MUSIC: New Death Grips Album!

Suprise, suprise, experimental hip-hop group, Death Grips, have randomly released their new album, titled Government Plates, via Facebook. Download it here or here or stream it below!

Lou Reed

I was driving back from the movies feeling pretty good. I had just seen Gravity and it was entertaining. When I get home, I began the ritual of entering the house, I took off my shoes, emptied my pockets, and opened my computer. I logged onto Facebook and Twitter like any normal person. I look at my feeds and saw something about Lou Reed. And then another. And then another. I can't remember whose post I saw first or whose I saw last. It was just a blur of denial. After reading post after post, I came to the realization that Lou Reed was dead. I couldn't believe it. The legend was dead. Any fleeting ideas of feeling "pretty good" for the rest of the afternoon were gone the moment I read the first headline. I didn't know what to do. I had to work to do, but I couldn't bring myself to do it. I legitimately felt like I had a friend pass on. I was on the verge of tears. I mustered enough energy to grab for my vinyl and put "Heroin" on (I'm listening to the song right now as I write this). I slowly fell into a state of melancholy. I had finally accepted that one of the greatest musicians of all time had passed on, but just barely.

I don't remember the first time I heard the Velvet Underground, but it doesn't really matter. The first time I listened to alternative music I heard the Velvet Underground. Practically every band that I like that came after the Velvet Underground says the band was an influence (and pretty much anyone who didn't is either lying or hasn't realized it yet). Everyone knows how much of an impact they were, but I think people forget just how damn good they were of a band. Their music is frankly incredible. It's had incredible staying power and still sounds amazing and different today. After creating four of the best albums of all time, Lou Reed could have just quit and quietly died through substance abuse, but he didn't. He made more than twenty solo records. While I'm not a fan of his solo stuff, I can see it's appeal and it's incredible that he continued making revolutionary music for his entire life. Most people know Lou Reed as the "Walk On Wild Side" guy, but he means so much more to me than that. The Velvet Underground's music changed the way I look at the evolution of music and makes up the base of most of the music I like. It's also some of the best music ever created.

I don't know what I'm going to do when the other two die.

Lou, I just want to thank you. Thank you for the music that inspires me and makes me feel good, bad, sad, happy, and everything in between. Thank you for creating punk, post-punk, noise, indie, alternative, shoegaze, alternative, hell, even rap (according to some). Thank you for being part of the scenes you created and not really becoming old in my eyes. Thank you for being the amazing person that you were, I wish I could have met you. Thank you for the awesome vocals on "Some Kind of Nature", the song wouldn't been have as amazing without you. Thank you for staying around for the 71 years that you did. Thank you for basically creating my passion. I don't honestly know what I would do without music. My life everyday "is saved by rock n' roll." Thank you Lou, rest in peace.

This came up as I was finishing writing this and

I knew I had to add it. I guess it's fitting he 

died on a Sunday. RIP Lou. I'll miss you

MUSIC: New Flatbush Zombies

Download and stream the new mixtape from Flatbush Zombies, Better Off Dead, below!

VIDEO: Even More Arcade Fire

Arcade Fire has released another video for the song "Reflektor". Enjoy! Also, David Bowie is now confirmed to be officially on this track.

VIDEO: NEW ARCADE FIRE

The amazing Arcade Fire have posted a new interactive video featuring their new song. Click the picture above to check it out. The official audio is much better than the leak in my opinion.

MUSIC: Arcade Fire Leak?

The new long-awaited song from Arcade Fire, "Reflektor", might have leaked today. It also might have David Bowie on it. Yeah. Take a listen below. After a couple of listens, I like it, but no where near as much as their previous music. The song will officially be released Monday at 9 PM and the album comes out October 29th on Merge. UPDATE: It seems that the song has been taken down from most places, including the source I used. I'll post it again tomorrow when it's officially released.

The Artwork For The New Arcade Fire Single

MUSIC: Arctic Monkeys Stream

Stream the new Arctic Monkeys, AM, album on their iTunes page, linked here!

MUSIC: Come A Little Closer by Cage The Elephant

Cage The Elephant has released the first single from their new album, titled 'Come A Little Closer". It's pretty damn good in my opinion. The album, Melophobia, will be release on RCA in the fall.

NEWS/VIDEO: Daft Punk on Colbert Report....NOT!

