Random

Rock

Stars

Florence + The Machine – High As Hope Reaction

Florence + The Machine try to strip things back for a more intimate listening experience. So there are more ballads and the production tries to be more subtle, but there's really only so much you can do to hold down a voice as powerful as Welch's. Read More

Stars

Dario Hunt·

Reactions

The Wombats – Beautiful People Will Ruin Your Life Reaction

Sonically and melodically The Wombat's latest album is a beautiful record who's bubbling upbeatness is infectious which creates an interesting dynamic between it's content full of heartbreak and a bad love. This may not be one of the deepest nor thought provoking rock albums I've heard in recent memory but it's certainly one of the most enjoyable. And sometimes that's what it's all about. Read More

Stars

Dario Hunt·

Reactions

Liam Gallagher – As You Were Reaction

Liam Gallagher's first solo outing is an album of really good moments that does it's best to approximate what he considers to be 'real' rock. But it leaves out much of his gruff real life persona, ultimately leading to a project of no real consequence or feeling of genuineness. Read More

Stars

Jeff Mitchell·

Reactions

Infinite Third – “Vision(s)” Reaction

A trippy techno vibe greets listeners like the flickering screen of a fractured computer monitor. This song is what it sounds like to straddle the threshold of an ancient Buddhist temple and the edge of The Matrix. Read More

Busking in Malaysia: From Haram to Super Trendy | LIVING LIFE FEARLESS

Emmanuel Marshall·

Features

Busking in Malaysia: From Haram to Super Trendy

"If the cops saw a busker playing music on the street they would make us go away or even beat us. Busking used to be seen as just a kind of begging. It was a low-class, haram thing to do. If you played music on the street people would assume you were very poor, maybe homeless..." Read More

Shannon Griffiths·

Opinions

Everyone has something to say about the Red Hot Chili Peppers…

In my experiences, just mentioning Red Hot Chili Peppers is often enough to spark a full-on debate. I think this speaks to the fact that they're just one of those bands that you either love or hate. So, like any millennial would, I posted a status on Facebook asking my friends to tell me how they feel about them, and they sure came through. Read More

Stars

Dario Hunt·

Reactions

The Decemberists – I’ll Be Your Girl Reaction

I'm not saying The Decemberists come off as gimmicky or overtly "hipster" but I have no problem imagining many of the songs here being played at a local renaissance fair or in the soundtrack to one of Wes Anderson's latest movies, and not in an ironic way either. But for as much as I found myself eye rolling, I found myself singing along, which in itself is the ultimate goal of music isn't it. Read More

You don't need to suffer to make great art | LIVING LIFE FEARLESS

Sean A'Hearn·

Opinions

You don’t need to suffer to make great art

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. Read More

Mark Gorman·

Photos

Rodrigo y Gabriela: Ryman Auditorium

Rodrigo y Gabriela brought their signature propulsive performance to bear song after song—punctuated by quieter moments of conversation where both ruminated on the individual and collective journeys that brought them to this point. Check out our full collection of shots from a great show. Read More

Stars

Dario Hunt·

Reactions

Arctic Monkeys – Tranquility Base Hotel & Casino Reaction

Tranquility Base Hotel & Casino can be best described as hallucinogenic lounge music that's left-field, inventive, and smoldering. A highly unexpected direction from an established band that could've easily played things safe, but instead chose to take major risks that paid off in one of their most exhilarating albums to date. Read More

Ljubinko Zivkovic·

Opinions

Where Have All the Rock Critics Gone?: Part II – Rummaging Through The Bookstores

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. Read More

Jeff Mitchell·

Opinions

Jazz in Progress – Progressive Rock is Jazz Renamed

Is progressive rock truly progressive, or is it just newfangled jazz with a fake mustache? Prog. rock is coming closer to jazz than ever before. Is the music progressing or returning to its roots? Read More

Stars

Dario Hunt·

Reactions

Django Django – Marble Skies Reaction

While Django Django's previous efforts felt a bit more artsy in intention, the experimentation on Marble Skies feels done with the sole purpose of creating something fun. And it is fun, it's a lighthearted, head nodding romp full of brilliant melodies and earworm hooks. It's almost impossible not to be pulled into their joyous orbit. Read More

Stars

Dario Hunt·

Reactions

Queens of the Stone Age – Villains Reaction

Queens of the Stone Age worked with Mark Ronson to create their most accessible album yet, while still providing the depth, nuance, and wit you've come to expect from them. This is contemporary hard rock done the right way and an absolute must listen. Read More

Just in time for Halloween - UCR's list of horror films featuring notable rock stars

Ljubinko Zivkovic·

News

Just in time for Halloween – UCR’s list of horror films featuring notable rock stars

The list is actually quite long, and there are 67 movies to choose from

The list is actually quite long, and there are 67 movies to choose from. Ranging from Ringo Starr's 1974 'Son of Dracula' to Jim Jarmusch's 'The Dead Don't Die', released just this year. Read More

Jeff Mitchell·

Features

The Cycle Of Sounds

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... Read More

Dario Hunt·

Blog

In case you missed it…(or even if you didn't) January 2015

Let me know what you think and if I missed anything in the comments. Subscribe and check back every month... Read More

Stars

Jeff Mitchell·

Reactions

Florence + The Machine – “June” Reaction

Florence + The Machine have produced a superb song brimming with brilliant dynamics and depth here and it's a hard thing not to appreciate. Read More

Ljubinko Zivkovic·

Features

Skip Spence and The Essence of Psychedelic Weirdness: Its Peaks and Pitfalls

Skip Spence - Canadian born songwriter, singer, guitarist, drummer (and a few other things), in many ways represents the essence of psychedelic weirdness, with all the brilliant music it produced as well as all personal pitfalls that came along with it. Read More

Jeff Mitchell·

Features

The Birth of Stoner Rock in Palm Desert

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. Read More

Kurt Heyde·

Photos

Wolf Alice : Rams Head Live

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. Read More

Stars

Petar Petrov·

Opinions

Scizzorman – ‘Schizophonic’ Reaction

With its unadulterated playfulness, 'Schizophonic' is the kind of funk-rock album that makes you want to hang out backstage with its creators. Read More

Ljubinko Zivkovic·

Features

Scott Walker: From Pop Pap or (Pap of Pop) to Beating The Avant-garde at Their Own Game

The number of pop artists that have chosen to go avant-garde is extremely small, but none went so far as Noel Scott Engel, a guy from Ohio better known as Scott Walker. The British daily “Guardian” aptly put it, he is “Andy Williams reinventing himself as Stockhausen.” Read More

Stars

Dario Hunt·

Reactions

Jack White – Boarding House Reach Reaction

Although Boarding House Reach is probably Jack White's most experimental project yet, there's heavy influences from blues, country, and most surprisingly funk, with entire songs dedicated to said genres, he still keeps that sincere approach to his music. All in all, it was an unexpectedly experimental album that's a mixed bag of good and bad, but the good largely outweighs the bad. Read More

Subscribe

Stay Fresh

Subscribe