Brooklyn’s Y-Love is a bit of an anomaly in contemporary hip-hop circles; a devout and studious Hassidic Jew, he mixes his gritty socio-political commentary with scripture and prophecy, which he delivers in Arabic, Hebrew, Aramaic and Latin as well as English.
Posted in Reviews
Reading between the lines of All Music Guide’s review of Bridges and Powerlines self-titled debut EP, you might get the impression that the New York indie band is destined to become the next big radio-friendly rock band á la The Killers. Fortunately for those with discerning musical palates, B&P don’t deliver on that implied promise with their follow-up full length, Ghost Types, and you won’t be forced to endure any ham-fisted attempts at wordplay like “I’ve got soul but I’m not a soldier” listening to the eleven well-crafted tunes on this record.
Posted in Reviews
I came across this very interesting video the other day and thought I’d share it with you. It’s for a song called “I am Here” by the Californian band Familiar Trees.
Posted in Videos
I’m hoping that one day we can all look back on Millencolin’s new disc, Machine 15, as a transition record, the album where the Swedish pop-punk band really came into its own with a sly mix of punk rock attitude and mid-60s pop sensibility.
Simply stating that “Detox” is the standout track on the record is overstating the obvious to say the least. With it’s nods to the British Invasion sounds of yesteryear, it’s easily the most sophisticated bit of songcraft to come from these guys yet. Emphasis on yet. I’m really hoping for more of this in the future.
Are local chip-pop darlings Crystal Castles a couple of common crooks? If you ask Belgian producer Lo-bat, the answer could surprise you.
It would appear that local duo have raised hackles within the Creative Commons community, who allege that the Toronto musicians violated Lo-bat’s rights when they sampled his song “My Little Droid Needs a Hand” outside the provisions of Creative Commons licensing.
The song in question, “Insecticon,” is currently listed on the band’s label’s MySpace page as CC vs. Lo-Bat, but that wasn’t the case when the track first surfaced, and to many this doesn’t go far enough.
Posted in Music News
A couple of years ago, in a land not too far away, four high school boys decided they’d form a band. Sure, it wasn’t the most original idea in the world, but these guys seemed to make it work. Rather than seeing the band as a get-laid-quick scheme, Tokyo Police Club concentrated on creating two-minute miracles of infectious post-punk power-pop that soon earned them massive critical acclaim and a legion of diehard fans.
Two years after their debut EP, the incredibly punchy A Lesson in Crime, TCP has hit the road in support of their latest release, Elephant Shell. After two years of relentless touring, the band sounds tighter and more self-assured. Gone is the endearing sloppiness that made their earlier work so charming, but in its place is a solid sense of songcraft that one wouldn’t expect from such a young ensemble. “[Guitarist] Josh [Hook] is 20 right now, turning 21 in May,” says drummer Greg Alsop. “[Vocalist/bassist] Dave [Monks] and [keyboardist] Graham [Wright] both just turned 21 and I’ve just turned 23.”
Posted in Features