Like many people, I was watching the Colbert Report because I was looking forward to Daft Punk playing 'Get Lucky' on the show. Stephen then came on and said that Daft Punk had been cancelled because they couldn't appear on TV before the VMAs (which means they're at least playing that at least!) for some legal reasons. In consolation we were offered an amazing video of Stephen dancing to 'Get Lucky' with Jeff Bridges, Hugh Laurie, Matt Damon, John Stewart and others and a fun performance of Robin Thicke's 'Blurred Lines'.  Those might not add up to a performance from the French duo, but it ended up being a fun show. I'll update this with video when it's been uploaded. UPDATE: We have video! Click here for the full episode, which I recommend doing.

VIDEO: Lollapalooza Livestream

The lucky ones are already in Chicago experiencing was is sure to be a fantastic weekend, while the rest of us have to suffer watching the concert from the comfort of our homes without crowds or heat. Actually, watching the livestream doesn't seem too bad after all! So for the ones like me who can't make it to the festival, what are your livestream schedules?  And if you're actually at the festival, what bands are you going to see? Comment below with your line-up! I put mine under the videos (in EST). Happy watching!

Friday:

5:15 p.m. - Crystal Castles 

7:15 p.m. - Queens of the Stone Age 

11:00 p.m. - Nine Inch Nails 

Saturday:

6:00 p.m. - Ellie Goulding

Sunday:

6:30 p.m. - Alt-J 

8:00 p.m. - Vampire Weekend 

9:15 p.m. - The Cure

OPINION: Best Albums of 2013 So Far and the Albums I'm Most Excited About Coming Out Later In The Year

Well, better late than never. Here's my top ten albums of the year so far and the top ten albums I'm most anticipating later this year. The list is in no particular order. Enjoy

TOP ALBUMS SO FAR:

1. Run The Jewels by Run The Jewels
2. m b v by My Bloody Valentine
3. Yeezus by Kanye West
4. Obsidian by Baths
5. Modern Vampires of the City by Vampire Weekend
6. Acid Rap by Chance The Rapper
7. Random Access Memories by Daft Punk
8. Silence Yourself by Savages
9. The Next Day by David Bowie
10. ...Like Clockwork by Queens of the Stone Age


RUNNER UPS:

1. True Romance by Charli XCX
2. MCII by Mikal Cronin
3. New Moon by The Men
4. Settle by Disclosure
5. Chelsea Light Moving by Chelsea Light Moving
6. You're Nothing by iceage
7. FIDLAR by FIDLAR

MOST ANTICIPATED ALBUMS SO FAR:

1. Disillusion by O'Brother
2. An Object by No Age
3. Right Thoughts, Right Words, Right Action by Franz Ferdinand
4. Sleeper by Ty Segall
5. Hesitation Marks by Nine Inch Nails
6. AM by Arctic Monkeys
7. MGMT by MGMT
8. Uncanney Valley by The Dismemberment Plan
9. (TBA) by Arcade Fire
10. I Hate Music by Superchunk

MUSIC: Run The Jewels

Underground favorites, EL-P and Killer Mike, have released a free download of their joint album under the name of Run The Jewels. Download it below.

NEWS: MGMT Announces New album

MGMT have announced the release date and title of their new album. It will be called MGMT and released September 17th from Columbia Records. The album will be recorded as a duo, unlike the recording of Congratulations.

MGMT Tracklist:
1. Alien Days
2. Cool Song No 2
3. Mystery Disease
4. Introspection
5. Your Life Is a Lie
6. A Good Sadness
7. Astro-Mancy
8. I Love You to Death
9. Plenty Of Girls in the Sea
10. An Orphan of Fortune 

NEWS: Arctic Monkeys Announce New Album

The Arctic Monkeys have announced their fifth studio album will come out September 10th through Domino Records. The title of the record is AM and  Josh Homme, Pete Thomas, and Bill Ryder-Jone are all contributing to the album. 

AM Tracklist:
1. Do I Wanna Know?
2. R U Mine?
3. One For The Road
4. Arabella
5. I Want It All
6. No. 1 Party Anthem
7. Mad Sounds
8. Fireside
9. Why’d You Only Call Me When You’re High?
10. Snap Out Of It
11. Knee Socks
12. I Wanna Be Yours

VIDEO: Andrew W.K. Drums For A Day

Professional partier, Andrew W.K, is trying to drum for 24 hours straight to break a world record. Guests will include ?uestlove, Marky Ramone , Chad Smith of Red Hot Chili Peppers, Nick Jonas, and others. Watch the livestream below (which isn't letting me center it, sorry).

