Category: Features

Features, Music

NMM: Smoke and Mirrors— Imagine Dragons

February 23, 2015

Imagine Dragons, the quartet from sin-city capital Las Vegas, Nevada released Smoke and Mirrors this weekend. Their second studio album stands to fill some large shoes as their debut album Night Visions went platinum winning the band’s number one single “Radioactive” a Grammy for Best Rock Performance. Smoke and Mirrors track “I Bet My Life” has been looping through radio networks since last fall, giving fans a taste of the upcoming album, yet their single is no indication as to the overall sound of the album.

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Features, Music, Print

Humble Fish: Chali 2na Keeps His Ego at Bay

February 19, 2015

As the baritone voice of Jurassic 5 (J5), Chali 2na has been lending monumental contributions to hip-hop culture since he emerged from Los Angeles’ Good Life Cafe scene in the early ‘90s. Originally part of the Unity Committee (with Cut Chemist and Mark 7even), Chali 2na formed J5 after merging with The Rebels of Rhythm (with Akil and Soup) in 1993. After J5’s self-titled debut dropped in 1998, the group followed up with 2000’s critically acclaimed sophomore effort, Quality Control. On the track “Contribution,” Chali 2na spits: “The most that you can spend on any child is time.” It’s a philosophy he took to heart and carried into his family dynamic. Growing up on the Southside of Chicago, the now 43-year-old artist was lacking a strong male role model in his life.

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Features, Music, Print

Cursive Celebrates te Ugly Organ’s Reissue

February 11, 2015

The Ugly Organ would prove to be the group’s breakout record, earning accolades from Rolling Stone and Entertainment Weekly. There are several tracks on the album where the use of the cello is abundantly clear and contributes a powerful element to already electric songs. Thankfully, as Cursive gets ready to reissue The Ugly Organ and head out on tour in support of the record, the group has decided to reintroduce the cello at each show.

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Features, Music, Print

The Flaming Lips Get Weird, It’s One Concert To See Before You Die

January 20, 2015

In 2013, the Lips’ released its 16th studio album, The Terror, which completely abandons any formulaic methods of songwriting and delivers something refreshingly unique. It may not be as commercially accessible as previous efforts, but it’s another descriptive chapter in The Flaming Lips’ story. They followed up with 2014’s With A Little Help From My Fwends and also released an EP called Peace Sword. Once again on a massive nationwide tour, which makes three stops in Colorado, Drozd took some time out of his day to talk about Wayne’s “celebrity status” and drug addiction.

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Features, Music, Print

Soul Sonic Forces: Aesop Rock and Rob Sonic are Hail Mary Mallon

January 15, 2015

Aesop Rock, real name Ian Bavitz, is one of those rare hip-hop artists who has developed such a unique rhyming style, he’s basically impossible to replicate. The second you hear his voice, you immediately know it’s him. While his rhymes often appear nonsensical and so cryptic it’s difficult to decipher any meaning, once you dig deeper you can discover a lot about the man behind the moniker. For example, he craves solitude, has no interest in “fame” and is just as down to earth as any one of us. Those qualities alone are the most refreshing about him. In an industry supersaturated with massive egos, especially in the hip-hop world, humility is hard to find. Aesop Rock is like a breath of fresh air. However, all coyness goes out the window when he grabs the mic and jumps on stage.

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Features, Music, Print, Reviews

New Music Mondays: Guster- Evermotion

January 12, 2015

Ryan Miller, Adam Gardner, Brian Rosenworsel, Luke Reynolds, and Joe Pisapia make up Guster, a Tufts University-birthed pop outfit, which began when Miller, Gardner, and Rosenworsel met Freshman year. Evermotion is their long awaited 7th studio album, and it’s just the dose of cheer that I needed, full of atmospheric charm, and stellar melodies.

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Features, Music, Print

Malcom’s World: Mac Miller Takes the Reins

January 8, 2015

Talking to Pittsburgh native Mac Miller is just what you’d expect. He’s a smart ass, laughs a lot and appears not to take his career too seriously, but that couldn’t be further from the truth. Mac Miller (real name Malcolm James McCormick) is self-made and essentially a workaholic. He knew from an early age he wanted to make music for a living and he made it happen. As a child, there was never any doubt Miller was musically gifted. At the age of six, he taught himself how to play piano, drums, bass and guitar. His older brother was getting into hip-hop in the mid-’90s and soon little Mac was pilfering his albums.

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