James Blake has always been somewhat of a musical dichotomy. Since his debut release nearly four years ago, Blake has been carefully straddling the line between the UK post-dubstep scene and his own pop music leanings, a feat evidenced by arguably his most popular single to date, the wobbly, earth-shaking Read More…
I’m sitting in a restaurant in Lisbon waiting for lunch. I’m weary from wandering the city with a friend, and a Fado band is playing on the television by the door. In the corner of the screen, I notice a woman translating every lyric into sign language. Her hands move Read More…
As I sat in the car crossing the English Channel with complete strangers, the conversation turned to our weekend plans. I was tired and nodded idly when asked if I was meeting up with friends, not wanting to explain my situation or my motives — of which I wasn’t even Read More…
With the Treasure Island Music Festival fast approaching this weekend (Oct. 13 and 14), Chad Heimann at Noise Pop has compiled a definitive playlist for this year’s many artists. See his picks below. 1. Tycho – Adrift 2. Youth Lagoon – Daydream 3. Grimes – Eight 4. Porter Robinson – Unison Read More…
Eight years ago, Green Day exploded from near-obscurity after their post-Dookie decline to rockstar superstardom following the release of the now Broadway-approved political epic American Idiot. Since then, and for most of their career, the East Bay natives have faced criticism for selling out their punk appeal to major-label record Read More…
If you asked Serj Tankian about how he made his newest solo album, Harakiri, he could explain to you how he composed all of the parts on every song on the 11-track record. But he could also tell you about the part fiber, part postconsumer recycled, part flax seed and Read More…
To someone who knows nothing about Canadian geography, the fact that Purity Ring began work for the basis of their critically acclaimed debut Shrines while split between Halifax and Montreal might not seem all that striking. But the duo’s partnership was a tale of two cities almost one thousand miles Read More…
At its core, Beach House’s sound hasn’t changed much since the Baltimore dream pop duo released its self-titled debut six years ago. But with each new release, the band has continued to refine its sound and their fourth album, Bloom, is no different. Alex Scally’s droning guitar on album opener Read More…
With current student loan interest rates set to double in July without government intervention, both politicians and students have thrust the issue into the national spotlight. While the issue has divided both major political parties, the possibility of an increase from the current 3.4 percent rate has prompted students to Read More…
In response to remarks penning him as a communist, UC Berkeley Professor Robert Reich has challenged conservative television pundit Bill O’Reilly to a “man to man” debate Wednesday. The challenge was prompted by an April 20 episode of the Fox News talk show “The O’Reilly Factor” in which O’Reilly and Read More…
