Tag Archives: ALBUM REVIEW

BY ADRIAN SILVAS Chrissie Hynde made a reputation championing a certain kind of vulnerability that most of us don’t approach. Her stiff upper lip attitude was never used as a shield against expressing emotions, but rather a way to lay it all out without seeming like she needed anyone else. …

BY ADRIAN SILVAS Vintage Trouble has returned to take us to church with their third studio album Heavy Hymnal. The Troublemakers, a nickname bestowed on them affectionately by their fans, hail from Hollywood, CA. and have toured extensively around the globe, opening for acts such as The Rolling Stones, Lenny …

BY XAVIER JOHNSON Reggae excels in the margins. On the surface, many tracks can sound the same with very similar rhythms and timbres. To even a moderately trained ear suddenly the genre opens up to its true nature, a beautiful and diverse style that’s filled with life and meaning and …

BY XAVIER JOHNSON Synth-pop, and by extension new wave, peaked in the 80’s with groups like Depeche Mode and Pet Shop Boys pushing the limits of electronic music and providing the soundtrack for all types of venues; from London dance joints to alleyway goth clubs. One of the pioneering artists …

BY XAVIER JOHNSON For decades Rock And Roll has historically been an avenue to speak truth to power from the opposition of post-9/11 jingoism to the anti-monarchy messaging of British punk rock. The fiery passion of youth powers rock music to push boundaries and fight against authority. On the other …

BY XAVIER JOHNSON Nostalgia is a powerful tool that bands use both consciously and subconsciously to affect their audiences in different ways. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing, even though oftentimes peddling nostalgia for its own sake can yield lackluster results. When done right, playing upon the idealized past can …

BY XAVIER JOHNSON Music auteur Jack White’s newest album Entering Heaven Alive is a stripped-down folk record that sits in remarkable contrast to the distorted and crunchy Fear of the Dawn he released earlier this year. Throughout his career with The White Stripes to his prolific solo work, White’s aesthetic …

BY XAVIER JOHNSON Since its formation in 1992, Collective Soul carved out its place in rock music’s canon during the 90’s post-grunge movement that combined their weighty tones and unpredictable sound with more familiar, melodic mainstream rock sensibilities. The groundwork laid by groups like Pearl Jam, Collective Soul, and Bush …

BY KARYN A. POKLETAR One of the most scrutinized teenagers on the planet, Los Angeles born pop-singer Billie Eilish negotiates her emerging womanhood on her second album Happier Than Ever. This mezzosoprano moves on from her 2019 goth debut When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go? with melodramatic …

BY MARIANA GARRICK Nathaniel Rateliff’s newest album Red Rocks 2020 was recorded a bit differently from what most musicians and listeners are used to. Recorded in the empty iconic Denver open-air amphitheater during a run of socially distant shows in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic last September, attendance was …