Archive for the 'bands to watch' Category
MySBLT Vol. 2: Alberta Cross, Real Estate, Jack White and more!
Author: Taylor Roberts
In this issue of Music You Should Be Listening To:
We’ll take a wondrous musical journey with New York based band, Alberta Cross. I’ll discuss their September release Broken Side of Time, as well as their recent set in the Daytrotter studios. In one word… Amazing!
We’ve also got some big news this week including not one but two upcoming releases from New Jerseys own, Real Estate. In the next 30 days the band will release their highly anticipated debut album as well as a brand new EP. Jack White is also making headlines as he gears up for a new project featuring one very unlikely pairing. He’ll put his producing skills to the test as he once again teams up with a rock and roll icon.
Finally, I’ll let you in on the upcoming schedule for MySBLT. On the docket we have the first in a series of interviews with up-and-coming bands as well as a few concert reviews. Big things, they are a-coming! Read the rest of this entry »
read comments (0)Music You Should Be Listening To: Vol. 1
Author: Taylor Roberts
Hello, and welcome to the first installment of Music You Should Be Listening To. This blog is your one stop shop for all things indie rock including album reviews, concert highlights and the latest news on the bands that no one has heard of… yet.
I had all intentions of using my first entry to review some great new album that is dropping in November, however, I encountered a bit of a problem… I’m still stuck on the early fall releases that are continuing to blow me away. So instead I’ll let you in on what I’ve been digging since September. I’ll also hit you with some news that will definitely help you get through those cold winter months (hint: January is going to be chalk full of new releases from some of the superstars in Indie!) Read the rest of this entry »
VALENCIA UPDATE
Author: Leigh Silbernagel
Sea Sew Suds
Author: HJ Mills
The first thought that pops into my head when I think of Lisa Hannigan’s “I Don’t Know” is a pink, sparkling bubble bath because that’s what it sounds like – an audio bubble bath. Singing with a smile that can be heard through any speakers, Hannigan proudly sings “I don’t know if you write letters or you panic on the phone/I’d like to call you all the same/If you want to/I am game.” Though the music video lacks the suds, the paper cut-outs work out nicely. As her second single, it’s lovely as a single rose to pluck or biting into a ripe mango – so sweet. Read the rest of this entry »
Acid Mothers Temple for beginners (like me!)
Author: Doctor B
I’d only heard a few of Acid Mothers Temple’s recordings before I saw them last April in Philadelphia. One of them was a seven-inch which sounded much to me like the output of any number of Japanoise bands, such as The Boredoms or The Machine Gun TV. Another was a live recording from 2004 which had them sounding like Syd Barrett-era Pink Floyd jamming with Blue Cheer with members of Pere Ubu sitting in. This turned out to be merely a fraction of a fraction of the output of this extremely prolific Japanese psychedelic-rock band One day while I was in Philadelphia visiting friends, I heard on the radio that Acid Mothers Temple’s 2009 North American tour would bring them to a club in Philadelphia called Johnny Brenda’s. So I decided to make the trip and check them out. Read the rest of this entry »
VALENCIA UPDATE
Author: Leigh Silbernagel
Direct from Valenica’s email newsletter, here’s the latest update about the Japan Tour and all of the Presale Information you need.
-leigh Silbernagel
Belated Record Store Day Recap
Author: jon
We’ve been very busy with back-to-back weekend events, so this is a little belated, but we wanted to give a big thanks to all the folks who came out and supported us on Record Store Day! Read the rest of this entry »
Ms. Delmhorst and Her Little-Winged Bird
Author: HJ Mills
“I just want to be part of all this beauty, want to be part of all this flight on little wings”, sings the lovely Kris Delmhorst in her song, “Little Wings” I see her as one of the most remarkable musicians I have ever come across. Her lyrics are as beautiful as the leftover drops on bushes after a sweet summer rain. In her song, “The Drop and Dream”, Kris wistfully sings “It’s both our curse and our grace, here in this place to reach for heights that we’ll never climb”. She sculptures her pieces with light, philosophy, self-reflection, cracked bits of robins’ eggs, and broken guitar strings tied in a bow. Yet, her name is only whispered, and according to “Little Wings”, Ms. Delmhorst does not mind that a bit. She confidently professes, “Now I don’t want to be a jet airliner, I just want to be a little bird, I don’t want to rip the skies wide open, I just want my song to be heard” . I heard her exquisite melodies long after one of my favorite music writers unveiled her . Read the rest of this entry »
Seeing Filligar Live
Author: Eliza Varner
Last Friday I had the opportunity to go to a Live Campus show here at Dartmouth. Held in the commonground of Collis (our student activities center), with a minimal donation, we could go see several live bands as well as get pizza, soda, and free beer (21+ with ID). What a perfect way to spend the first Friday night of Spring Term. Read the rest of this entry »
The Appropriate Category for Amadou & Mariam’s Music is “Great”
Author: John Moses
I’ve been telling my friends about how much I like Amadou & Mariam’s music. Since they’re not well-known in the U.S. yet, the question that inevitably comes up is, “What sort of music is it? Who do they sound like?” After trying several weakly descriptive, “it’s-sort-of-like-this-and-sort-of-like-that” responses, I’ve settled on, “It’s just great, fun music. You should give it a listen.” Read the rest of this entry »
Animal Collective Live In London
Author: Andrew Overton
Last night I finally was privileged to experience the magic of Animal Collective live. The band (less Deakin) has been tweaking many of the tracks that eventually ended up on the brilliant Merriweather Post Pavilion. Since the ground-breaking album dropped on the 20th of January AC has only done four gigs in the U.S. so very few Americans have heard their favorite Merriweather tracks live. I am fortunate enough to be studying in England and was able to catch them towards the end of their European tour at the HMV Forum in London. Read the rest of this entry »
Pop! Straight Out of Scandinavia
Author: Adrienne Brown
When it comes to our choices of music, we all have guilty pleasures. During my formative years, I was a huge New Kids on the Block fan. I tortured my parents to purchase every poster, cassette tape (yes, it was that long ago), and piece of merchandise I could get my hands on. My love of NKOTB even helped me to become elected to my intermediate school student council. However, as time moved on, so did my taste in music. By the time high school arrived, I had abandoned pop music in exchange for alternative bands like Nirvana and Depeche Mode.
