If anybody in modern music is taken as a stereotype of the genius/weirdness combination it is late Roger Keith “Syd” Barrett, a founder and brief mailman of Pink Floyd, solo artist, painter, and recluse - often most of these things at the same time.
What happens when lifelong rock fans get old? They spread memes. I can’t imagine anything less rock ’n’ roll than complaining on Facebook about the musical tastes of kids these days.
We talk about the possible demise of Rolling Stone as it's going up for sale for the first time since it's start in 1967. We talk about how we think they've lost their true identity as the counterculture bible and how they could possibly get it back. We finish things by talking about new albums we've been listening to like Jhené Aiko, Rapsody, Queens of the Stone Age, and the Foo Fighters.
The High Divers took the crowd at D.C.’s Hamilton Live by surprise and didn’t stop for their entire 60 minute set. Playing a mix of unreleased songs off their new album and favorites from their 2015 album Riverlust, their feel good rock vibes, infectious energy, and larger than life sound made a fan of this concert photographer.
The Neighbourhood have tried to recapture some of their initial musical potency with their third studio album, and while I felt like it was a solid effort overall, it still felt a bit contrived when compared to everything else out there and at this point I'm not sure what they could do to regain that initial spark.
Whether John Fahey intentionally shied away from 'success' is a debatable thing, he himself, in one of his famous quotes said - “from a social perspective, I am looking for friends, not acolytes.” But his musical, visual, verbal, and even eccentric legacy remain, as they should be.
U2 have clearly had their ears to the 'streets' and have found inspiration from a number of different sources. The fact that they were able to lean on all of these influences without it sounding contrived is maybe their greatest accomplishment. And as someone who's not a die hard U2 fan, I thoroughly enjoyed their modern sound - it felt relevant yet still very much true to who U2 are. Songs of Experience feels like a true return to form for the legendary band and a worthy (and voluntary) addition to my music library.
Maybe the ‘old fashioned’ rock critics have further retreated into the online fringes of their personal websites and academic research, even further than they did last year. But luckily, they are still writing books.
Wolf Alice’s sound is all about hidden sharp edges. Deep dangerous things lurking just beneath the surface until they come exploding out in an all-out barrage. A stage presence that is driven by their music, they visibly feed off the energy of the crowd creating a feedback loop through the ebb and flow of their set. Another band that recordings just don’t do justice to, especially the subtle power of Ellie’s voice. Check out our full gallery of shots and be sure to catch them on tour.
Cannabis is as influential to the sub-genre as the desert itself. 'Desert rock,' though used interchangeably with 'stoner rock,' is not necessarily the same thing. Desert rock was a localized phenomenon; stoner rock a psychedelic one. The birthplace of the two, however, is the same.
Throughout Western history, music has had a place in daily life - growing its foothold year after year. With the turn of each decade, music has turned as well. Perhaps in an effort to appeal to a developing society... Perhaps as an indicator of that same society's development...
The Go-Betweens produced some of the most mutant, evocative intellectual pop, that never succeeded at the time it was made, but lingers on til this day.
In cooperation with the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, the New York Metropolitan Museum of Art is organizing the first ever exhibition of rock and roll instruments, titled “Play It Loud: The Instruments of Rock & Roll.”
Hailing from Italy, The Straddlerz deliver a hard rock lovers' album full of emotion and flair on their debut.
Ty Segall pulls out the full arsenal on Freedom's Goblin delivering a 19-track ride that goes all over the place. In lesser hands it might feel disjointed or convoluted but with him it just shows how truly gifted he is and just how in tune he is with the craft of rock. He clearly marches to the sound of his own beat and it's incredibly exhilarating. Freedom's Goblin is one hell of a ride and further proof that he may just be a mad musical genius.
Most of the big names like Greil Marcus, Robert Christgau, and Simon Frith are still around; somewhere in columns in established cultural magazines, books, and even academia. But it seems that their style of integrated cultural, musical and sociological analysis that at the same time deconstructs and reconstructs certain musical work is less and less visible. What has happened?
Wolf Alice is fiery, fierce, and absolutely captivating on 'Visions of a Life' and pulls it all off with nonchalant indifference that reminds me of the rock from yesteryear. It revels in an intense youthful catharsis full of big payoffs and it keeps me coming back for more.
Does an artist really have to suffer to make great art? This common theory has developed over time due to the sheer number of tortured artists that the music industry in particular, has to answer for. But upon closer examination, that perception can be deceiving.
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