Berated

I am largely critical of mash-up artists, particularly those that lazily put original tracks through a bevy of VST plug-ins or pedals and call it a day. And even with a talented artist like Girl Talk, who uses his melodic abilities to mesh conflicting genres successfully, I find myself bored more often than not. His [...]

This week's spot features news about Coachella and All Tomorrow's Parties, new tracks by the likes of Memory Tapes, another look at Destroyer's Kaputt, and a nostalgic take on The Strokes. Jay takes the weekly feature again this week, noting his excitement for the wide assortment of tours coming this spring.

If you find yourself tiring of familiar sounds while sitting atop the peak of modern critically acclaimed psychedelia, consider Young Prisms’ debut Friends for Now, an exhilarating breath of suspended free-fall into phosphorescent abyss. Eschewing the languorous nature of most shoegazer bands, Young Prisms enter realms of impertinent and concentrated rocking.

With more emphasis on guitars and real drums, Woodsman continue the trend of electronic-induced psychedelia prevalent in major acts today. From Animal Collective’s tribal-like fervency to the lush “chillwave” tag associated with acts like Washed Out and Neon Indian, the most recent crop of the stylistic movement has been surprisingly accessible considering its psychedelic roots. [...]

This is the first of a feature we hope to publish weekly on Fridays or Saturdays. In the midst of full-length features and reviews, topical highlights of the past week or so seem wise to apply. Much like the Best-Of compilations, the "Week in Review" feature will aim to expose the latest news and hottest releases in a concise manner. Writers will swap duties for this feature each week, with Jay kicking it off this week.

Soft Landing remain somewhat elusive, but the members’ experiences are never in question. Frontman Paul Collins is part of the traveling circus that is Beirut. And so is Perrin Cloutier, who Collins recruited just as Soft Landing passed its preliminary stage. Mike Lawless, Collins’ friend from college, later rounded out the trio as they began [...]

Instead of coming across like decorating a Christmas tree in July, the summer-friendly pop of Tennis is a refreshing and apt reminder of anticipatory feelings that would usually take months to arrive from January. Tennis are one of 2011’s most buzzed-about bands thus far thanks to the eclectic qualities of this husband-wife duo. Their debut, Cape Dory, lives up to expectations.

In the midst of the year-end features, I did not have enough time to express my praise for The Radio Dept.’s live performance on December 1st at The Bowery. Venturing from their native Sweden is somewhat of a rare occasion for the trio, so I made sure to mark the date when the show was [...]

Describing something as “epic” is generally trite in music criticism, with a few notable exceptions. British Sea Power are one of them. Their masterful debut showcased a rookie band that masterfully mixed a laudable arsenal of nostalgic arena-rock influences with modern indie-rock trends, and their fifth full-length plays like an homage to this classic debut.

Jay features six artists that he feels will explode in 2011. Or, at the very least, make a significant mark in the upcoming music scene. Familiar names like James Blake and Akron/Family are a few, but up-and-comers like Korean Is Asian and Childish Gambino provide plenty of new flavor for a potentially exciting year ahead.