Get More: 

O Music Awards

MUSIC: New Arctic Monkeys And No Age

The Arctic Monkeys have finally released a recorded sample of their new album with "Do I Want To Know". The song is a bit slower than most of their stuff, but it still has that distinct Monkeys feels. Can't wait for the LP!

No Age have released a new song called "No Ground" and it's a slower one than normal for them too. Also can't wait for this album! Click here to hear the song!

INTERVIEW: Jack Ruby

Hey guys. So I interviewed a personal favorite, which is band you've probably never heard of called Jack Ruby. Check out an interview for the story of the band and after the interview is some of their fantastic music. Enjoy!

1. To introduce you to people who haven't heard of you, where was the band from and what was your style of music?
Jack Ruby was from New York, although Chris Grey had met (separately) both Randy Cohen and Robin Hall in Albany, NY.  I (Robin) was into Iggy and the Velvets and MC5, Chris was into them and Black Sabbath. Randy was into modern classical music and jazz. He had just graduated from California Institute of the Arts where he had helped build the first Tcherpinin synth.

2. What was your role in the band?
I was the singer.

3. How did the band form and how did you get your name?
I came up with the name because I thought it was both familiar and slightly shocking.

4. How did you develop your unique sound?
We were interested in finding ways to combine noise, free jazz and pop music into a wall of sound.

5. Who were your influences and idols?
We were all serious music lovers - Chris and i both worked in record stores and Randy and Boris had studied music in school. Our influences were many and varied. Everything from the Velvets to Ornette Coleman to Xenakis to John Cale to Black Sabbath to Love to Big Star.

6. When did you record the songs on the album?
The songs were recorded in different studios in New York in 1974.

7. What was your favorite part about being in a band and what your favorite specific moment?
My favorite part of being in a band was sitting around listening to music and rehearsing. Specific moment was when we recorded Hit and Run in a seedy studio in Times Square on a cold winter night.

8. Why did the band break up and never release it's music until now?
The breakup took place over a few years. Boris Policeband left before we recorded our demo at Columbia records. Randy Cohen left after about a year. Chris and Robin continued with bass player George Scott. I left in 1977 because of health issues. Chris and George continued and then Chris moved back to Albany around 1978.

9. What prompted the release of the music on ugExplode?
It never occurred to us to release a record. In hindsight we should have released a couple of singles. Weasel heard the demo and really liked the music. And at the same time a couple of guys in France asked if they could release Hit and Run as a single.

10. What happened to the other members after the break-up and where are they now?
Randy is a writer and radio host. he wrote "The Ethicist" column in the NY Times for twelve years. I am a film producer in NYC. Chris Grey lives and works in Albany, NY. Both George Scott and Boris Policeband have passed away.

11. Do you have anything else you want to add?
I'm very excited about the expanded version of the album that will be coming out in Europe on S cecelia Knows in the Fall. it will feature previously unreleased tracks that were discovered in Randy's mother's storage space.

MUSIC: Defriended by Beck

Beck has released a new song and has an acoustic album and another album out later this year.

VIDEO: Diane Young by Vampire Weekend

Vampire Weekend have released a confusing new video for the single 'Diane Young'. Check it out below!

NEWS: New No Age Album

Punk duo No Age have announced a new album called An Object due out August 19 in the UK and on the 20th in the states through Sub Pop. The press release says:

This new LP finds drummer/vocalist Dean Spunt exploding from behind his kit, landing percussive blows with amplified contact mics, 4-string bass guitars, and prepared speakers, as well as traditional forms of lumber and metal. Meanwhile, guitarist Randy Randall corrals his previously lush, spastic, sprawling arrangements into taught, refined, rats' nests.

The track listing is:

1. No Ground
2. I won’t Be Your Generator
3. C’mon Stimmung
4. Defector/ed
5. An Impression
6. Lock Box
7. Running From A-Go-Go
8. My Hands, Birch and Steel
9. Circling With Dizzy
10. A Ceiling Dreams of a Floor
11. Commerce, Comment, Commence 

MUSIC: ...Like Clockwork Stream

Queens of the Stone Age are streaming their amazing new album on iTunes. Drop whatever you're doing and listen to it if you haven't already. Clicking the picture will get you to their artist page on the iTunes website, but to get to the stream, you have to go to the iTunes program.

