X Ambassadors are an alternative rock band from Ithaca, New York. They are currently supporting Canadian pop singer Lights on her Little Machines tour. Over the weekend, a friend and I had the pleasure of seeing them live. “Unconsolable” is a song that stood out to me at the show, so I’ve selected it as this week’s tune.
This week, I’m featuring one of my favorite Sonic Youth songs, “Chapel Hill,” from the band’s 1992 album, Dirty. The song is based on the city of – wait for it – Chapel Hill in North Carolina. There are also references to people and places related to the state, such as late bookstore owner and activist Bob Sheldon, the famed venue Cat’s Cradle, the city of Durham, the Char-Grill restaurant, and politician Jesse Helms.
This Tuesday, I’m enjoying a snow day off thanks to Winter Storm Octavia. I’m also enjoying some music from Sloan, a favorite band of mine. Hailing from Canada, Sloan is known for their unchanged lineup throughout their 20+ year career and their unique approach to making music – each member shares songwriting duties. “The Life of a Working Girl,” written by bassist Chris Murphy, appears on the band’s 2001 album, Pretty Together.
Whether or not you watched the Grammys on Sunday, if you’ve visited any social media websites since then, you’ve probably read about Beck Hansen’s Morning Phase earning three Grammys for Best Engineered Album (Non-Classical), Best Rock Album, and Album of the Year. You may have also seen celebrities’ reactions to his Album of the Year win or heard Kanye West’s comments about Beck “disrespecting artistry” – comments I find rather nonsensical and ironic.
On January 30, Mad Season joined the Seattle Symphony Orchestra at Benaroya Hall in Seattle for a one-time reunion concert. Titled Sonic Evolution, the show featured original compositions by former Mad Season member Mike McCready, […]
Today’s song is from Soundgarden’s frontman, Chris Cornell. Cornell wrote “The Keeper” for the 2011 film, Machine Gun Preacher. The song appears on the film’s soundtrack and on Cornell’s 2011 live solo album, Songbook. Though […]
Recently, I revisited my favorite albums and films of 2014. Now, here’s a look at some of the films and movies I’m eagerly awaiting this year. ALBUMS Sleater-Kinney – No Cities to Love Sleater-Kinney’s eighth […]
Blind Melon is best known for their 1992 hit single, “No Rain,” but this band’s catalog is full of hidden gems that slipped under the radar. This week’s song is one of those gems – “Soul One.”
Before I look at some of this year’s upcoming releases, I want to revisit the music and movies that made my 2014. Since ranking favorites is a moderate form of torture for a music/film enthusiast, […]
This week’s tune comes from Colorado-based math-rock band Aspen Hourglass. I stumbled across their music last fall and became an instant fan after watching “Veil of Anxiety” on YouTube. One thing was immediately clear: members Grayson Erhard (lead vocals/guitar), Elvin Holderfield (piano/synthesizers), and Sean Hanson (drums/backing vocals) are all extremely talented musicians.
Between the Notes 