With so much music to listen to, I should just shut up and get to it, no?
Stream Gallows here, courtesy NME.
Being a hardcore band brings with it enough closed-minded pressure; being a hardcore band that got successful and then switched singers is a whole 'nother thing.
Gallows' self-titled album is the first with new mic-man Wade McNeil who, if you're up on your early 21st century Canadiana, is an ex-member of Alexisonfire. He lacks Frank Turner's snotty British drawl, but makes up for it with Canuck lumberjack brawl.
Gallows doesn't build on the concepts of Grey Britain, nor does it have the same level of intensity and danger. Instead, Gallows burn everything you've come to expect to the ground and then heave jugs of gasoline.
Stream Dinosaur Jr.'s I Bet On Sky here, courtesy NPR.
I still marvel at Dinosaur Jr.'s 2005 comeback Beyond, because you could tell that money and stature had nothing to do with it; it was the product of a band that missed making music together, so they got back together. The result was not just a good album, but one of the best of the band's career.
Next week, they return with I Bet On Sky, the third album to come out of the band's second coming, and it does nothing to make one wish they'd stayed away. It's a bit more mid-tempo than you might be used to, but it still packs plenty of fuzz and a mountain of chops.
Stream Band of Horses' Mirage Rock below, courtesy my copy and paste job.
Is there a band that's continuously built up a legacy as quietly as Band of Horses? After a pair of indie-leaning SubPop albums, the unassuming Seattle-based lite-rockers caught the ear of Columbia Records, who distributed Infinite Arms in 2010. That album is notable for Laredo, a moderate hit that marked a sea change in the band's music from the indie dirges of the past and showed a band unafraid to pick up the tempo (and won my personal Song of the Year honours that year).
Knock Knock, the first single from Mirage Rock, takes it a step further; it maintains the charm and melodic flair but also happens to rock pretty hard. The rest of Mirage Rock is a bit of a grab-bag tempo-wise, with a fair share of slower fare on display.
Probably the most striking thing about Mirage Rock is the seemingly sudden influence of 70's AM radio; Some of the harmonies absolutely scream America (not Americana, the band America); it's a surprisingly good look for the band, who ride these peaceful easy feelings through about half of the record. It's not overbearingly dad-rocky (think Wilco's Sky Blue Sky), and there's enough variety here to make it a consistently entertaining listen. Plus, it cements Band of Horses as one of the most interesting bands out there right now; it's hard to predict where they'll go from here, but we can be assured they threw away the map.
Gallows releases tomorrow, while I Bet On Sky and Mirage Rock arrive September 18.
Stream Gallows here, courtesy NME.
Being a hardcore band brings with it enough closed-minded pressure; being a hardcore band that got successful and then switched singers is a whole 'nother thing.
Gallows' self-titled album is the first with new mic-man Wade McNeil who, if you're up on your early 21st century Canadiana, is an ex-member of Alexisonfire. He lacks Frank Turner's snotty British drawl, but makes up for it with Canuck lumberjack brawl.
Gallows doesn't build on the concepts of Grey Britain, nor does it have the same level of intensity and danger. Instead, Gallows burn everything you've come to expect to the ground and then heave jugs of gasoline.
I still marvel at Dinosaur Jr.'s 2005 comeback Beyond, because you could tell that money and stature had nothing to do with it; it was the product of a band that missed making music together, so they got back together. The result was not just a good album, but one of the best of the band's career.
Next week, they return with I Bet On Sky, the third album to come out of the band's second coming, and it does nothing to make one wish they'd stayed away. It's a bit more mid-tempo than you might be used to, but it still packs plenty of fuzz and a mountain of chops.
Is there a band that's continuously built up a legacy as quietly as Band of Horses? After a pair of indie-leaning SubPop albums, the unassuming Seattle-based lite-rockers caught the ear of Columbia Records, who distributed Infinite Arms in 2010. That album is notable for Laredo, a moderate hit that marked a sea change in the band's music from the indie dirges of the past and showed a band unafraid to pick up the tempo (and won my personal Song of the Year honours that year).
Knock Knock, the first single from Mirage Rock, takes it a step further; it maintains the charm and melodic flair but also happens to rock pretty hard. The rest of Mirage Rock is a bit of a grab-bag tempo-wise, with a fair share of slower fare on display.
Probably the most striking thing about Mirage Rock is the seemingly sudden influence of 70's AM radio; Some of the harmonies absolutely scream America (not Americana, the band America); it's a surprisingly good look for the band, who ride these peaceful easy feelings through about half of the record. It's not overbearingly dad-rocky (think Wilco's Sky Blue Sky), and there's enough variety here to make it a consistently entertaining listen. Plus, it cements Band of Horses as one of the most interesting bands out there right now; it's hard to predict where they'll go from here, but we can be assured they threw away the map.
Gallows releases tomorrow, while I Bet On Sky and Mirage Rock arrive September 18.
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