REVIEW: Random Access Memory by Daft Punk

     Daft Punk's new album, Random Access Memories, has been one of the most long-awaited and hyped album in recent memory. Not having a formal LP in eight years, people have been waiting the new album from the duo who created the modern EDM scene. Most people accredit the album Homework for creating electronic music as we know it today, for better or for worse. The dance music scene today has become who can create the biggest bass drop and Daft Punk aren't happy about that. Daft Punk's new album is trying to fix the problems they made with Homework by creating a more organic album, to confront the Skrillexes of the world. In RAM Daft Punk have created a mostly organic album, that only uses computers and synthesizers to fulfill to get the music to its fullest potential. Daft Punk have made the best electronic album in recent memory by creating an album that isn't really electronic.

     The album stars out with the track "Give Life Back To Music." The title of this song is purpose to this album in a lot of ways. The next track 'The Game of Love' is a slow jam like 'Within' later in the album. These slow jams really help pace the album nicely and give the album a different feel from the rest of the songs. The all important third track starts with an interview with famous producer, songwriter, and performer, Giorgio Moroder. The interview feels a bit out of place, but the background music keeps it mostly grounded. What really shines about this tracks the music after the interviews. These instrumentals are some of my favorites on the album, perfectly blending synth and live instruments (in this case, drums). The payoff at the end is fantastic. With 'Instant Crush', the album starts to carve out a sound for the rest of the album, which in this case is a nostalgic disco and slow jams. All the vocals on these disco tracks from Julian Casablancas to Panda Bear are well done and fit in at least relatively well with the rest of the album. These disco songs and slow jams can feel a bit cheesy at times, but your too busy enjoying it to notice. The only exception to the disco and jam mold is 'Motherboard', which nicely breaks up this mold that is starting to take hold. All of this changes though when the album gets to 'Contact'. This song reminds me of the music in 'Giorgio by Moroder', but it still feels different in a way. The album definitely ends on a bang.

     So the question many people probably have on their minds is the album worth the hype. My answer to that depends on what you expected. If you expected another Homework or Discovery, you'll be horribly disappointed, but if your willing to listen to something different and new, this album is amazing. The album that is meant to be listened to in whole, as the flow from song to song is perfect. If you listen to in that way, the complaints you might have with the slow jams or disco go away. It all makes sense in the big picture. The duo have put out music that is serious, while still being fun to listen to. Masterful production overshadows  sometimes weak lyrics. Daft Punk have come back from the dead to destroy their creation that has mutated beyond what they wanted and they have succeeded. I can find very little wrong with this album, it's just a great listen. I'm going to give this album 9/10 stars for being fantastic and one of the best electronic albums in awhile, even if  it's a bit cheesy sometimes.

BEST TRACKS: Give Life Back To Music, Giogrio by Moroder, Instant Crush, Get Lucky, Doin' It Right, Contact

★★★★★★★★★☆ 

NEWS: New Franz Ferdinand!

Franz Ferdinand have announced a new album, titled Right Thoughts, Right Words, Right Actions! It will come out August 27th from Domino Records.

REVIEW: MCII by Mikal Cronin

    Mikal Cronin's MCII is a blend. It's a perfect blend-- the music goes together better than strawberries and bananas do in a smoothie. And that's saying a lot.
    Cronin tackles garage-rock, indie pop, soft rock, blues, folk, psychedelic and probably more on the ten tracks. Confused? Just listen to the album, and you'll quickly discover that this range is strung together artfully. The transitions are so seamless that it takes a moment to realize that Cronin has just completely changed the genre.
    He maintains a steady theme and rhythm, though, and that is what defines this as a great album. Cronin describes being lost in very simple terms lyrically, but the musical variation is the true indicator of his confusion (thematically-- he knows the direction of the album).
    This sentiment expressed is that of his fellow 20-somethings. He sharply describes not being able to do what he wants as young adult. MCII is guaranteed to have at least one song that will become an anthem of Williamsburg youth-- they too are infatuated with big dreams, love, and ideas, but Cronin has the guts to admit its a load of bullshit. 
    Ironic because MCII is that dream. He has achieved it. Just like blogger/author Emma Koenig, he has taken the desperation of being young and created a stellar and relatable work of art.
He is finally stepping out of Ty Segall's shadow and has truly worked on the quality of his music since his 2011 solo album. 

