Swingin’ Party Artist: Lorde Album: Pure Heroine—Extended Released: September 27, 2013 This sensation from New Zealand has made no shortage of headlines; however this song, embedded in her re-issue, Pure Heroine – Extended, remains relatively unknown. Singing over a smooth, pulsing beat with an unusually simple organ in the background,[Read More…]
Music
Jay Malinowski charts a new course on Martel
To move forward, Jay Malinowski needed to look back. Not long before the Bedouin Soundclash frontman began working on Martel—the 18-track album that his current project, Jay Malinowski & The Deadcoast, releases today—the idea of such an ambitious venture seemed inconceivable based on his trajectory at the time. “I was[Read More…]
Kara-Lis Coverdale talks MTL music scene, working with Tim Hecker
If you hear of a 20-something-year-old musician who hasn’t yet had a radio hit, the first thing that likely comes to mind is the ‘struggling young artist’ trope—lots of work with little payoff and growing frustration—but that’s not the case for Kara-Lis Coverdale. Walking into her little Plateau home studio[Read More…]
Dum Dum Girls—Too True
The Dum Dum Girls’ new album Too True was meant to be the band’s official transition into the world of high-label girl group Rock ‘n’ Roll fame. However, it clearly flows from the same vein as their previous work, making for an ethereal-sounding album that directly harkens back to girl[Read More…]
Hospitality—Troubles
There’s something to be said about female vocalists and indie pop, a match so perfect and compatible, that it can usually intrigue the ear no matter how respectable the music really is. Luckily in the case of Amber Papini, lead vocalist of Hospitality, her stylings are both intriguing and respectable.[Read More…]
Gramatik—The Age of Reason
Among today’s monotonous, often regurgitated world of electronic music, it is difficult to find something genuinely fresh. Despite this, Gramatik has harnessed the ability to supply interesting, novel sounds in the realm of electronic music. His most recent effort, The Age of Reason, is no exception. Trading slower, swung electro[Read More…]
Barely two years since formation, Kodaline goes global
The name Kodaline is enough to stop most people for a second or two as they ponder the possible meaning of this neologism that is pronounced “code – ah – line,” but the word actually represents two distinct things. In the World of Warcraft, it’s the name of the computer[Read More…]
Against Me!—Transgender Dysphoria Blues
The Florida-based punk rock band Against Me! formed in 1997 and firmly established itself in the punk world with the release of five albums between 2002 and 2012. In 2012, lead singer of the band, Laura Jane Grace—formerly Tom Gabel—announced that she was a transgender woman. Following this admission, the[Read More…]
Young the Giant—Mind Over Matter
Following the very successful release of their self-titled debut album in 2010, southern California quintet Young the Giant has a lot to live up to with their second full-length release, Mind Over Matter. Purveyors of a radio-friendly brand of indie rock, the band has become known for catchy pop hooks,[Read More…]
Warpaint—Warpaint
There is more space on Warpaint’s latest, self-titled album than on their previous release, The Fool and Exquisite Corpse. Former Red Hot Chili Peppers guitarist John Frusciante—who mixed and mastered Warpaint’s debut EP—is replaced by Flood and Nigel Godrich, who handle most of the technical duties this time. There is[Read More…]
