Easy Artist: John Newman Album: Tribute Released: October 14, 2013 John Newman reaffirms Britain’s knack for churning out artists with soul. “Easy,” following Tribute’s theme of rollercoaster romance, is a downhill moment on the ride. “Just another song/ Just another tale/ Of a broken heart” is the opening line of[Read More…]
Music
Sun Kil Moon—Benji
Unique in its cohesiveness and beautiful in its honesty, Sun Kil Moon delivers a true masterpiece with their new album Benji. Although still under the moniker Sun Kil Moon, Benji is born from the workings of singer/guitarist Mark Kozelek and plays like an autobiography of his life. The album is[Read More…]
Bombay Bicycle Club—So Long, See You Tomorrow
So Long, See You Tomorrow, the latest album from English indie-rock group Bombay Bicycle Club, has given the band yet another chance to try out a new genre revolving around vocalist Jack Steadman’s longing, airy vocals. Due to the high frequency with which the group modifies their musical approach, they’ve[Read More…]
Deep Cuts
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…]
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…]