Frightened Rabbit are back with “Pedestrian Verse”, and just as self-deprecating as ever. Popblerd has the review!
The Viewfinder: Bleu, “Somebody Else (2013 Version)”
Power-pop fans, rejoice! Killer solo artist, songwriter to the stars, and Popblerd favorite Bleu has released “Somebody Else”, part of a project to re-imagine the songs from his 2003 major-label debut Redhead. It’s all in anticipation of Bleu’s forthcoming 5th LP, To Hell With You, a fan-funded record that promises to be awesome. And we’ll be giving you the hard sell on To Hell With You when it happens, but until then, enjoy Bleu’s re-recorded “Somebody Else”, complete with modern production flourishes and […]
Drews & Don’ts: 7 Modern-ish Country Songs That Actually Don’t Suck
I’m just gonna lay it all out on the table: country music sucks. Oh, there are qualifiers (there are always qualifiers). Before you collectively leap down my throat, let me list them for you: I am aware that country music used to be fairly awesome. So there’s no need to remind me that Johnny Cash and Willie Nelson exist; I’m keenly aware of them and have nothing but respect for their art. “Jolene”? “The Gambler”? “The Devil Went Down to […]
Blerditorial: On “Baby Got Back”, Tipping, and the Slow Death of Civility
If you haven’t been on the internet lately — understandable, as it’s as much a barren wasteland of lost souls and vitriol-spewing keyboard activists as it is an information superhighway and social facilitator these days — let me catch you up to speed. The web, torn asunder last week by President Obama saying stuff and Beyonce not singing stuff, was once again divided into two very different factions over a couple of news items that happened to go viral. Now, […]
Drews & Don’ts: The Top 7 Great Unheralded Albums By Oft-Heralded Artists
Every Wednesday, music nerd and serial list-maker Drew brings you a small, highly specific, pop culture-related list to either enjoy or inspire debate. He remains the only Popblerd staffer pretentious enough to name a column after himself. First things first: these aren’t necessarily the most underrated albums of all time. That’s a different column for a different day, and for my money, would probably be populated with a fairly tiresome amount of Boston bands (still the liveliest music city I’ve […]
Popblerd’s Best Albums of 2012: The Master List
bLISTerd / hip-hop / Indie Rock / Lists! / music / pop culture / Pop Music / rock music / soul music
In case you were wondering what the Popblerd collective loved this year, here’s our full list, ranked and compiled!
Drews and Don’ts: The 6 Best Overplayed Pop Songs of 2012
Good news: we have brand spankin’ new columns to go with our shiny new year! Drews and Don’ts is a new weekly endeavor, wherein our very own pop-culture-and-list-obsessive Andrew Ratliff writes a bite-sized list for everyone to enjoy and/or argue over. We’ve all experienced it before, albeit to different degrees: that immediate, gut-level reaction to hearing a fabulous song for the first time. “My lord!,” we exclaim, “this is a delight! I’ll cherish this song forever, and cannot envision a world […]