Review of fun.’s ‘Some Nights’
It's funny what a couple of well placed television spots can do for a band. Before Glee covered it, and way before it was used in a Super Bowl commercial for the Chevy Sonic, fun.'s first single "We Are Young (feat. Janelle Monáe)" was just another promising track that got buried beneath the mainstays of the alternative rock scene. →
Review of Sleigh Bells’ ‘Reign of Terror’
In 2010, the duo of Derek E. Miller (ex-Poison the Well) and Alexis Krauss - also known as Sleigh Bells - became critical darlings when their debut album Treats. It was unique, ruckus, loud, and a downright awesome album, making multiple Best Of lists. Their live shows reflected and reinforced their demeanor, making loud and incredibly enjoyable performances So →
Review of Tonight Alive’s ‘What Are You So Scared Of?’
If someone asked you to name a pop-punk band, the list would go on for days. When asked if you could name a pop-punk band with a female lead singer though, the story changes. As of now, I can only think of two: the under-appreciated VersaEmerge (fronted by Sierra Kusterbeck), and the mainstream darlings Paramore. Now that →
Review of Silverstein’s ‘Short Songs’
I've always been a Silverstein listener; not necessarily a fan. They have a handful of albums that I really got behind (Discovering the Waterfront, A Shipwreck in the Sand, and Rescue), and some that I have rather forgotten about (their debut When Broken Is Easily Fixed, and Arrivals and Departures). I've even enjoyed their multitude of covers, ranging →
Review of Enter Shikari’s ‘A Flash Flood of Colour’
Rebellion comes to us in many different forms. As of late, it has come in the form of sitting in large parks in major cities chanting things like "We are the 99%!" Others come in forms as simple as changing your hair color or wearing different clothes. Of course, one huge motivator is the presence of music; →
Review of Lana Del Rey’s ‘Born To Die’
I am a sucker for Best Of/Year End lists. So when I find an relative unknown (or at least to me) on the list, it sparks my interest in whoever the artist is. That's how I found out about Lana Del Rey, and her first single "Video Games." After a couple of times through the song, →
Review of Ingrid Michaelson’s ‘Human Again’
You wouldn't know it through my past reviews, but I do love myself some nice pop music; mostly in the form of piano pop. From Ben Folds, to Sara Barielles, even Christina Perri (to an extent), the little sub-genre has a nice place in my collection of music. Not only are the songs catchy, but contains a lot →
Review of Foxy Shazam’s ‘The Church of Rock and Roll’
Let me make something clear before I continue on with this review; I will be indirectly comparing Queen, who are one of the greatest bands of all time, to the Cincinnati sextet Foxy Shazam. Now, I am in no way saying that the two bands are equal to another: there is only one Queen after all. But Foxy →
Review of Anthony Green’s ‘Beautiful Things’
A little while ago, someone asked me who my favorite frontmen were in today's music. Though the rest of the five I listed took some time to spit out, the first name to come out was Circa Survive's Anthony Green. His overall lyricism, the signature voice inflection, and his overall stage antics (like climbing into Jimmy Fallon's balcony →
Review of Snow Patrol’s ‘Fallen Empires’
Before listening to this album, I tried remembering why Snow Patrol didn't explode over here like they did overseas. Their one mega U.S. hit, "Chasing Cars" took over mainstream radio stations for months (still gets played today). However, due to rapid repetition, that song quickly lost it's luster. Their next single was their song "Signal Fire," which →
Review of Cage the Elephant’s “Live From The Vic In Chicago”
Two years ago, a small band out of Kentucky named Cage the Elephant came out big with their radio-ready first single, “Ain’t No Rest for the Wicked.” That song catapulted them into the spotlight, giving them a lot of radio play and song plugs (like the beginning of the excellent Borderlands). Now, two albums into their career - →
Review of Thrice’s “Major/Minor”
Let me first start by telling you how big of a Thrice fan I am. I listened to their debut single "The Artist In The Ambulance" on loop when it came out in 2003. Then I bought their next album, Vheissu, hoping that I would get more of that sound. And besides the opening track "Image of →
Review of Farewell Continental’s “¡Hey, Hey Pioneers!”