(P.S. This was written by l'homme run, only posted by Eon)

MUSIC: Even More Queens Of The Stone Age

Queens of the Stone Age have released another disturbing video for another song off their new album ...Like Clockwork. Man, these guys are messed up.

MUSIC: Daft Punk stream!

Daft Punk's long awaited album, Random Access Memory, is streaming on iTunes! Check it out here.

SONG: New Queens Of The Stone Age

Queens of the Stone Age have released a live recording of a song off their new album ...Like Clockwork. This is my favorite track from that they've released from the album yet.

INTERVIEW: Brian Mazzaferri of I Fight Dragons

So one of my favorite bands, I Fight Dragons, just released a Kickstarter, so I thought I'd ask the singer and guitar player, Brian Mazzaferri, to do another interview for the blog. Enjoy and donate to the Kickstarter here: http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1899688657/project-atma-i-fight-dragons-creates-an-epic-new-a.

1. To introduce yourselves to people who haven't heard of you before, who are you guys, what is your genre of music, and where are you guys from?

We are I Fight Dragons, we play a somewhat geeky flavor of chiptune-infused rock, and we're from Chicago.

2. So your Kickstarter for you new album has already been funded, in about 8 hours, and the amount of funds is still steadily going up. What was the level of elation when you saw that number?

We've been completely floored at this response.  In the first day of the campaign we were already way past our wildest hopes for the entire thing!  It's a week later now and I'm still pinching myself every morning.

3. Why Kickstarter?

Kickstarter is amazing.  It's the most efficient tool ever for connecting artists and fans - everyone wins!

4. What amount of funding do you predict you'll hit at this point?

It's hard to predict precisely, but as mind blowing as it sounds we may have a chance of breaking $100,000.  I can't quite comprehend it.

5. How much of a departure will this album be from your previous work or will it generally be similar?

I think it will be a natural evolution. We're still IFD, and this album will likely pick up right around where KABOOM! left off and go some interesting places from there.  

6. What was the inspiration to do a 20-minute (epic) song and using vinyl for the main format of the album?

Honestly I've been wanting to do a longer-form piece for a long time - I actually wrote an entire rock opera script in 2012 that we ended tabling because it was just too complicated.  When the idea came up of doing the album on Vinyl only, I knew I wanted to do something in the vein of side-long epics like Rush's 2112.

7. Can a reward of hitting an amount be bringing back your ill-fated but amazing Youtube show? 

Lol technically we never really launched it!  And we used the theme song for the kick starter!  That said, we may still do more episodes of "I Fight Dragons Takes Over The World" in the future.

8. I know you are big Weezer fans. Is this album going to be your Pinkerton?

Hah!  I love that question - actually I think this album is much more likely to be our "Songs From The Black Hole,"  the album that Rivers was writing and then scrapped to make Pinkerton instead.

9. Anything else you want to add?

Thanks for taking the time to cover us!

REVIEW: Silence Yourself by The Savages

   "Come on in. I have a bar set up, how about a drink?"
"No thanks."
 "Oh, come on, loosen up a little, have a drink"
"No thank you, I don't want one."
"Sit down. Should we call room service, you're not hungry?"
"No."
"How old are you really? I'm trying to be patient, how old are you? Hm?"
 "I'm sixty five. How old are you?"

      This how the fantastic debut album by all-female, British, post-punk band Savages, called Silence Yourself, opens. These words are spoken and then we are introduced to the music in a throbbing bass line that starts to layer on guitar, then drum, and then vocals. The opening track 'Shut Up' demands to be listened to with your full attention and doesn't let go. This describes the album very well in total. This an album that refuses to be ignored. There is not one moment where the atmosphere lets up on the attack. The ferocity of the music might change, but the ferocity of the feelings behind the music are always there. The second track is actually called "I Am Here" which feels like a statement about the album refusing to let down. At shows The Savages put up signs that tell you to put away your phone and live in the real world. This album tears you away from the digital world and other any other imaginary worlds and places you into reality, but you're happy to be in reality because this album is there and this album is just so damn awesome.

