If English singer-songwriter Frank Turner’s heart is a tape deck, it’s a severely used one; it warps the tape in your favorite cassette, and everything sounds scratchy and worn, cloaked in a layer of tell-tale hiss. It doesn’t matter, though, because it’s got one of your favorite songs lurking deep within its recesses, and if Guided By Voices have taught us anything, it’s that a great song is a great song, period. Frank Turner’s new album, on the other hand, [...]
Album Reviews / Bluegrass / folk music / music / New Releases / Spin Cycle / Support Good Music in 2013
Steve Martin and Edie Brickell, Love Has Come for You: Album Review
Perusing the concert listings a few months ago, a listing for “Steve Martin & Edie Brickell” jumped out at me. “That Steve Martin? That Edie Brickell?” It all seemed so bizarre. My father later expressed interest in going to the show, as Martin’s newfound musical career apparently gets a great deal of play on XM/Sirius’ bluegrass station. I bought the tickets out of curiosity. Last week, I got a taste of what we might be in for when that performance [...]
Iron & Wine, Ghost on Ghost: Album Review
It’s interesting that being a fan of Iron & Wine isn’t necessarily a prerequisite for enjoying (or not enjoying, for that matter) Sam Beam’s latest album, Ghost on Ghost. Artistic evolution (and devolution) happens all the time — how different could Ghost on Ghost be? Well, for longtime fans of the hirsute folkie, the answer is: very. Beam — who performs as Iron & Wine — made his reputation on a host of recordings that caused the rock-crit elite to [...]
Blerditorial / folk music / Funny / hip-hop / Indie Rock / music / pop culture / Pop Music / TV / Videos
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, [...]
Songs in the Key of Life 30: “Don’t Know Why”
Years back there was a woman in Brooklyn, NY who gave birth to a baby boy. As he grew, he developed a particular set of skills that made him a nightmare to his peers. His confidence made him soar above expectations. With his chosen weapon in hand he would shoot for the stars and most times hit his target. As a matter of fact, he became one of the greatest marksmen of all times. What made him so great was [...]
Best of 2012 / bLISTerd / folk music / hip-hop / Indie Rock / Lists! / music / pop culture / Pop Music / rock music / soul music
Popblerd’s Best Albums of 2012: The Master List
In case you were wondering what the Popblerd collective loved this year, here’s our full list, ranked and compiled!
Best of 2012 / Drews and Dont's / folk music / Indie Rock / Lists! / music / pop culture / Pop Music / Videos
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 [...]
Best of 2012 / bLISTerd / electronic music / folk music / Indie Rock / Lists! / music / Pop Music / rock music
Popblerd’s Best Albums of 2012: Mike A’s List
Popblerd writer Mike A lists his Top Ten albums of 2012.
Best of 2012 / bLISTerd / folk music / hip-hop / Indie Rock / Lists! / music / rock music / soul music
Popblerd’s Best Albums of 2012: Drew’s List
Drew unleashes a typically diverse best-of 2012 list, featuring everyone from fun. and Miguel to Regina Spektor. Oh yeah, Kendrick Lamar is here too!!
Album Reviews / folk music / Indie Rock / music / New Releases / pop culture / Pop Music / rock music / soul music / Spin Cycle
2012 Christmas Album Roundup: Spin Cycle
Once again, Popblerd listens to this year’s Christmas albums so you don’t have to! This year brings us music from Cee-Lo, Sufjan Stevens, and many others.
Looking for America: The Best Recent Americana Releases
“Americana” is all the rage right now, and Dennis takes a look at a few of the best releases (including the latest album from Drive By Truckers frontman Patterson Hood) to come from the genre these last few months.
Spin Cycle: Mumford & Sons, Babel
Scottish hitmakers Mumford & Sons are back with another agreeable, hooky collection of stomping folk-rock. How does “Babel” stack up to “Sigh No More”?
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