Category: Music

Features, Music, Print

Uncle Tony Speaks: Blockhead Offers More Instrumental Brilliance

March 19, 2015

Producer Blockhead (real name Tony Simon) is currently on another leg of his solo tour in support of his latest album, Bells & Whistles, which was released in November 2014. His last effort, 2012’s Interludes After Midnight, offers more instrumental brilliance and puts the cherry on top of an already impressive catalog. From 2004’s Music By Cavelight (his Ninja Tunes debut) to 2009’s The Music Scene, literally every track that bares Simon’s touch is flawless. Growing up in Manhattan, he was enamored with hip-hop since the moment he heard it. He met emcee Aesop Rock while attending Boston University in 1994 and it was on from there. Although Simon prefers rap music over instrumental music, he has a deep appreciation for all genres

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Music, Print, Reviews

New Music Monday: Death Grips – On GP

March 16, 2015

Death Grips fans rejoice! We have been eagerly (and impatiently) awaiting the release of the hiphop trio’s “final” album for quite some time now. After splitting up in July, the band promised the 2nd half of their final album by the end of the year. If you’re reading this, I don’t have to tell you that MC Ride and crew squelched on their promise. After the release of the unexpected Fashion Week LP, and numerous release date changes, it appears as though Death Grips has finally settled on a release date, and they mean to keep it. Jenny Death, the 2nd half of the powers that b, will be release March 17th. This Tuesday. Like I said, rejoice.

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Music, Print, Reviews

Album Review: Navigate—Aspen Hourglass

March 13, 2015

Each member brings forth a unique musical background, ranging from jazz, to classical and metal. Only when the members of Aspen Hourglass combine these elements does something magical happen. Ethereal at first, but with time, and multiple listening sessions, the complexities of the music begin to reveal themselves.

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Music, Print, Reviews

Album Review: The Hotboxed EP – THC

March 10, 2015

The Hotboxed EP is intended to be a showcase of his abilities as a songwriter, producer, and performer. The album incorporates many reggae elements and features local reggae talent Bad Kat, President Destine, and Spellbinder. The album dropped while opening for Afroman last year at the Moxi Theater.

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Music, Print, Reviews

New Music Monday: Purity Ring — another eternity

March 9, 2015

This week, Purity Ring released another eternity, the 2nd studio release for the duo. The lead singles, namely “push pull” did a good job of describing the sugary sweet synth that we’d be getting in this album. The digitized Megan James vocal is the perfect candy-coated counterpoint to the whomping, swirling bass. Each song is a druggy fever dream tumbling through your computer screen. James and band mate Corin Roddick know their sound, and they do it well.

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Music, Print, Reviews

Crítica del álbum: Loco de Amor— Juanes

March 6, 2015

Juanes incorpora el amor con su estilo de rock n’ roll que todos conocemos y nos encanta de el. Como el lo describió en su entrevista con Billboard Track by Track, Loco de Amor “es como poner un rayo de amor por un prisma es todos los diferentes enfoques que el amor tiene entre relaciones.” El álbum comienza con la canción titulada “Mil Pedazos” donde da referencia a su corazón roto. Menciona una navaja y como el filo le corta el alma, continua a decir que el es mil pedazos de un amor. La canción tiene la tradicional guitarra de Juanes pero también tiene el ritmo parecido al latido de un corazón dominando todo el tema.

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Features, Music, Print

DoomTree Ushers In All Hands

March 5, 2015

Anyone who has followed Doomtree’s career knows emcee P.O.S (real name Stefon Alexander) was having severe health issues that caused him to lay low for the better part of three years. The Minneapolis native and Rhymesayers signee had just released 2012’s We Don’t Even Live Here when he was forced to cancel a major national tour due to health concerns. Thankfully, that ordeal is over and he is now the proud owner of two new kidneys. Naturally, he’s back to killing it. The Doomtree crew, comprised of Cecil Otter, Mike Mictlan, Sims, Lazerbeak, Paper Tiger, Dessa, and P.O.S., dropped their latest studio album, All Hands, January 27, their first full-length since 2011’s No Kings.

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Music, Print, Reviews

Album Review: After—Lady Lamb The Beekeeper

March 2, 2015

At 15, when Aly Spralto began writing music of her own in the basement of a DVD rental she worked at, she grew into the habit of keeping a journal by her bed. They would hold doodles, lyrical nuggets that begged to be written down, and figments of dreams. Sometimes, she would wake up to find a message written by her half-asleep self. This was the case with her moniker. What she awoke to find scrawled on the journal page, would soon become the name on her debut effort, Ripley Pine, as well as her new album After, which hits stores March 3rd.

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