Shura shares millennial insecurities, that Nothing’s Real Joanna Jiang July 9, 2016 Album Review Commonly compared to a young Madonna, Aleksandra Denton (as Shura) is, in personality, much more inconspicuous. With a sweet demeanor and dyed ends, Denton blends in with today’s alternative crowd. And her br...
Andrew Bird delivers expected consistency on Are You Serious HR Huber-Rodriguez April 9, 2016 Album Review “Do you need a reason we should commit treason and bring into this world a son?” Andrew Bird asks on “Valleys of the Young,” the penultimate track on his newest LP, Are You Serious, out last week via ...
M83 keep dreaming, in space and about Junk Joanna Jiang April 9, 2016 Album Review, Reviews In February, dream pop machine M83 put out a public call for a new touring keyboardist in light of Morgan Kibby’s departure from the group. A month later, a news release announced seventh LP Junk and the addi...
Interview: A chat with the genre-bending Grace Mitchell Kenneth Zhang and Angelica Zocchi March 8, 2016 Interview Quirky singer and Portland native Grace Mitchell has been making waves in the music industry since she was thirteen. This weekend she played two shows as an opener for St. Lucia at The Fillmore and The Indepen...
Someone please clean This Unruly Mess up Adil Siddiqee March 8, 2016 Album Review, Reviews Seattle should be proud of its hip hop scene. A roll call of contemporary notables would summon names like Blue Scholars, Grieves, Sadistik -- ‘conscious’ and experimental hip hop artists who proudly wear t...
Wet cry and dance with debut record, Don’t You Brendan Gibson February 10, 2016 Album Review Wet’s debut was a long time coming. Kelly Zutrau, Joe Valle, and Marty Sulkow have been creating and playing music together in different incarnations for nearly a decade. After coming together in Brooklyn...
Troye Sivan’s Blue Neighbourhood is just “too good” Kenneth Zhang December 30, 2015 Album Review Thanks to the Internet, the careers of many young artists such as Lorde, Halsey, and The Weeknd have been catapulted from anonymity to pop stardom. Troye Sivan is no exception in the social media / pop culture ...
Adele re-emerges with an album well worth the wait Angelica Zocchi November 29, 2015 Album Review After much anticipation, the singer-songwriter who has enraptured possibly every last person who is not completely tone deaf has finally come out of her four year long sabbatical with her third studio album, 25...
LÉON’s pops an infectious foot-tapping Treasure Kenneth Zhang November 7, 2015 Album Review Sweden continues to be a pop music powerhouse, having paved the way for iconic artists from the likes of ABBA, Robyn, and most recently Icona Pop, Say Lou Lou, Little Dragon, Tove Lo, and many more. Twenty-o...
Neon Indian returns retro on VEGA INTL. Night School Joanna Jiang October 15, 2015 Album Review Yup, that’s your doctor. He’s in. At the party. It’s something we call “alternative remedies.” The kitschy lo-fi disco coming from that yellowed ceiling speaker? It’s the new Neon Indian. In a mo...
Wet announce release date for debut album, Don’t You Brendan Gibson September 26, 2015 Album Preview, News Brooklyn-based electronic pop trio Wet have announced via Twitter that their highly anticipated debut album, Don’t You, will be released on January 29 through Columbia Records. Preceding the announcement ...
Jessie Jones quilts an eclectic self-portrayal on self-titled debut Kavitha George July 26, 2015 Album Review Each track on Orange County-native Jessie Jones' self-titled debut album is an uninhibited collage of unexpected instruments, vocal styles, and beats. The album channels what could loosely be considered a ...
Death Cab for Cutie draw committed fans to the Greek Theatre Penelope Leggett July 13, 2015 Concerts, Festivals, and Live Reviews, Photos At first, it was unusual to see a veteran band such as Built to Spill opening in an arena setting; but we later found out the connection was chronological and fitting when Death Cab for Cutie frontman Be...
Eskimeaux make a clean escape Tuesday at Bottom of the Hill Kavitha George July 8, 2015 Concerts, Festivals, and Live Reviews Theirs is a far too overused label. The slightest hint of a dreamy synth track, floaty lyrics, and 'ethereal' seems to be the all-too-ready stamp. I was introduced to Eskimeaux just a few days before I sa...
A true spectacle, Purity Ring finish tour with theatrical lightshow at the Fox Joanna Jiang June 20, 2015 Concerts, Festivals, and Live Reviews Regardless of their position in the another eternity / “Purity Ring sound” debate, patrons at Purity Ring’s Fox Oakland debut could agree that Purity Ring’s live show is fully-developed and leaves ...