via Bandcamp The amount of exciting music slated to be released in 2015 is seriously staggering, but it’s time to add yet another album to your “Most anticipated” list. Kisses to the Sky is the forthcoming album by Raleigh NC’s Oulipo, and its second single, “Dolphins,” is about to dramatically improve your day. Layers of airy synthesizers and … Read more
Via Alarm Magazine David Byrne has been busy recently. After collaborating with St. Vincent on last year’s delightful art rock gem, Love This Giant, the Talking Heads’ frontman is putting heads together (no pun intended..) with yet another budding young artist. Jherek Bischoff’s compositional and arrangement skills are astounding for someone with nearly no formal … Read more
We’re ankle deep in the 21st century by now, and the whole “festival” thing is starting to sound a bit passé, don’t you think? Mark my words, in the not-so-distant future music summits will be all the rage, leaving the music festival behind as a relic of the past. The way I understand it, the … Read more
All photos by Dylan Newcity I’ll be laughing out loud I’ll be laughing with everyone I see Can’t believe how strange it is to be anything at all The reverence surrounding Jeff Mangum is daunting. His once cult following has become more akin to a legitimate religious cult, whose zealotry has only grown more fevered … Read more
As I sit with my cup of tea writing this, gazing into the gorgeous mountain landscape before me, I am reminded of something that I’ve just recently realized: I’m really happy. I wouldn’t say that I had been unhappy necessarily, just unsatisfied, stuck, and a little burnt out. Since I’ve moved to the beautiful city … Read more
Tom Krell wants to soundtrack the conception of your next child. Well, maybe “wants to” is an overstatement, but if Krell (AKA How to Dress Well) didn’t expect baby-making going on during his tunes, then he shouldn’t have written an album inspired by Janet Jackson. How to Dress Well’s sophomore record, Total Loss, took cues … Read more
Moogfest begins next week! This exciting for many reasons, not the least of which being that Dan Deacon will be blowing minds at a venue called New Earth on Thursday night. His live shows are legendary affairs that often entail lots of weird audience participation and rave dancing, so god only knows what Deacon has … Read more
Having finally recovered enough sleep to face the glow of my computer screen, I am realizing that it will require a few unconventional methods to adequately describe the magnificent techno-gathering I spent the last five days attending. First, a haiku: Wise men and ravers In the sweaty dancing pit Harmony is realized Presentations, demonstrations, panels, … Read more
Via CoS As if we needed more reasons to be glad that October is here, this past Tuesday Shakey Graves bestowed his fantastic sophomore LP, And The War Came, upon the world. Replete with jaunty folk-rock righteousness and old time-y country longing, Mr. Graves (née Alejandro Rose-Garcia) bounces between multiple stylistic loci while deftly maintaining thematic … Read more
Photo by Erin Daniell Despite sharing a name with Wayne Knight’s contemptible, dinosaur-smuggling computer programmer character from the original Jurassic Park movie, “Dennis Nedry” is one of the most delightful morsels of indie-pop songcraft we’ve heard all year. With its rich textural variation and lively dynamic progression, the song functions as the aural equivalent of … Read more