      This album recreates the raw emotion of Closer or Unknown Pleasures and even tops it some places with brutal and honest lyrics and pure distortion. While Jehnny Beth might not be a beautiful singer, her voice creates an extremely high amount of emotion that goes perfect with the blistering instrumentals. Often violently delivered lyrics are clearly heard while still being full of energy and anger. This anger goes against social norms. Even in a more calm setting in the song 'Marshal Dear', you can feel the despair and sensuality of the album. Not to give all credit to Jehnny though, instrumental track "Dead Nature" is one of the most emotional on the album, creating a vivid picture of death. Even with all this emotion, the songs on album are relatively catchy and just a blast to listen to. The album doesn't go too experimental which would make it hard to listen to, but it goes far enough to make it very interesting to listen to. The guitar and in particular the bass create a beautiful, angry, and catchy base for the music to stand on. I have very few problems with this album, it very rarely deviates from being the fantastic album it is. I'm going to give this album 9/10 stars for being a great album, one of the best of the year so far.

BEST TRACKS: 'Shut Up', 'Strife', 'No Face', 'Hit Me', 'Husbands'

★★★★★★★★★☆ 

MUSIC: I Appear Missing by Queens Of The Stone Age

Queens of the Stone Age have released a weird, but fantastic video for a song off their new album.

MUSIC: Vampire Weekend at Roseland

For those of you who unfortunately missed the Vampire Weekend concert/livestream presented by Amex Unstaged, here's your chance to catch up!
MP3 download of the entire concert
Watch the performance below:

Two new songs, "Everlasting Arms" and "Obvious Bicycle", were performed for the first time as well as "Unbelievers", "Ya Hey", "Step", and "Diane Young", also from from their upcoming album (but previously not performed).

REVIEW: If You Leave by Daughter

Daughter

    Daughter’s If You Leave, opens with an instrumental piece that sounds almost like a train.  This little piece just filled me with hope, reminiscent of “Strawberry Fields “Forever” or “Back In the U.S.S.R.”, but if the start of the major part of that opening track, “Winter”, filled me with despair.  As did the rest of the album actually.

    Elena Tonra has a beautiful voice.  It’s a dreamy combination of Florence Welch and Florence Welch.  (That was not a typo.)  It is a lovely voice, and she is immensely talented, but music is not just about talent.  It is about what you do with that talent. Tracyanne Campbell, of Camera Obscura, has a similarly angelic voice which she uses to create a classic 50s vibe.  I feel like Camera Obscura is singing directly to me, and I’m a badboy greaser who has broken poor Tracyanne’s heart.  Annie Clark, better known as St. Vincent, brings me to a strange world where her pain is my pain.  Ingrid Michaelson creates a beautiful image of young love.

    This innocent, light voice can be a great asset in pushing a dramatic point.  It can scream that I am young, and I have experienced too much or I want to experience more.  

But Elena Tonra tries to lose this voice.  She tries to mature the album by singing in a choppy, lower range.  While she tries to be Patti Smith, the attention-seeking instrumentals want to be Coldplay.

Just imagine Florence Welch trying to be Patti Smith backed by Coldplay playing excruciatingly loudly.   It’s a truly painful thought.

    The sad thing is Daughter is filled with talent, but they need to focus it.  It is not the radio-play type of talent, but that is not the goal in life.  They need to mellow out a bit, take it down a notch.  Other sweet-voiced female vocalists (I’m not being sexist, I’m a girl) have found their niche, and Daughter needs to think long and hard about what this for them. The album is not coherent, despite the simplicity of the single word titles and lyrics.  It sounds like the complaints of a sad white girl, which Elena is by all means.  But it is not a progressive sadness.  There are great sad albums and sad bands, but the sadness is more like an insecurity--it has not yet occurred and there is no reason for the discord and depression.

    Music is all about the vibe created by the combination of raw emotion, writing, instrumentals, and vocals.  There is some emotion.  There is writing.  There are instruments.  There are vocals.  But these things are not cohesive on If You Leave, making the album seem like a mopy teenage girl.

What Daughter Sounds Like

INTERVIEW: The Thermals

Holy crap, I just interviewed Hutch Harris from The Thermals, one of my all time favorites! Enjoy!

To introduce yourselves to people who haven't heard of you before, who are you guys, what is your genre of music, and where are you guys from?

we are the thermals, a post-pop-punk band from portland, oregon.

How did the band form and how did you get your name?

the band formed in my kitchen.  the name means hot air, or long underwear.

Who are your influences and idols?

agent orange, the breeders, misfits, subhumans, early weezer and green day.

What is your favorite part about being a band?

writing songs, recording, and playing loud, sweaty shows.

Your music and lyrics are often filled with passionate anger and angst. What inspires such raw emotion?

i'm just wired that way.  i am filled with intense emotional anger every day of my life.

