The first time I listened to the “Lonesome Crowded West” album by Modest Mouse I was working another shift at my dead-end grocery store job. It instantly connected with me.
Modest Mouse is instantly recognizable from the sound of drummer Jeremiah...
In October of 2022, a teaser of “Girlfriend”, a poppy 80s inspired song, went viral on TikTok. This was the work of Isimeme Naomi Udu, more commonly known by her stage name Hemlocke Springs. With only three singles released on Spotify, 25 year old...
On November 10, Higher Ground opened its doors to hundreds of people. They were all piling in to see Sylvan Esso, an electronic pop duo made up of Amelia Meath and Nick Sanborn. The duo, which I was mostly unfamiliar with prior to the concert, put on...
We’ve all heard the iconic title track to Joan Jett's second solo record, I Love Rock and Roll. The memorable stomps and claps in the chorus immediately transport you to a dingy dive bar in the 80s. But I think it's high time people recognize all of...
Of all the bands signed in the post-Nirvana nineties, Weezer’s success has been arguably the most consistent. The unassuming alternative-rock giants have kept a steady stream of new music and profitable tours in the 27 years since their debut sent the...
The synth-laden hums of Kid Cudi’s 2009 debut Man on the Moon: The End of Day and its 2010 follow-up, Man on the Moon II: The Legend of Mr. Rager, rocketed him to stardom and injected the hip-hop genre with his spacey, conceptual sound.
Since then, Cudi has been seemingly less sure of his vision and vitality in the industry. As other rappers built huge careers off the psychedelic pop/hip-hop foundation he laid down, Cudi’s prowess faded. No longer a forerunner, Kid Cudi experimented, playing with deeper psychedelic sounds and even a double album of alt-rock songs, but these were not met with the enthusiasm of his groundbreaking early work.
Now, a decade since his debut and four years since his last solo album, Kid Cudi released Man on the Moon III: The Chosen to a music scene that he helped craft. The record's richly intricate album art and intriguingly cryptic promotional videos lure his fans back with an air that Cudi finally has something he wants to prove: his artistry and his relevance.
We’ve all seen the leaves changing around us, and the world is changing a whole lot, too. It’s hard to find anything to hold onto that will last right now. Music can be that anchor while we’re all out left stranded on the high seas of this year....
Scores of cars lined up around the back of the Champlain Valley Expo in Essex on Saturday, October third. A march of dancing bear bumper stickers waiting to be corralled into carefully crafted rows in front of a small stage. They were waiting to see...
With the release of Lucky Chops’ first fully original album titled Lucky Chops comes an explosion of brass, pop, jazz, and creativity.
Throughout the eleven tracks, Lucky Chops fills the spaces of the songs, and dynamically paints pictures...
This week, I checked out Taj Mahal’s The Natch’l Blues for the first time. My father and I were talking music and he mentioned that The Natch’l Blues was one of the first albums he ever bought. I asked him why and he couldn’t remember. Hearing...
I was on a little Fleetwood Mac kick this week. I’ve always kind of written the genre-shifting band a pass, especially their famous mid-70s hits. They came off as milk toast music made for middle-aged moms and I never really gave them the time of...
As we come up to the end of 2019, I have been thinking about what albums have stuck in my brain. One such album is Seeing Other People by indie-pop archeologists, Foxygen.
A recording group made up of two childhood friends, Foxygen has made...
