As I walked up the steps of Dado Tea next to The Sinclair in Cambridge, MA before the Flobots show, I saw a man wearing a striped shirt and glasses sitting outside sipping the rest of his drink and trying to get one of the blueberries out of the bottom while looking at his phone. We introduced ourselves and asked the basic questions before getting into topics like what music means to him and people in general, rallying with Rage [...]
Jimmy Eat World, Damage : Album Review
It’s hard to believe Tempe, AZ’s Jimmy Eat World are now on their seventh album. Yet here we are with the boys who created such college radio staples like ‘Lucky Denver Mint,’ ‘The Middle,’ ‘Sweetness’ and ‘The Authority Song,’ confronting relationship issues and converting them into four-minute rock songs. The new album is entitled Damage and once again, its tackling life in the mid- to late-30′s. As a listener, I suppose you could say I’ve spent the past fifteen years growing [...]
Travis, “Where You Stand”: The Singles Bar Review
Remember the mid-90′s British Rock band Travis? No? You mean you don’t remember such memorable tracks as ‘ Tied to The 90′s ‘ ‘ All I Wanna Do Is Rock ,’ or ‘ Sing ?’ For anyone who peeled a layer of the onion past Oasis and Blur, they’d find a treasure trove of great Brit Pop Rock with Travis, James or Manic Street Preachers. Travis was literally a blueprint band for what Coldplay would eventually springboard to. Fran Healy and company are back on August 19th, with their seventh full-length [...]
Filter, “What Do You Say”: The Viewfinder Review
Golfing ain’t what it used to be in the latest video from Filter. In fact, Filter sure as hell ain’t what they used to be either as is immediately evident upon hearing “What Do You Say”, a sonic masterpiece that is, at times, reminiscent of “Hey Man Nice Shot” (Mostly the heavy/quiet/heavy moments) yet overall indicative of Filter circa 2013: Ready to kick ass and take names! The video’s a fun little companion piece that sees some rabble rousers laying [...]
Barenaked Ladies, Grinning Streak: Album Review
Barenaked Ladies grin themselves into complacency on their latest album.
The Popblerd Halftime Show: KBOX’s Best Of 2013 So Far
Once again, we’ve reached the midway point to another year, and the staff’s going through what’s simply “Ah-maze-balled” us to date. Obviously, I’ve written reviews on the types of albums that have intrigued me, but if you need a ranked order – I’d probably put the albums listed below in my current Top Five. There’s been a mix of introspective chamber pop, an experimental album from the desert’s greatest band, a fine return by synth-rock legends, and some indie pop [...]
Back & Sounding As Good As Ever: Toad the Wet Sprocket’s “New Constellation”
It’s the return of Toad the Wet Sprocket!
Palms, Palms: Album Review
I will gladly admit when I am blatantly wrong about something and I was wrong when I said that “Patagonia”, the first single off of Palms’ self titled debut, was lacking. In the context of Palms, “Patagonia” makes perfect sense. I still don’t find it to be a particularly interesting song and it’s definitely not a song I would’ve released first but it works within the six-song opus that makes up the debut from the marriage of deftones’ Chino Moreno [...]
Popblerd’s New Release Report 6/4/2013
Queens of the Stone Age head up a rocking new release schedule this week!
Vampire Weekend Throw The Craziest Dinner Party Ever: The “Diane Young” Video
Vampire Weekend cooks up a hot new video. Have a taste!
Filter, The Sun Comes Out Tonight: Album Review
Filter is back with a vengeance on The Sun Comes Out Tonight, the band’s sixth album. Richard Patrick and his newest partner-in-crime Johnny Radtke (Formerly of Kill Hannah) have concocted an incredibly solid release that moves the band forward but has its roots firmly planted in Short Bus/Title Of Record territory with some hints of The Amalgamut thrown in for good measure. “We Hate It When You Get What You Want” is the way to start an album. It immediately [...]
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