Your albums have gotten great reviews and you have a gotten a pretty big fan base. How does that feel? 

it feels great.  it's everything i ever wanted as a musician.  

When 'The Body, The Blood, The Machine' got the Best New Music distinction from Pitchfork, how exciting was that?

it didn't matter to us at that point really, because we didn't read pitchfork, we barely knew what it was.  but people around us told us it was important.

Can you describe the band's writing process?

we work on music at our studio, then i work on lyrics at home.  sometimes a song will come just out of the band playing together.  sometimes i'll bring ideas to the band and we will work on them.  sometimes i'll bring almost-finished songs to the band.

What are the plans for the year and beyond?

touring, touring, touring.  mostly US and EUROPE.  some canada.  already thinking about the next record as well.  maybe a little writing near the end of the year.

Whenever I see a picture or interview with the band, Hutch is always sweaty. Explain? No offense of course. 

you must be talking about pictures taken after shows we've played.  i give it my all at every show we play.

That's all I can think to ask. Anything else you want to share, something really funny?

nope :)

Fan Questions: 

What would be your advice on getting gigs, and touring for a small band?

you have to be very persistent, and not get discouraged.  i really wouldn't know how to book a tour myself at this point.  i haven't booked a show for eleven years or so.  back when we booked our own shows, we did so without the internet or even cellphones!  fucking crazy.  i would assume the internet has made booking a lot easier.

What is your favorite guitar?

fender telecaster.

How would you describe your playing style?

serviceable.

What effects do you run normally?

two ibanez tube screamers and one boss digital delay.

How do you run your vocals?

rode NT1 mic, through an ART pre-amp, into a tascam 4-track cassette.

What advice do you have for getting signed?

i think it's better to concentrate on writing goods songs and PRACTICING.  a lot.  i think too many bands are thinking about how they can get signed instead of thinking about how to just be a better band.

Whats the difference between playing all ages DIY shows and all ages or 21+ clubs and big music festivals?

we prefer all ages DIY shows the best, but big festivals are fun as well.  we really like tiny, packed-out shows in total fire-traps where we could all die at any moment.

Who are some of your favorite new/up and coming bands?

wampire, the woolen men, the wimps, la luz.

Website: http://www.thethermals.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thethermals
Twitter: https://twitter.com/thethermals

MUSIC: Silence Yourself by Savages

Check out the new album by British post-punk band, Savages, below. Spoiler: It's really damn good.

NEWS: NEUTRAL MILK HOTEL REUNION TOUR

Logging onto Facebook, I saw the piece of news I least thought I would see. Beloved indie band, Neutral Milk Hotel is doing a reunion tour this year. So far there are only five dates in North Carolina, Georgia, and Japan, but more dates are likely to be added. It's the On Avery Island line-up which is Jeff Mangum, Jeremy Barnes, Scott Spillane, and Julian Koster. 

VIDEO: Get Pumped!

NEWS: Steve Buscemi and Vampire Weekend and Livestream tonight

    Get excited for tonight!! Don't know what tonight is?  It's Amex Unstaged, featuring Vampire Weekend and Steve Buscemi. Legendary actor Steve Buscemi (The Sopranos, Boardwalk Empire, 30 Rock, The Wedding Crashers, and basically anything made since 2000) will direct the band Vampire Weekend in a sold-out concert in New York also available on livestream, sponsored by Amex.  Previously, Jack White, The Killers, Coldplay, Mar J. Blige, Sugarland, and other famous talents have taken the stage in the annual Amex Unstaged concert.

    To build hype, Steve Buscemi and Vampire Weekend have led a great PR campaign to draw attention to their bizarre relationship, through pictures, parades, and videos. They also discovered that bassist Chris Baio was related to Buscemi distantly.

REVIEW: Bankrupt! by Phoenix

      Phoenix are the model (independent) music success story. Each one of their albums brought them closer to the mainstream until they broke in with their last record, Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix. This record managed to launch them into the mainstream with a huge amount of force behind them. This force was a combination of pop sensibilities mixed with indie ideas. The lyrics were also much more sophisticated than you average pop song, which is something many people wanted, but didn't know. The album also somehow managed to be very good and still appeal to a widespread audience, which is every artists dream. The hipsters loved it and the non-hipsters loved it. The only question was how they were going to follow up their breakthrough album. Now the time has come when that album has been released. Phoenix have created an album that is a perfect follow up to Wolfgang by creating an anti-pop album that still feels like a pop album. I will try to clarify that confusing statement in the next paragraph.

