It’s that time of year again. The Hallmark teddy bears don caps and gowns, college towns are flooded with relatives and their flash photography, and “Pomp And Circumstance” is stuck in everyone’s head. It’s a time of reflection and anxiety and wonder and pride, so of course it requires a decent playlist. Some songs on here…
Kelsey Butterworth
The Vaccines: “Minimal Affection”
If you’re still unsure just how prevalent 80s nostalgia is in today’s scene, pick up a shovel and dig the new Vaccines track. The playfully cool new track (off of their 5/26 release English Graffiti) uses the same faux string synth spurts that made you love your kiddie Casio back in the day. The track is…
Reptar share new video for “Amanda”
(NOT FOR THOSE EASILY GROSSED OUT) Reptar have shared the music video for their new single “Amanda,” and it’s (expectedly) a weird one. Two girls in white take turns putting weird fruit in each other’s mouths, and there’s some fun and casual waterboarding. It’s footage that could very well show up on your local public access…
Sufjan Stevens: “Exploding Whale”
In the ongoing tradition of employing grotesque imagery, Sufjan Stevens’ tour-only song “Exploding Whale” has been leaked online. Thanks to a Reddit user, and with permission from Stevens’ label Asthmatic Kitty Records, the plinky, wandering track is now available to us all. It’s more Kid A than the offerings on his most recent record Carrie & Lowell, drawing comparisons…
firekid at the 40 Watt 4.14.15
[tps_header] Last night, the 40 Watt hosted two newfangled Americana bands, firekid and Delta Spirit. Despite a sparse crowd and little fanfare, firekid – a two-piece Nashville group – delivered an interesting and varied set of reimagined roots music. Initially, they seemed like a group in the vein of Shy Girls, mixing whispered vocals with…
What To Buy For Record Store Day 2015
Record Store Day 2015, an annual event held on the third Saturday of April, is fast approaching. The holiday has grown each year since its 2007 inception, and some horrible folks are even starting things early by gouging prices on eBay. But do not lose heart, Young Waxhopper: this is a day meant to celebrate independent record…
The Ravenna Colt: ‘Terminal Current’
The Ravenna Colt is the side project of former My Morning Jacket guitarist Johnny Quaid, who co-founded MMJ with Jim James. He left the group in 2004 after the release of It Still Moves (taking with him the Kentucky farm they used to record on, incidentally changing their sound) and deigned to do what so many…
Tame Impala: “‘Cause I’m A Man”
In the second single from Tame Impala‘s upcoming record, we find band mastermind Kevin Parker imploring his ladylove that he’s really sorry for hurting her feelings – but he just can’t help it, because he’s a dude. Okay, pause. The song as a song is sublime Impala – pleasantly sluggish psychedelic garage rock that sounds…
Slingshot 2015: In Review
[tps_header] 2015 has put another successful Slingshot Festival in the books. Despite hiccups here and there, this year’s festival drew unique and eclectic acts from around the world. Almost every band thanked the festival, and organizer Kai Riedl, for putting together such a fantastic offering, and I’d have to agree. But since we’re all bound by the…
‘Bloodline’ Season 1: Review [SPOILERS]
Netflix has tried its creative hand yet again with the first season of Bloodline, a star-packed drama about the true cost of family. The site’s answer to True Detective follows the Rayburns, a Florida Keys family who essentially own their small town. Patriarch Robert (Sam Shepard) and wife Sally (Sissy Spacek) have had an idyllic beachfront inn for…