For the excited teen fans and those that simply enjoy good, pop music on the radio, some might be interested to find out that on August 8, 1998, Shawn Mendes, the popular singer and songwriter, was born. The now twenty-two year old Canadian has made a place for himself in the music industry, catering not only to teens and young adults, but to all, with his rhythmic music about all types of love…
While I steer my body through the shimmering heat, my headphones, sunglasses, and mask sealing me off from the world, I think back to another August day when the boundaries of music were buckled and expanded by a man snugly ensconced in his own headphones. He did not know it, but he was about to change the world. The date was Saturday, August 11, 1973. The man was Clive Campbell, also known as DJ Kool Herc…
Well into the COVID-19 lockdown, the official YouTube channel of London-based live radio network NTS uploaded an hour-long live performance featuring Bladee and Ecco2k, two members of the Swedish cloud rap collective Drain Gang. This whole “concert” shows the inventiveness of Drain Gang and it opens up a whole new world of possibilities for inventiveness in the live medium. There’s no telling what kind of creativity other artists could bring to the table if this becomes the new norm…
Finding ways to share one’s music is no less complicated than it was before the digital revolution. But the precarious life of an up-and-coming musician has become ever more precarious in the age of COVID-19…
Weezer’s latest single, “The End of the Game”, is a driving force carefully crafted to continuously propel you forward from start to finish. With steady, heavy power chords guiding you along like a train on a mission, scenic “views” of acrobatic guitar riffs sprinkled throughout to joyously catch you by surprise, and a melody that is both simplistic and infectious at the same time, this song is a seamless blend of Van Halen-style rock and the kind of mood-elevating pop you sing along in the car to with your friends…
1000 Gecs and the Tree of Clues is the latest release from experimental pop group 100 Gecs, and is a follow-up to last year’s 1000 Gecs album, which was one of the most forward-thinking, idiosyncratic, well-conceived, and tightest pop albums not of the year, not of the decade, but of all time…
Napalm Death was on my shortlist of music to find—like an archeologist digging their way toward an ancient tomb. In September of 1989, I finally struck treasure when I pulled a vinyl copy of Mentally Murdered from the racks, holding it up, exposing it to sunlight for the first time…
What sets this channel apart from other mainstream music outlets is that they seek and feature specifically underground artists. There are a few mainstream artists such as Billie Eilish, Doja Cat, and Daniel Cesar, and while the majority of the featured artists might not be as popular, they keep you clicking next with each one’s breathtaking raw talent…
If you are in need for the perfect summer night drive song, I have been loving “Guilty Conscious” by 070 Shake. This creative piece tells a story while allowing the listener to get lost in the futuristic beat. Somehow feeling very nostalgic, and comfortable this song really speaks to the listener. Lyrically, the song takes you on a journey feeling pain, sadness and release…
In 1977, the Germs set out to destroy the detached, artificial tone of pop. The popular music of their time corresponds with sadly predictable accuracy to what lives on the radio today—like what is propelled like a cannonball from passing SUV windows or crawls from cell phones with the nasal tremors of a vengeful mosquito. Punk rock music, by contrast, was especially vibrant because it was performed by human beings in modest recording studios…and it spoke to the origins of American folk music.