      The album starts up with the single you've heard a thousand times, but still at least kind of like, 'Entertainment'. 'Entertainment' manages to still be fresh after many listens. It's also probably the most bubble gum pop song on the record, but it's still a good song. After this the album takes a turn. The music still feels like pop music, but in someway it doesn't. The music begins to feel like the next evolution of pop. It's a fantastic combination of bubble gum pop and indie pop, but leaning more to the indie side. The album takes another turn after too tracks with 'Bankrupt'. It's completely instrumental track a bunch of random synth riffs made into a single song. This song is a really great metaphor for the album. It's all over the place and experimental at parts, but still feels like a pop song at heart. The album continues on with other very Phoenix sounding songs, but still very good sounding. The track 'Don't' is worth noting for being so extremely good. 'Bourgeois' is a break from that, being slower and more reflective. After one more song that album closes. Phoenix have created the perfect follow up to their previous album, but that doesn't mean it's a perfect album. The album doesn't feel like collection of songs of a similar theme, it kind of just does what it wants. It moves around from pop to indie to experimental at a moments notice, which sounds cool in theory, but often doesn't work. A couple of the songs end up being medicore and dull sounding. When the albums works, it works amazingly, but when it doesn't it falls flat. I'm going to give it 8/10 stars because it succeeds more than it fails.

BEST TRACKS: 'Entertainment', 'The Real Thing', 'Drakkar Noir', 'Chloroform', 'Don't'

★★★★★★★★☆ ☆

    

BLOG: Interview with The Thermals

Hey guys. I'm doing an email interview with The Thermals in the near future. Comment anything you want me to ask them!

MUSIC: Alien Days by MGMT

The one thing I really was disappointed about not getting on Record Store Day was MGMT's cassingle of Alien Days, but the band has posted the song on their SoundCloud so everything is all right.

MUSIC: Alien Days

MGMT will release "Alien Days", a fan favorite although previously unreleased song, on Record Store Day.  Interestingly enough, they have taken the idea of listening to music through lost technology in a different direction--it will be released on a casette tape!  It will include a B-side, "Message 7 From the Hearty White".  To find the official preview, look on the MGMT Youtube channel.  The video includes a dancing sock puppet, moving casette tapes, and a ton of random psychedelic scenes that only MGMT could create.

MUSIC: Get Lucky by Daft Punk

After months of fakes, it seems that we finally have a real version of the awesome new Daft Punk song "Get Lucky. I can't wait for this album!

MUSIC: Bankrupt! by Phoenix

Phoenix's new album Bankrupt! is streaming here and I love it so far. 

REVIEW: Desperate Ground by the Thermals

        The Thermals are a very hard band to describe. After five really good albums, The Thermals have created a unique sound, but it's almost impossible to pinpoint exactly what that sound is.  On their Facebook page they say they are "post-pop-punk".  Wikipedia describes them as indie rock, lo-fi, power pop, and rock. I would describe them as punk with many other things sprinkled in. "Desperate Ground" is another Thermals album in every way possible, but the album still feels fresh and different from their other music. Maybe it's the increase of distortion, or maybe it's the extreme energy of the album, but something about this album that sounds so familiar still manages to sound unique and different. With trashing power cords, cryptic lyrics, and energy that soars through the roof, The Thermals have created another album that is a genre of it's own, yet still feels familiar, and it works out fantastically. The albums is a blast to listen to and the lyrics are always very intricate, especially compared to other punk bands. The only problem with the album I have is that most of the songs sound relatively similar. With the vocals being distorted in the same way, the whole album sounds one big song. A little more variety would be nice and this album just par for the course for The Thermals, but I'm not unhappy with the finished product. It feels right as an album and flows nicely. The earlier and more pop sounding tracks give way to a different sound towards the end of the album. If you somehow don't like The Thermals, you won't like this album, but if you're a fan, this is another great Thermals album that has been standard since More Parts Per Million  and that was perfected on The Body, The Blood, The Machine. My final score is 7/10 stars for being very good, but feeling a bit repetitive and formulaic for the band.

BEST TRACKS: The Sunset, I Go Alone, The Sword By My Side, You Will Find Me, The Howl of The Winds

★★★★★★★☆ ☆ ☆