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Read MoreREVIEW: Hazing Over – Tunnel Vision EP
Hazing Over – Tunnel Vision EP Review A few weeks ago, Pittsburgh’s own Hazing Over released their second EP entitled “Tunnel Vision”, and since my several listens yesterday, I have indeed found myself stuck in a haze of disappointment and bewilderment. However, let it be known that the source of my disillusionment comes from the fact that it took me two weeks to actually give this 6 track ripper a...
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Read MoreNew Music Report – February 24, 2023
Man, what a week. We’ve got some huge new singles from August Burns Red featuring Spencer from Underoath, new music from Bodysnatcher and Ov Sulfur and then on the other end of the spectrum, a new album from Lucero and Manchester Orchestra. So a little something for everybody with a really diverse week. Now we’re getting into some of the full lengths I’ve really been looking forward to. I know Lucero is a...
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New Music Report – February 17, 2023
This week has been kind of weird, there really haven’t been a ton of notable full-length releases, SeeYouNextTuesday put out a new album, but as far as I’ve been tracking that’s been about it. That said, it doesn’t mean it hasn’t been a packed week for new music in general. Again, we’re in that point in the year where new releases are still rolling in, we start seeing more big name full-length releases...
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New Music Report – February 10, 2023
What a week for good music. Everything from Paramore coming back and putting out their first album in years to absolutely huge new singles from some of the best heavy bands in the game. To start things off, the new singles from Veil of Maya and Brand of Sacrifice are exactly as good as you would expect from such legendary bands, and with new albums likely on the horizon from both of them, there’s...
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New Music Report – February 3, 2023
Yet another week of the singles being more impactful than the albums themselves. There have been a few good albums this year, don’t get me wrong, but when you have weeks like this where both Currents and Invent Animate – two of the absolute best bands in the new age of metalcore – are putting out new music and hyping up their upcoming album releases, it’s hard for much of anything to beat that. If these...
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New Music Report – January 26, 2023
Kind of a diverse set of releases we’ve had this week, it’s been nice to see. There are a few very high profile releases like new singles from Fall Out Boy and August Burns Red, and some heavy hitters from Angelmaker, Unearth, See You Next Tuesday, and so on, which have all been fantastic. I’m actually very much looking forward to the new August Burns Red release. Generally speaking, they’ve been as...
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New Music Report – January 19, 2023
Things are starting to get moving now, we’ve got a couple releases trickling in that are worth listening to. But honestly, the big story is still all the new singles, and the album release dates that come along with it. Bands like Jesus Piece, The Ocean, City & Colour, and more all put out some very promising new singles this week, with announcements for albums coming in the next 2-3 months. Full of...
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New Music Report – January 13, 2023
Honestly, there still isn’t a ton to talk about this early in the year, but there has been some exciting news for coming music, and a few interesting releases that we’ve seen already. Of course, the big news this week is the new Periphery album announcement that came along with two incredible singles. That album should be a real highlight for the year, and with two singles already out, we should get some...
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Album Review: This Will Destroy You – Another Language
–Written by Mike Hogan
I’m constantly amazed by how much can be accomplished with some droning, reverb-y guitar feedback and a simple, repetitive drum beat. It seems like nothing – an album skipping, perhaps – but there can be so much depth and subtlety hidden within the noise, invoking a fresh new mood with only slight adjustments in dynamics. It’s truly a phenomenon to experience when a single non-melodic sound can inspire so much emotion. Years ago, Austin, Texas post-rock band This Will Destroy You took an idea very similar to this one and cemented their place within the hearts of the post-rock community with their debut EP Young Mountain. The first track, “Quiet” encapsulated the prodigious grasp TWDY had on just a single phrase of music, showcasing how such a simplistic structure could be manipulated into a million different emotions – from despondent and melancholy to bright and uplifting, all driven by a largely unchanged drumbeat. It was a brilliant exercise in simplistic minimalism, and it became the hallmark of their sound.
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Weekend Wind-Down No. 6: Acoustic Jams
–Words and list by Michael Hogan
I might have gone a little overboard with this one. “Wind-down” quickly turned into “super fucking depressing” in several cases – see: Bayside, Alkaline Trio, Jimmy Eat World – but that doesn’t change the fact that these are all really great songs. Many of them could rank among my favorite songs of all time; tracks like “Play Crack The Sky” and “Always Coming Back Home to You” have managed to resonate with me for over a decade now.
