Hailing from Melbourne, Australia, the Ocean Grove trio put out their third full-length Up In The Air Forever (UNFD), shining a new light on their grunge, rock, and pop elements. The title is a reminder that nothing in life is set in stone, and one should be liberated by this realization rather than fearful of it. Each song shares a lighthearted and fun energy, yet sends empowering messages about creative expression and freedom from systematic lifestyles. Continue reading
Australian pop-rock trio Short Stack have put out their fifth studio album Maybe There’s No Heaven (UNFD), using it as a means to tell the story of their career ups and downs and love lives since their debut Stack Is The New Black in 2009. Though it has its faults, punchy choruses and exhilarating instrumentals come and go to keep it worth hearing more. Continue reading
While sugary-sweet pop vocals coupled with head-crushing heavy metal doesn’t seem like a recipe for success, Poppy has been changing the game. We were there when she took the stage at Brooklyn Steel last month and saw firsthand what everyone has been buzzing about.Continue reading
Even geniuses get beat up by the press and fans sometimes. There were very few albums as big, pervasive in music culture and brilliant as Nine Inch Nails career highlight The Downward Spiral (Nothing/Interscope) was in 1994. The problem is, how do you follow it up, especially when the entire world jumped on the bandwagon and copied your style? Well, you don’t do a belly flop into stasis, you work harder than ever to expand, change drastically and do all the things. The Fragile (Nothing/Interscope) is Trent Reznor doing all the things, really well. Continue reading
In the year of boy band domination, Blink-182 was the answer for the counterculture with Enema of the State (MCA Records). They were there to bring you anthems with no-holds attitude for in between classes to failed crushes and even jokes about diarrhea and animal sex. Jerry Finn who was behind the production of Green Day’s classic Dookie produced the debut album that connected with so many in more ways than one. Continue reading
Putting together a good bill is a difficult task. Sometimes the stars can align, schedules are free and the world gets Trivium with Code Orange, Power Trip and Venom Prison. Other times you get Dizzee Rascal supporting Muse. Yes, that did actually happen. When a band as fluid with genre boundaries as Enter Shikari announces a tour, wild speculation breaks out about who will be joining them, or indeed, why a certain band is on the bill. Tonight is no exception as a varied line up graces the frequently gig-bereft Leicester City.Continue reading
As the largest Metal label in the world, Nuclear Blast and it’s subsidiaries (SharpTone and Arising Empires) has a conveyor belt of exceptional talent at their disposal. Joe Naan joined their PR team earlier in the year and has been a regular in our inbox ever since, representing their incredible roster.Continue reading
Tayne is a London based Experimental, Noise, Pop outfit by Matthew Sutton. Tayne’s music is an aural assault that weld moody, atmospheric vocals, punishing guitars and overwhelming electronics, to pulsating rhythms that create an intense listening. Debut album Breathe (Strange Brew) is out now.Continue reading
Four years ago, at Cult of Luna’s heralded Beyond The Redshift festival, I saw a band that went toe-to-toe with the headline acts and matched their beauty, elegance, and musical depth. Ten years into their career and with their fourth album Nowhere (Season of Mist) about to grace our ears, we find Esben And The Witch at their darkest.Continue reading
What became of real pop stars? This is a question I have asked myself over and over the last few years. As we’ve lost Prince, George Michael, and David Bowie, and there is no new Madonna, Bjork, Sinead, Tori, or nary even an Alanis in sight, I wondered when the next generation of legends would come, if ever. A few years back I got turned on to PVRIS when I still lived in their home state of Massachusetts, and I heard White Noise right when it came out. Then I saw them live, and whoa, I was blown away by them. However, one of the hardest things to pull off in music is the second album. Sure you have your entire first act to create a sound and cultivate your style. People are fickle and expect a lot as fans. Much tougher to grow from that and keep it going, but PVRIS has pulled it off impressively. Continue reading