Normally, the homie Will would be covering this. But since he’s all busy with teaching and such, I will go ahead and cover it. I used to be a huge fan of Green Day back in my Middle School days. The American Idiot album was incredible. Their best album is definitely Dookie (and you can’t convince me otherwise). Their last album, 21st Century Breakdown was pretty solid as well…just didn’t Read More ...
As a journalist, the ethical thing to do when reviewing an album is to hear it once, note specific songs and move on; first impression, nothing more. Passion Pit is hard to abide by that rule. In their break-through 2009 album, Manners, the band gave what many considered a perfect summer album with its up-beat tempos and giddy lyrics. Now for another rule of good album reviews: look at a Read More ...
Last year, the Red Hot Chili Peppers returned to the rock scene with a new guitarist and, inevitably, a new sound. This song (along with a few other songs) did not sound any different from classic Chili Pepper songs. “Brendan’s Death Song” was written after the passing of a club owner who, according to Anthony Kiedis, gave the band their first gig in Los Angeles. Earlier this summer, they announced Read More ...
Last Thursday, Irish-based band Two Door Cinema Club gave their first glimpse of their new album Beacon by releasing their first single, “Sleep Alone,” on their website. It’s already gone viral (that is, YouTube) with lyrics and all, and here it is. The CD is set to be released Sept. 3, 2012 and “Sleep Alone” will be the sixth track on it.
This song is the perfect example of one that crosses the boundaries between the Hip-hop atmosphere that Smitty writes about and the rock sphere I am accustomed to (check out Toro Y Moi live, they are definitely rock). Tyler the Creator and Toro Y Moi collaborated for this song, “Hey You,” a chill-wave beat with Tyler’s slower-rap style. It was the oddest grouping I had ever heard of until I Read More ...
Almost synonymous with each Grouplove release is Young the Giant, who made a splash with their early-2011 self-titled album. Young the Giant’s third single, “Apartment,” was released in February with the task of also coming off two great singles in “My Body” and “Cough Syrup.” Even in regards to the album structure, the two bands show similar musical structure with their better songs coming at the beginning. And leading off Read More ...
I hope you guys and gals missed me as much as I missed you reading my posts but my triumphant return has finally embarked on BrandKnew once again! And to commemorate the great occasion, I thought I’d discuss one of my favorite bands, Grouplove, who have had great success with their 2011 album Never Trust a Happy Song, even 10 months later. Their latest single, “Itchin’ on a Photograph,” had Read More ...
When Smitty first opened this site, he wanted to push underground, unknown talent and even put El Paso on the map with stand-out bands. Right now, no new band is doing bigger things than the Royalty and they’ll have the chance to showcase their talents tonight. On MTV’s “Awkward,” the band’s “I Want You” will be played in tonight’s episode according to their Facebook page. The song comes out in Read More ...
Guess what, folks? The Killers are back. And this week, they released their first song off their next album Battle Born. The album will mark the end of the band’s four-year hiatus, which included a solo album by frontman Brandon Flowers in 2010. Not much has changed with the Killers’ sound according to this song and “Runaways” still tells a story to go with the music, as some of their Read More ...
Kind of an old song (released last year) but it’s also the latest single from Wolf Gang, a pretty good band in my eyes. Wolf Gang is that band that I just think has songs that sound similar. I’ve said the same thing about Phoenix and have heard plenty of criticism for making those remarks so I expect to get the same kind of scrutiny for saying “Stay and Defend” Read More ...
Remember when Blur was having everyone go “woo hoo” in “Song 2″ back in the ’90s? Well, the band is back in 2012 after a nine-year hiatus and a bit softer. The English band takes it slow with their first single off their new album, “Under the Westway,” with an unspecified date, yet (the album has been announced but nothing else). The band does sound different and not just because Read More ...
