“…And Star Power” will leave listeners gasping for Foxygen
Many of us have heard the crazy and exciting stories coming from the counterculture of the ‘60s and ‘70s, a time of civil rights, second-wave feminism, LSD and, of course, the radical changes in...
Cold War Kids remain upbeat and experimental with “Hold My Home”
Fans of “Robbers and Cowards” will enjoy the latest album dropped by the Cold War Kids. “Hold My Home” has the same upbeat energy and variety that is unique only to the Cold War...
Childish Gambino successfully switches it up with “STN MTN / Kauai.”
If you’re still reeling from the fact that you were unable to witness the greatness that is Childish Gambino at UCR’s 2014 HEAT music festival that never happened, I have a nice surprise for...
Flying Lotus Breathes New Life Into Music with “You’re Dead!”
The music industry has faced its fair share of death over the years. Whether it’s the loss of musical pioneers like hip-hop producer J-Dilla, the death of musical platforms such as the album, or...
Weezer promises ‘Everything Will Be Alright in the End,” mostly delivers
Let’s start off with this: I never thought Weezer got as gut-wrenchingly terrible as many critics and fans did. Extremely inconsistent? Yes. Most of their albums in the past 10 years have had a...
Iceage tries new sound for “Plowing Into the Field of Love”
Too messy for mainstream rock and alternative and too tame for punk, Iceage’s new album “Plowing Into the Field of Love” is one that can’t be easily placed into any subgenre of rock or...
“Night Safari” allows listeners to experience the foreign and exotic sounds of the world
As a music lover who has listened to an endless array of albums, I frequently come across music that is fun to listen to. However, less frequently are those moments when I find an...
alt-J’s “This Is All Yours” succeeds in triumphing over the sophomore slump
Oh, the dreaded sophomore album. The album that can either make or break an indie band’s career. For most young bands coming off of a stellar first album, such as English rock band alt-J,...
Pallett’s “In Conflict” is one of the most honest records of the year
Owen Pallett is known as somewhat of a musical academic, penning numerous essays deconstructing elements of different popular songs to explain why they work and don’t work. And in his spare time, he is...
Tiersen tries new things but fails to be groundbreaking in “Infinity”
Yann Tiersen is best known for capturing audiences’ musical attention with unique and energetic scores, with his most recognized work being in “Amelie” and “Goodbye, Lenin.” Tiersen never really broke out of the soundtrack...