It's been three years since we've had an album by The xx. I first discovered them in 2013 when I got their then-recent album Coexist, and I was absolutely fascinated by the minimalist approach to indie pop that the band had taken. I'd never heard anything like it before, and to this day I can credit that album with getting me into electronic music, and more specifically minimalist music.
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The Lacs are a country-rap duo from Nashville, Tennessee who have been delivering their blend of country and hip-hop to the masses for almost 15 years, and Outlaw In Me is the duo's fifth studio album since 2011 and eighth album overall since 2002. I've never been into the whole country-rap thing, but Brian King and Clay Sharpe are two hard-working fellas who seem to know their audience on an almost personal level, and you have to respect something like that regardless of the music. I'll talk a little more about that later. Let's get into the album itself.
Listen to the EP here.
Bio: Kelly Blonde is an up and coming songstress from Campbell, CA. She began singing at 3 years old, sitting in with her mom & dad’s wedding band. After high school she moved to Los Angeles to further pursue her passion by studying at the L.A. Music Academy. Immediately after graduating she was hired as a background vocalist for Columbia Records artist, Coheed And Cambria. After touring the world and playing some of the worlds most prominent venues and festivals (Madison Square Garden, Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, Bamboozle Festival), she moved to Hollywood to record her own material. One of her most exciting shows was opening for her long-time idols, Hanson at the Anaheim House of Blues. Her sound is a fun, poppy mix of her influences including Grace Potter & The Nocturnals, Carrie Underwood, and Fleetwood Mac. While this album's week-early release may be an accident, Kendrick Lamar's rise to fame certainly isn't. The release of his 2012 sophomore album Good Kid, M.a.a.d City launched Kendrick from the streets of Compton straight into the limelight. Many fans, myself included, would even consider it an instant classic. Let's not forget about his debut, Section.80, another album that could be considered a classic in due time.
The October 2014 breakup of Oasis' Liam Gallagher's band Beady Eye made me realize something: it's certainly no coincidence that the guy who wrote all of Oasis' songs has the better solo career after his main band broke up. Indeed, six years after Oasis' breakup, Noel Gallagher continues to have a successful solo career, while Liam Gallagher's Beady Eye broke up suddenly and quietly late last year. On another, somewhat-related note, I love the Beatles, but let's be real--John, Paul, and George had successful solo careers because they were great songwriters, and poor Ringo was just kinda left in the dust, although he did have a few hits. But I digress. Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds' self-titled 2011 release remains a testament to the fact that you should probably have good songwriting skills to make it as a solo artist. I certainly never enjoyed Beady Eye's songs quite as much as Noel Gallagher's. So in this review, whenever I use "Gallagher", it's always referring to Noel.
If there's someone who can be described as the "Breakout Pop Starlet of 2014," it's Charli XCX. This British pop singer first made a name for herself in 2013 by singing on Icona Pop's disgustingly catchy hit single "I Love It" and through the release of her album True Romance later that year, she became a household name this year by singing the infectious hook on Iggy Azalea's Number One hit "Fancy", and then again through her own hit song "Boom Clap."
Ben Howard is someone who I didn't really begin to get familiar with until about a year ago. Even then, his debut album, Every Kingdom, had already been out for a good amount of time. Several months ago, he was announced as one of the artists playing Bonnaroo, so I decided to check him out and see what he was all about. I was really quite impressed with what I heard. His indie-folk sound hit a good note with me, and especially in the last few weeks, I've been listening to him a lot, and "Only Love" is currently one of my favorite songs. I went into this new album of his excited--and a little bit anxious--to see how he would follow up his debut.
It might not be a good idea to start off this review by saying that I'm not a long-time fan of Weezer, but I'm going to say it anyway: I'm not a long-time fan of Weezer. I do like them, and actually saw them live this past summer in Durham, NC, but until that show, I wasn't too familiar with their work outside of a few of their more-popular songs. However, long-time Weezer fans often argue that their newer stuff isn't great. Since I am not a long-time Weezer fan, I didn't know what to expect from this album. I knew it wouldn't be The Blue Album, an album that I find myself loving more and more every day after having finally listened to it recently, but that's an unfair comparison to make. So I went into this album with an open mind...
Alt-J is a band that, over the past year, has grown immensely in popularity. The first time I'd heard of them was when they were playing the Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival last year (2013). After I saw Japandroids, I stuck around a bit and listened to them, and they sounded absolutely phenomenal, and had a great time slot that fit their aesthetic very well. Needless to say, I was definitely anticipating what they would come up with as a follow-up to An Awesome Wave, and I'm positive I wasn't the only one.
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Review ScheduleApril 15: Deftones, Tim Hecker, the Lumineers, M83, Parquet Courts Archives
April 2016
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