Music Musings Tag

Some music groups evolve and get better with every single album they put out. However, other groups start out hot…and then regress for the rest of their musical careers. Here are five bands who started out with all sorts of promise, only to get mired in mediocrity.   #5 – The Killers Sometimes a band tries SO hard to evolve and experiment and grow that they find themselves instead regressing and devolving. Such is the case with the Killers. After breaking into the mainstream with 2004’s multi-platinum Hot Fuss, theRead More

Wanting something that isn’t real. Reaching for someone as they walk away. Looking for something you can never find. These are the dire themes of Lost in the Dream, arguably the best album released thus far in 2014. In the most concrete sense, Lost in the Dream is about The War on Drugs bandleader Adam Granduciel cruising Philadelphia’s midnight streets while mourning a relationship. He’s broken up, but he hasn’t moved on. He can’t figure out why things went wrong, because the more he searches for truth the further awayRead More

Lana Del Rey, even with her melancholy vocals and brooding melodies, is far from epitomizing what being sad really is. If for whatever reason you’re having a rough start to your summer, here are ten of the saddest songs ever written to send you deeper into your dark place.     #10: Modest Mouse – “Little Motel” Whether you interpret “Little Motel” as referring to a divorce, a disintegrating relationship, or even the loss of a loved one, there is nothing happy about this track. Isaac Brock’s subtle vocals overRead More

Ahhh summer, the time of year when new music blossoms just as the flowers do. Here are my Top 5 Artists to look out for this summer:   Sia   Sia isn’t exactly an unknown artist. She has written hit songs for artists such as Katy Perry, Rihanna and Beyonce. However, after the success of her featured vocals on hits such as Titanium and Wild Ones it is no surprise that she would attempt mainstream success herself. Recently, Sia released the lead single off her new album “Chandelier” which has alreadyRead More

Streetz 94.5: You’ve been spendin’ all your life livin’ in a gangsta’s paradise. You’re a hoodrat with a dark past and you’ve done some things you’re not proud of, like listen to a T-Pain song every once in a while. You’re the slightly more underground version of Hot 107.9, meaning you’re the underdog but you’re on the come up. I respect your hustle. V-103: You’re smoother than a baby’s bottom stuffed in a tiny velour track suit. You’ve got the moves that make all the ladies swoon, and the fact thatRead More

No working musician today seems less concerned about the changing landscape of rock and roll than Jack White.  On June 10th the eclectic singer-songwriter will drop his sophomore solo album Lazaretto, yet another collection of fuck-you rock and Southern sensibility that we’ve come to expect since he and Meg burst onto the scene thirteen years ago with White Blood Cells.  We’ve already gotten a taste of what’s to come with the ferociously gritty title track and the Icky Thump-esque instrumental “High Ball Stepper.”  Bent on teasing us further, White justRead More

I’ve honestly been thinking about writing this list for a while because I love rappers, and while most of my friends and probably a good chunk of the internet think I’m just some big groupie, I don’t want to hook up with every black guy with a mixtape or a Soundcloud profile, I swear! And in order to prove that to you, I’ve come up with a list of my top 5 rappers I’d love to kick it with in a totally platonic and not at all sexual way.  Read More

When it comes to your favorite musical artist, or I guess just any celebrity in general, there’s a fine line between being a fan and being a Stan. Between fandom and Standom, between fanaticism and Stan-aticism, between…you get the idea. In case you don’t know what a Stan is, I will kindly direct you to this Eminem song: Um, so yeah. I am kind of a Stan for one music artist in particular. Although I’m not gonna tell you who it is so as to protect my integrity, I willRead More

The first time I saw Odesza, it was completely by accident. I stood in line at the coat check at Mezzanine, a smallish venue tucked away in the SOMA district of San Francisco, as they opened for Emancipator. I had no idea that this was their first-ever show in this city, as my friend and I remarked, “Wait…I really like this!” It was the kind of upbeat, laid-back electronic sound that perfectly emulates how you want to feel 24/7. Walking out of the venue later that night, we happened toRead More

I started listening to rap when I started going out in college, and that was what they played at frat parties. (Never mind that at the time I thought “Lazers” and “I’m on a Boat” counted as real rap, but I’ve come a long way since then…I hope). Sometimes, as an extremely naive white girl, it’s hard to be into rap. I try to identify as much as I can, but once ScHoolboy Q starts talking about things like “selling crack” and “having a daughter,” he loses me. Cue theRead More

However, for those of you purists out there, great rock n’ roll music is still out there for those of us who are willing to seek it out. In fact, in my humble opinion, there are several contemporary bands that are churning out some of the best rock music ever produced. The improvements in technology over the last few decades has led to lots of watered-down, autotuned nonsense, but it has also improved the sound of rock music. Without further ado, here are five bands that can still rock outRead More

“So…what kind of music are you into?” It’s a stock question everyone uses to pry open that door of awkwardness in class or at a party. It could mean anything from “I’m bored and this silence makes me uncomfortable,” to “let’s bang in the bathroom between stats and psych.” It’s a safe conversation starter and it has the potential to make you feel instantly connected to someone if your playlists are divinely synced up (oh my gosh, you’ve heard of the Front Bottoms, too?) It also let’s you find out inRead More

For every Nickelback and Green Day that dominates the airwaves, there are countless bands that seem to be forever stuck in the underground – a kind of beer-soaked, pool hall purgatory.  Life there is an endless cycle of supporting Paramore on their latest tour and playing covers (because no one came to hear your music anyway). But just because the Average Joe off the street hasn’t heard of a band doesn’t mean they deserve obscurity.  For some reason or another, some of history’s best musical acts have flown under theRead More

Overrated bands don’t start out that way.  There’s always the trickle of promise as they emerge from the underground, a whisper from mouth to blog that there’s some fresh, talented blood on the music scene.  But like Frankenstein’s Monster, good bands can stray from their hopeful path and prey on a few villagers along the way. The list of overrated bands is exhaustive and very much subjective, but there are definitely some acts that induce earbleeding more than others.  Too bad every radio station insists that they’re the one youRead More

The temperature is sub-zero as I head to the Four Seasons in Denver for my interview with Jordy van Egmond.  It’s 11:15 p.m., and Jordy is supposed to start his set at Beta Nightclub at 12:30. Still, he has agreed to chat with me, despite the hour and freezing Colorado weather. Jordy is only 21 years old, but he has achieved things DJs double his age can only dream of- he made his debut at Ultra last year when Hardwell invited him on stage to play their new song “NeverRead More