Both their harshest critics and most devout fans will agree, one of the most prominent elements of The National’s music, is, and always has been, the sadness. From the alt-country beginnings of their 2001 self-titled debut, on through the promising musical growth of 2003’s Sad Songs for Dirty Lovers, right on to the critically-acclaimed, career-blossoming(…)
Life is short; that insight is passed on to us throughout our lives but we only begin to take it increasingly more seriously as we grow older. How old before the preciousness of our time on Earth begins to sink in? Of course, it varies from person to person, and even in each person, our(…)
Last November, I caught up with Oberhofer’s leading man, Brad Oberhofer, while the band was in Milwaukee touring with fellow Brooklynites, Matt and Kim. It was then that I first got wind of the collection of songs that would become Notalgia. Oberhofer had actually been listening to the masters of the new songs earlier in(…)
It’s a purple-tinted, grimacing baby with spiked hair being held and stung, or about to be stung, by an oversized mosquito. If any other acclaimed rock band went that route for the album art of their fourth album, there may be some initial cause for concern. But with the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, it’s nothing out(…)
Birthmarks is a curious title for Born Ruffians’ third LP. What is a birthmark– an inconsistency, a blemish in the skin that forms at or around birth and doesn’t go away, stays with that person for life. They are generally harmless; in different cultures there are a number of myths about what causes the unusual(…)
There is so much more to the Cold War Kids than what they’ve gotten credit for. I’ll never forget the Long Beach-based band’s performance at Lollapalooza in 2007. At that time, their debut album, Robbers & Cowards, had managed to spark a buzz frenzy with the indie rock masses, and leading the charge was the(…)
I was discussing Bobby Long with my brother last week when he suddenly recalled that he, in fact, went to high school with a Bobby Long. A Bobby Long who not only played guitar but was good at playing guitar. It was enough for us to investigate the coincidence; our fascination, however, was short lived(…)
Mother Mother is a tough band to categorize. The Canadian quintet incorporates an array of genre-blurring sounds into their music, and with their latest release, The Sticks, there is isn’t much of a push to clarify any of that. The songs range from soaring acoustic ballads to edgier alternative chic to rousing dance pop, all(…)