Of Monsters and Men: “Hunger”
“Hunger” is an anthem for anyone and everyone who has had to drag themselves through the deep doldrums of a crappy breakup. From Of Monsters and Men’s new album, Beneath the Skin, the sensational lyrics grasp a...
89%Overall
Sufjan Stevens: Carrie & Lowell
If you’re an attentive Sufjan Stevens fan, you probably remember the first time you heard “Casimir Pulaski Day.” And if you’re anything like me, it probably tore your heart out. Made you cry. Made you listen. O...
The Sidekicks: “Summer Brings You Closer to Satan”
The Sidekicks keep things simple and easy. Their sound is the high-pitched vocal screech of The Shins combined with the mainstream but inspired rock of Blink-182. The Ohio band, formed in 2006, makes growing up...
GGOOLLDD: “Boyz”
GGOOLLDD, if you were wondering, is “gold” filtered through drunk vision. At least that’s how frontwoman Margaret Butler explained it at FRZN Fest this winter. With an easy grasp on what it means to grow up, GG...
Courtney Barnett: “Pedestrian at Best”
“Put me on a pedestal, I’ll only disappoint you.”
For all her exceptional self-doubt and deadpan cynicism, Courtney Barnett rarely disappoints. The Australian singer-songwriter brings us grunge rock with all...
Hippo Campus: “Suicide Saturday”
Hippo Campus is a band of four boys from Minneapolis who thought it would be cute to split the biological word “hippocampus” into two. So very high school, which isn’t coincidental considering that the band mem...
79%Overall
Belle and Sebastian: Girls in Peacetime Want to Dance
Belle and Sebastian’s Girls in Peacetime Want to Dance is a typical indie pop smorgasbord. Synthesizers and techno beats join the tepid voice of Stuart Murdoch, who is really at his best with simple guitar stru...
Concert Review:
Shakey Graves
Seeing Shakey Graves live is magical. He’s a perfect one-man act: personable, witty, with a foot wringing the bass drum and his hands winding away on acoustic. Graves, whose real name is Alejandro Rose-Garcia, ...
62%Overall
TV on the Radio
Seeds
Seeds is a softly distorted declaration of love. Or heartbreak. Or something. Despite a heavier pop influence, it’s not an extreme departure from the sound of TV on the Radio’s previous albums. But as a regular...
VYD: “Tank Tops”
VYD’s “Tank Tops” is indie rock with a pulse. Self-described as “NuDisco/Rock,” the group takes dance music to a new level. Comprised of singer-songwriter Justin Howard and guitarist-electronic mixer Nick Wisse...
Essential Tracks:
Delta Spirit
I’m in love with Delta Spirit. Really, I am. It helps that they’re from my native San Diego. That the indie rock band’s founders discovered their lead vocalist and guitar player, Matthew Vasquez, while he was b...
Milo Greene: “White Lies”
I met Milo Greene through the song “Autumn Tree,” an acoustic and underwater flow of pretty vocals and folky instruments. So imagine my surprise with “White Lies”—punchy, with a quick pop energy, the Los Angele...