Purity Ring, Shrines, 2012
by J Frazzetta September 21st, 2012 | Album Review
This album represents the reason why I still go out to buy music and try to talk with other living, breathing human beings. A few Saturday nights ago I happened to go on a bit of a bender with some extra money and looked for some albums that were missing from my collection. I had amassed quite a selection when a clerk noticed what I had in my bag and asked if I had ever heard of Purity Ring. I said no and he pointed out a rather cheap debut that was begging me to take it home. It
Matchbox Twenty – North
by Jason Lightner September 18th, 2012 | Album Review
It's been a full decade since we 've been treated to a full studio offering from Matchbox Twenty. This past month, however, the group released its followup to their 2002 album, More Than You Think You Are entitled North.
North is a 12-track take on modernizing the classic Matchbox formula, with catchy hooks in songs like "Put Your Hands Up", relationship tunes like "She's So Mean", and acoustic tracks like "I Will". In traditional Matchbox Twenty style, there's a little something in here for everybody.
The album is very listenable, and each member of the band plays their part perfectly.
North is a 12-track take on modernizing the classic Matchbox formula, with catchy hooks in songs like "Put Your Hands Up", relationship tunes like "She's So Mean", and acoustic tracks like "I Will". In traditional Matchbox Twenty style, there's a little something in here for everybody.
The album is very listenable, and each member of the band plays their part perfectly.
Something Happening Here
by J Frazzetta September 17th, 2012 | Artist Review, Featured Artist
There comes a time in the life of every band where they have an important question to ask: should we continue eating bread and cheese or should we take a huge risk and see what happens? This is what many people outside of the industry call "selling out" or changing your sound to stay viable and reach your creative potential. It took me a long time to realize this, Avid Reader, and it makes sense why bands would do this in time. Considering they had yet to break it huge in the U.S., Matt Bellamy started work on what
The Shins, Port of Morrow, 2012
by J Frazzetta September 14th, 2012 | Album Review
Back in 2003 I remember an album with a funny cover came to the campus radio station and I spun it a few times. It wasn’t terrible, I recommended to folks that liked guitar pop and threw it in the bin with other new stuff. Well, some folks loved it to death, played it all the time and I thought Chutes Too Narrow wasn’t that bad, so The Shins were all right. Then a year later Zach Braff made his hit movie Garden State and that famous scene with Natalie Portman changed my opinion. Popularity kicked in and soon
Passion Pit, Gossamer, 2012
by J Frazzetta September 12th, 2012 | Album Review
A few years ago there was a boom for bands to go the way of Animal Collective and use heavy synthesizers or try MGMT and incorporate the synth with elements of a rock band to do something a little different. Then from left field, a group from Boston sprang up, with some energy, that had heavy synthesizers and plenty of rock band elements, calling themselves Passion Pit. I can’t lie to you, Avid Reader; I had their album Manners in 2009 with the intention of reviewing it but never did because I listened to it too much. Now they’ve
