Sports – Sticker Fetish

Posted on August 1, 2014 by Nick - No Comments

bandcamp

The Sports boys make some great emo punk music splattered with emotion and procrastination and sick riffs. I’ve been spinning their album pretty frequently (between bouts of Spotify’s “Discover” section).

Elephant Wrecking Ball – Sticker Fetish

Posted on July 4, 2014 by Nick - No Comments

bandcamp

These guys are definitely named appropriately. The effects-heavy and experimental trombone-playing laid over the top of a technical rhythm section evokes images of a herd of elephants in conversation.

Weezer (The Blue Album) is 20 years old — A Tour

Posted on May 10, 2014 by Dan Zarzycki - No Comments

It is hard to believe that Weezer’s first self-titled album, and my favorite album of all time, turns 20 today. It is even harder to believe that I was just five years old when this album was released.

“The Blue Album” was the perfect mixture of driving power chords and pop progressions and was instantly relatable to just about any person who lifted an ear. Hi-gain guitar solos — that bleed profusely with feedback and natural harmonics — appeal to the angst-ridden teenage crowd. At the same time, children of the radio can recall (on command) little pieces of each song, from the opening riff of “Say it Ain’t So” to the melodic guitar interlude in “Buddy Holly.” There is a reason why so many people call this album the best of all time.

Rather than talk about the album in general I wanted to take a look back at the individuals songs to better articulate why this album is so important and why it resonates so well with such a wide audience.

Good Grooves: Dead Rider – Mother of Curses

Posted on February 11, 2014 by Dan Zarzycki - No Comments

My journey through the Good Grooves of the world takes me to a bizarre place in the heart of the Windy City.

The band in question is Dead Rider — known as D. Rider when this album was released. The album is Mother of Curses.

Good Grooves – Drive: Soundtrack to the Motion Picture

Posted on February 9, 2014 by Dan Zarzycki - 2 Comments

There has never been a movie soundtrack more elusive than “Drive.”

For quite some time people have been asking me.. no.. telling me to listen to the Drive soundtrack.

I finally got the chance to enter the seedy world of the Drive universe, and I was both surprised and impressed

Arctic Monkeys: “AM” Review

Posted on December 3, 2013 by Dan Zarzycki - No Comments

Crunch rock meets croon pop

I have been a massive fan of the Arctic Monkeys ever since their first American television appearance. The year was 2006, and the album was “Whatever People Say I am, That’s What I’m Not.” The record was an honest storyline about a crazy night out in a small British town.

A lot has changed over the past seven years, but I am happy to report that Alex Turner (lead singer and lyricist) is still falling for all of the wrong women in all of the sketchy places.

The lyrics are written as hopelessly as ever, and, with this album, the music is more accessible than ever. Is this a good thing?

Kanye West: Yeezus (Album Review)

Posted on June 25, 2013 by Dan Zarzycki - No Comments

Raw, for better or for worse

Kanye West is the Quentin Tarantino of the music industry.

He is one of the most arrogant and outspoken artists in his medium. His individual projects can be so different in tone and in theme yet so unmistakably Kanye. Most importantly, he does whatever he wants, gets whoever he wants to accompany him, and always gets away with it. And the finished product is always brilliant.

Enter “Yeezus“

Yeezus, the newest experiment from the brain of Mr. West, marks yet another crazy departure from the hip-hop norm.

Sort of.