"Farewell Continental. God, I guess you can't love everything. We love to be supportive of a lot of music, and it's just not realistic that you're gonna love everything, you know? I mean there's a certain amount of crude that gets through. Sort of the cracks, it just sorta seeps in like a disease. 1996 →
Review of Silversun Pickups’ “Seasick – EP”
A couple of summers ago, Silversun Pickups came to town to do a live, free show in a park in Downtown St. Louis. As a fan, probably one of the best shows I've ever seen. However, during the song "Future Foe Scenarios," lightning struck during the climax of the song - ending the show once the song was →
Review of Chevelle’s “Hats Off To The Bull”
Alright, confession time. I wasn't a big music listener towards the beginning of my life, besides the classic rock bands like Styx and Queen that my family played in the car. But my first step into the area of modern rock music was the Chicago-based trio Chevelle. The first song I ever heard from them was "Vitamin →
Review of Now, Voyager’s “Seas – EP”
The genre of metal is a normally straight forward thing; you can sound one way, and be classified as such. Nowadays, there are no shortages of different sub genres to get filed into, and normally, you would stay there unless you drastically changed everything about your band. But what happens when a band comes out, and sounds like →
Review of Gorillaz’s “The Singles Collection: 2001-2011″
Even as I'm typing this out, I still can't believe that Gorillaz, one of the most influential alternative acts today, is ten years old. Fronted by Damon Albarn (aka the former lead singer of Blur), the band catapulted themselves to mainstream stardom, thanks in part to the hypnotic beats and creative animated style of the band itself. I →
Review of Gym Class Heroes “The Papercut Chronicles II”
Remember last year, when Travie McCoy broke off from his friends in Gym Class Heroes to release his first solo album Lazarus? If you don't, then you must remember his first single "Billionaire (feat. Bruno Mars)" at least. That song became a theme for 2010, as almost every sort of radio station just put that song on loop. →
Review of Childish Gambino’s “Camp”
If you don't know who Donald Glover is, let me give you a small history lesson. He's an EMMY winning writer, stand-up comedian, and plays Troy on NBC's critically acclaimed comedy, Community. Before all of that, you might know him from the Derrick comedy sketches, including Bro Rape and Spelling Bee (some of my favorites). He was also →
Review of La Dispute’s “Wildlife”
Word of mouth is what seems to be the driving force in the music industry today. I've even reviewed some music that a friend has passed on to me, simply because they think it is something that needs to be listened to (including Foster the People, Big Sean, and AWOLNATION, just to name a few). So I was →
Review of Four Year Strong’s “In Some Way, Shape, or Form”
For some reason, one of which I cannot truly wrap my head around, is how the post-hardcore scene is now starting to blossom. Acts like Florida-based standout A Day To Remember are now starting to climb the U.S. mainstream charts, while also dominating sales and selling out concerts. Recently, I was reminded about how popular that genre has →
Review of Angels and Airwaves’ “LOVE: Part Two”
Tom DeLonge has become an incredibly busy musician these days. He has been on tour for most of the year with Blink-182 (alongside My Chemical Romance and Manchester Orchestra), and helped his original band come back with their highly anticipated new album, Neighborhoods. And when he is not reuniting with his kinfolk, he is continuing the stories of →
Review of I Fight Dragons’ “Kaboom!”
Some of the most iconic music of this generation comes out of video games. Almost everyone can hum the Super Mario music, The Legend of Zelda tunes, and that little chime that gets played when you win a fight in Final Fantasy. Those iconic 8-bit notes have stuck their place in popular culture as songs that has taken →
Review of Patrick Stump’s “Soul Punk”
Alright, confession time. From time to time, I still listen to the Chicago-based emo pop-punk band Fall Out Boy. Whenever their break-out song "Sugar, We're Going Down" comes up on my iPod, I never skip it, but sing along to the incredibly catchy chorus instead. Ever since then, Fall Out Boy became headliners, performing for shows like →