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Show Preview: DJ Shadow & Cut Chemist
Written by: Mike Hogan
Imagine what you could learn by searching through your favorite artist’s personal record collection. You could discover all the subtle nuances in their musical identity; you’d pick out their favorites by the worn corners on the album sleeves, and know which ones were gathering dust, still wearing their price tag. You could figure out which inserts they poured over as if they were studying for a test, and which ones were simply discarded. Someone’s music collection tells a lot about who they are, it can speak volumes about who they were and who they are by chronicling their own personal journey through musical history.
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Weekend Warm-Up No. 6: Screamo/Metalcore Throwback
–Words and list by Michael Hogan
I remember the first time I heard As I Lay Dying. I believe it was 2003; it was the demo for “Forever,” not even the real track off of Frail Words Collapse. Hell, Frail Words Collapse hadn’t even been released yet. Up to this point I had been running on a borderline unhealthy mix of AFI and Slipknot, but this was a game changer. As I Lay Dying was so much heavier, so much more chaotic. It was like a mix of all the best qualities of my reliable staples of the time and I loved it. Of course, it also opened the floodgates to my discovery of all the bands that made this list. So with that, he’s a trip down memory lane with some old-school heavy.
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Four Quick Things: Lockn’ Music Festival
–Written by Kevin Madert
As a kid, I always dreaded Labor Day. It meant summer was over and school was imminent – a one-two knockout punch. As I got older and began to accept the inevitability of all things in life, my dread diminished to a dull dislike. This would most likely have persisted for many years to come if it weren’t for a man named Dave Frey. Frey is the cofounder of Lockn’ Music Festival – a four-day, first class rock music experience at Oak Ridge Farm in Arrington, Virginia that took place for the first time early last September. Showing no signs of a sophomore slump, round two is slated for this weekend (the 4-7 of September) with headlining performances from Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers, The Allman Brothers, Phil Lesh & Friends, Umphrey’s Mcgee, and more. There’s far too much to highlight here, but read on to learn a little more about Lockn’ – the festival so good it has me excited for the end of the summer.
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Weekend Wind-Down No. 5: Post-Rocking
–Words and list by Kevin Madert
We’re pushing the chill envelope (chillvelope?) this week with a collection of instrument-centric tracks the genre gods term “post-rock.” Snatching elements of ambient, rock, jam, and even a hint of classical, these ten tracks are just as much about the journey as each individual moment. When the final arpeggiating guitar cadence of “Your Hand In Mine” comes to a close it feels as though you’ve accomplished something.
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Weekend Warm-Up No. 5: Tranced
–Words and list by Kevin Madert
This one was a no-brainer. Nothing says “get the f*ck up” like the rigid structure and crescendo progression of a hard-hitting trance song, and even though these ten caught my ear this list could have been populated by one of thousands of other equally worthy tunes. Anjunabeats is well-represented – “Sushi” being one of the better progressive tracks the label has released – and I’ll defend to the death the inclusion of Basshunter on this list.
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In Case You Missed It: Take A Trip With Vacationer’s “Gone”
–Written by Kevin Madert
The first time I heard The Starting Line was late in the summer of 2006. As a rising high school freshman, I was content with letting music do my emotional legwork, and the Philadelphia pop-punk outfit was more than capable of doing just that. When the uncertainty and confusion of adolescence inevitably faded into the uncertainty and confusion of adulthood, TSL and lead singer/wordsmith Kenny Vasoli remained cornerstones of my musical experience.
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The Daily Frequency (8/26/14)
–Written by Kevin Madert
Today, a lot of things happened in the world of music. Here are some of them.
1. Lockn Music Festival just announced the set times for its second iteration, slated to take place September 4-7 in Arrington, VA. Rock reigns supreme, with two hour-plus sets from acts like Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers, The Allman Brothers, and Phil Lesh & Friends. Via Lockn’s official site.
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Weekend Wind-Down No. 4: Illusion of Speed
-Words and list by Michael Hogan
This was one of those concepts that sounded great in my head. When it came time to explain what I was trying to accomplish, things got a bit cloudy. This isn’t a drum ‘n’ bass playlist, and it’s not quite a downtempo playlist either. I suppose it’s a bit of both. It’s got mellow, melodic leads over drums that are consistently fast-paced and yet never once make you feel rushed. They simply provide a constant support for the track, pulling you along with it without dragging you forward.
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