While of late I have been obsessed in equal parts with stoner rock and the first ten Chicago records (don’t ask), I’ve also been wired into some fine new sounds outside those two poles. It’ll all change by year end, but as of now, here be my faves: 1. Foo Fighters: Wasting Light. Their best record by such a wide margin, it’s almost like we’ve been listening to a different band for the last 15 years. 2. Peter Bradley Adams: […]
Indie Rock
Review: Who Took the Bomp? Le Tigre on Tour
(2011, Oscilloscope) When they released their self-titled debut in 1999, Le Tigre quickly established themselves as one of the most interesting and unapologetically feminist bands of the coming decade. The three piece is comprised of Kathleen Hanna (formerly of Bikini Kill) JD Samson (of New England Roses, as well as Peaches’ touring band) andJohanna Fateman. They’re often referred to as “electropunk,” the I’m not sure how useful that label is. Their music is an amalgam of punk, pop and sample-laden, […]
Spin Cycle: Bon Iver’s “Bon Iver, Bon Iver”
Reams and reams of paragraphs, enough (and steeped in enough mythology) to ink dozens of dead sea scrolls, have been devoted to Bon Iver’s 2007 debut, For Emma, Forever Ago, and not without reason; indie lovers and avid Pitchfork readers seem to flock to rootsy acoustic-slinging troubadours with gusto, special hipster points granted for being lo-fi. It doesn’t get much more lo-fi than a heart-broke woodsman holing up for the winter in a Wisconsin cabin and writing and recording his […]
Support Good Music Chapter 5: Tom Vek
The news that Tom Vek ‘s first new album in over 5 years is finally coming out gave me a chance to listen to and reflect upon his brilliant debut We Have Sound over and over and over again. Who is Tom Vek , you ask? I’ve read somewhere that he’s a “post-punk revivalist”. I think it’s just good music. His debut We Have Sound is still relevant today. It’s quirky-electro in the vein of Beck, Cake, and Soul Coughing. Sort of. He’s the […]
Hank & Cupcakes Return To Boston!
Ask anyone over at the Blerd, we love the soul. We love the old soul, we love the new soul. Hank & Cupcakes has both with some future soul thrown in. Brooklyn-based (By way of Melbourne, Tel Aviv, Cuba, and Jerusalem), H & C are a male/female duo unlike anyone out there today (I’m looking’ at you White Stripes and Ting Ting’s!). Hank plays the bass. Cupcakes sings and plays drums…just like Phil Collins…but she stands up…and she’s way prettier…and her name is […]
Bon Iver Hits Fallon: Mashes Up Bonnie Raitt & Donny Hathaway
Still not totally sold on Bon Iver yet, I’ve got to say. But Justin Vernon’s got impeccable taste in covers (and I’ve gotta say, he’s adorable). He recently appeared on “Late Night with Jimmy Fallon” to promote Bon Iver, Bon Iver-his upcoming June 21st release (an album some of you may have gotten early due to an iTunes glitch) and performed a mashup of Bonnie Raitt’s “I Can’t Make You Love Me” (quite possibly-from a lyrical standpoint-the best song written […]
Wikked Hipstah: Animal Collective Or, How I Learned To Stop Worrying And Love The Noise: A Study On The 2000s Most Divisive Rock Band (Part Three)
In case you missed ’em, check out the first and second installments in this series. Sprawling, rich in lyrical brilliance, sample-heavy and a true “pop” record, Merriweather Post Pavilion produced three,bouncing, even radio-friendly songs in the catchy-as-fuck “My Girls,” “Summertime Clothes,” a romp about exploring the joys of being a free soul in the intense summer heat, and “Brother Sport,” an oddly upbeat number about dealing with the death of Panda Bear’s father. More than anything, Merriweather does the best job […]
New Release Report 5/23/11: A Day Early for Gaga
It’s here, ladies and gentlemen. The anticipation has been building up since the beginning of the year, and now Lady Gaga’s Born This Way is available for you to take home. The music industry has been so hot to get this album out that they’ve pushed all releases for the week (which would normally be on Tuesday May 24th) to Monday the 23rd. Yup, folks, you can begin your work week with Stefani Germanotta and all of her dance-pop anthemry […]
Wikked Hipstah: Animal Collective-How I Learned to Stop Worrying & Love the Noise: Part 2
In case you missed it, check out Part One . Animal Collective followed the successful Sung Tongs with Feels in 2005. Different from its predecessors and later determined to be different from its successors, Feels returned, if only in form, to the experimentation of Spirit and Campfire Songs. Much of this album’s feel (again, no pun intended) bandwagons on the success and accessibility of Sung Tongs; obvious singles “Grass” and “The Purple Bottle” are bookended with tracks like the synesthetic “Did You […]