First Impression & First Aid Kit
Author: HJ Mills
Greetings to my fellow admirers of audio rivers. My name’s HJ. I’ve been writing my own music blog semi-frequently since September ‘08. It started as a class assignment, then grew into one of my favorite things. Music is my passion, and I’m here to share and celebrate my passion with you. I always love metaphors, a ripe mango, tea with steam dancing on the top, scarves that are lovely, silver rings, scripture, and the gritty smell of camp fires. Read the rest of this entry »
From Princeton to Virginia Woolf
Author: Adrienne Brown
When driving on the crowded roads of Middlesex County, I often seek the solace of music that allow me to reflect on simpler times. Growing up on the Jersey Shore, some of my best memories occurred during spring visits to the seashore. This winsome feeling is encapsulated in the carefree sounds of the indie pop trio Princeton. Hailing from Los Angeles, Princeton is an aural fix for the winter blahs. Read the rest of this entry »
Iraqi Jazz Fusion!
Author: Anthony Medici
So, are you into Iraqi jazz fusion yet? Or maybe you never heard of it? I had a chance to listen to it last night (Saturday, Feb 7) at the Smithsonian’s Freer Museum Meyer Auditorium, in a performance by Amir El Saffar’s Two River Ensemble, with El Saffar on trumpet, santur, and voice, Rudresh Mahanthappa on alto sax, Nasheet Waits, drums, Carlos De Rosa, bass, and Jason Adasiewicz, vibraphone. The place was packed– and your intrepid blogger was almost shut out. Read the rest of this entry »
SHERAZADA UPDATE!!!!
Author: Leigh Silbernagel
$herazada is going into the studio on Feb 2nd to record their second EP with Chris Badami who also produced:
-The Dillinger Escape Plan
-Trophy Scars
-Midtown
-The Early November
-Fenix TX
The online merchandise store is up: .<br style=”display:none” gauntlet_tokenizer_reserved=”"/> Just click on the nifty image below, shirts are real cheap! With each purchase you will recieve a FREE EP (extremely loud and incredibly close)
(signed if you please) !
ALSO
Round 1 of The Break Contest to play Bamboozle is THIS SUNDAY at the Cedar Grove VFW. For tickets contact the band.
-leigh Silbernagel
Top Ten Musician’s List for 2008
Author: Jeff Boule
Happy New Year to all! On my recent visit to the Princeton Record Exchange, the sheer volume of inventory overwhelmed me. The things that were available were equally astounding. Yes, I have been blogging about PREX site unseen until now. I can only further recommend getting down there and checking things out. That is, if you have a ton of time to peruse the massive inventory.
All those artists and genres, it would take hours upon hours to examine everything they have that one might have an interest in. The scope of the variety that the Exchange contained has inspired and reminded me that it is time for my picks of this past year and overall.
SHERAZADA UPDATE!
Author: Leigh Silbernagel
Last night i saw ADAM BIENER of SHERAZADA.
He told me that they have a new bassist and drummer.
They will have new merchandise available soon.
they are heading back to the studio to start writing, recording and mixing, mastering and cutting new tracks.
They have 4 shows coming up.
-leigh Silbernagel
FASTER THAN FATE: Pandora’s BOX
Author: Leigh Silbernagel
This band has shown consistently strong song writing skills, as well as ample stage presence. Drawing forces from punk-hardcore-alternative, the result is a unique and innovative sound, remarkable and unforgettable. Despite time and distance, one can not forget the sounds of Faster than Fate.
Steel Train
Author: Shira Karsen
In the basement of some suburban house in Princeton, New Jersey, four lanky and teen angsty men formed a band. Yes, this does seem incredibly cliché, but Steel Train, a band that easily defies every my-life-sucks-basement-band faux-pas is worth spending time listening to. Their quirky beats and melodramatic harmonies are reflective of their lead singer Jack Antonoff’s story, in which he fell into a deep depression after his sister died, his cousin died in Iraq and he broke up with his long-term girlfriend.
Their sound is like The Killers meets Ben Folds, if they were married and had the psychedelic folk of Joan Jett and the morbid lyrics of death cab as their in laws. Cutting, blatant lyrics from Antoff’s personal experiences are contradicted by electrifying piano pop and upbeat vocals.
Their latest album, Trampoline, which debuted in December of 2007, is like a therapy session strung over tunes of instrumental funk and jaunty anger. The first song “I feel weird” starts off telling his basic story: “ When I was 18/ everything was alive/ then the planes hit the towers/ then she died/ then he died/ a part of me disappeared/ six feet in the ground…./ a fire burns and it’s mine/.
In “Kill monsters in the rain,” lyrics like “together we can/ together we’ll kill monsters in the rain” harmonize over Ben Folds-esque keyboard’s. And the fun 80’s intro reminiscent of journey in “Alone On the Sea,” give this album it’s lighter side— the therapy sessions where time has passed and they’ve found something else to talk about.
This band should without a doubt be on our watch list. They were on tour this past summer, playing with O.A.R, performing at Bonarro in June and Lollapalooza in August, and are now performing all over the U.S.