Category: Music

Music, Print, Reviews

NEW MUSIC MONDAY: Ryan Bingham — Fear and Saturday Night

January 26, 2015

Think about classic country. People like Johnny Cash, Loretta Lynn, Merle Hagard, Dolly Parton. What do you think of? Soulful and sad melodies, and (depending on who you’re listening to) some politically tinged lyrics. Like it or not, country music is a big part of American culture and American music. If you consider yourself a true music lover, its important to give it a chance (if you haven’t already). When you do, you get people like Ryan Bingham.

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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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Music, Print, Reviews

Album Review: Duchovny —Crystal Broth

January 19, 2015

“It’s not about meth,” says Noel Afan Billups, of Greeley-based band Duchovny, regarding their new EP Crystal Broth.

“Well, if you want it to be, I mean, sure,” adds Dylan Sonke, the second principal songwriter of the group. Billups and Sonke met during freshmen orientation at the University of Northern Colorado more than three years ago and formed Duchovny soon after. Since then they have been grinding away at their live set with constant gigging and a series of small tours that honed their sound into a psychedelic ethereal dream pop. The record title was inspired by a UNC English professor of the same name, which is equally as weird, but the imagery of “crystal broth” fits the album like a glove.

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Music, Print, Reviews

New Music Monday: Shady Elders — The Night Air EP

While their name might evoke images of seniors engaging in dangerous or illicit activities, the sounds from their previous records featured heavy, lush instrumentation, and a moody melody. Hailing from our beloved capital city, I am speaking, of course, of Shady Elders. The follow up to the No Favors EP has arrived: The Night Air EP.

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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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Music, Print, Reviews

Album Review: J. Cole 2014 Forest Hills Drive

January 12, 2015

Second only to folk music, hip-hop is the paramount storytelling genre of all time. It builds on the abilities of funk and blues, two great predecessors. Most typically, we see it used as a poppy-hit-machine, though at its most realized, hip-hop is an outlet for feelings of rage, frustration, and oppression. While hip-hop stars are most often characterized as hyper-aggressive chauvinists, when used correctly the genre allows them to rise above and to tell their stories.

Born in Germany and raised in North Carolina, J. Cole grew up in a house with a folk-hippie mother and a hardcore gangsta rap loving father. As such, his sounds are blended and nuanced. His new album, 2014 Forest Hills Drive, is without a shadow of a doubt, his best release yet. This is the most sensitive we have seen the J. Cole character to date. He’s frightened at the state of hip-hop and the world he lives in. The album is a call to action that is partially piggybacked from Jay-Z’s Magna Carta… Holy Grail; “We need to write the new rules.”

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Features, Music, Print, Reviews

New Music Mondays: Guster- Evermotion

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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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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