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(11/01/17 4:30am)
Japandroids is a band that has always had one question in mind — how much noise can one guitar and one drumset make? This rock ‘n’ roll duo from Vancouver, Canada, has never thrived off of sophisticated song structures or elaborate stage presences. Instead, it’s just guitarist and vocalist Brian King forcefully strumming his way through some guitar chords while drummer David Prowse wails away on his drumkit. It’s the kind of drunken rock ‘n’ roll that could fall apart at any moment, but the songs barely get by without becoming unhinged. This is the type of lightning you can’t quite capture in the bottle of a studio record. Thankfully, Japandroids rolled through Charlottesville Saturday night to remind the audience how much kinetic energy two guys can bring to the stage.
(09/01/17 3:06am)
Fans have been clamoring to make this pun for eight years, but there’s finally a brand new Brand New album. After years of promises, delays, silences and a self-imposed deadline to disband by 2018, it felt unlikely a new album would ever appear. This swiftly changed with a 24-hour flurry of activity when limited-edition vinyl pre-orders went up online. The next day, those lucky few who pre-ordered received a plain disc in the mail with a single 62-minute track. Streams went up on Facebook. Hours later, the entire thing was online for digital purchase. Brand New had silently dropped “Science Fiction,” their bombshell of a potential career-ender, over the course of a single day.
(04/13/17 5:30am)
Lucy Dacus is quickly becoming Richmond’s foremost rising music star. After releasing her debut album “No Burden” last year, followed by her decision to sign to Matador Records, she’s gained national recognition. “No Burden” ended up on more than one publication’s “Best Of” lists, while “I Don’t Wanna Be Funny Anymore” is sitting at nearly 2.5 million plays on Spotify alone. Despite all of the newfound fame, her show Saturday at The Southern was an intimate and down-to-earth affair.
(03/20/17 6:26am)
Back in 1986, the original “Legend of Zelda” plopped Link down on a screen without a weapon to his name and with an entire world to explore. This freedom to explore a massive overworld from the outset made the game revolutionary. Areas, dungeons and secrets could be completed in (mostly) any order, giving the player full reign over his or her sense of adventure.
(03/10/17 1:00am)
After playing Wolverine for 17 years, Hugh Jackman is finally pulling out of his signature role. “Logan” allows the iconic character to depart with a bang while delivering a dark and gratifying look at his inner struggles. Rather than setting up a massive epic of good versus evil à la “The Avengers,” “Logan” works best as a character study. In turn, it’s the perfect send-off to viewers favorite brooding clawed figure.
(01/25/17 3:32am)
How much noise can one guitarist and one drummer make? This question has guided Brian King and David Prowse of Japandroids from their early lo-fi days to their current status as one of the best rock ‘n’ roll groups around. Four and a half years following their critically-acclaimed sophomore album “Celebration Rock,” Japandroids finally returned with “Near to the Wild Heart of Life,” once again proving they are one of the most underappreciated groups in the industry.
(11/11/16 2:13am)
“Near to the Wild Heart of Life” perfectly captures a restless vivacity of youth, overflowing with energy and pleas to live passionately and recklessly.
(11/03/16 2:22am)
Years ago, when they were just starting out, the Avett Brothers consisted of an acoustic guitar, a banjo, some upright bass and a healthy dose of southern charm. Today those ingredients are still present, but they’re also surrounded by orchestral moments, drums, fiddles, keyboards, electric guitars and a larger-than-life sound.
(10/24/16 2:51am)
Jeff Rosenstock has been singing about the same problems for a while now. Both his former band Bomb the Music Industry! and his last solo album “We Cool?” explored depression, listlessness and watching others grow up without you. “WORRY.” acts as both an anthology and an evolution for Rosenstock’s music. It encompasses all the punk and ska music of his career while ambitiously tackling the modern age moving past him.
(10/20/16 1:01am)
Oh Wonder is a pleasant studio band. They’re not innovators, they’re not viscerally emotional and they’re not immediately attention-grabbing, but their self-titled debut is a fun electronic pop album to throw on in the background. Their hooks are strong enough to overcome their repetitive songwriting, and the harmonies of Josephine Vander Gucht and Anthony West are subdued yet meaningful.
(10/05/16 1:20am)
Regina Spektor albums manage to feel like a best friend after just a few listens. Emerging from New York’s anti-folk movement in the early 2000s, Spektor broke through the mainstream with her quirky turns of phrase, direct and genuine lyrics and gorgeous piano tracks with orchestral backings. She overflows with personality and honesty, which together make it hard not to smile listening to her, even in her darkest moments.
(09/09/16 2:56am)
“Intern” is the most misleading single Angel Olsen could have dropped. Completely ditching the lo-fi indie folk sound of past albums like “Burn Your Fire for No Witness,” listeners were instead greeted with slow and dreamy synths which seemed more fit for a dream pop act. Everything worked out for the naysayers: “Intern” is a great single and is a perfect opener for “My Woman,” but it also sounds absolutely nothing like the rest of the album.
(08/30/16 11:45pm)
Bewilderingly, Carly Rae Jepsen wrote one of the best pop albums of 2015 with “Emotion.” Although her 2011 hit “Call Me Maybe” was a fine pop song and deservedly went viral, it did not indicate a serious star in the making. “Emotion,” on the other hand, blew away those who bothered to listen. Borrowing heavily from ’80s pop music, “Emotion” perfected the pop formula, delivering killer track after killer track for 54 minutes. According to an April interview with Radio.com, Jepsen reportedly wrote 250 songs in the process, eight of which are now available in the album “Emotion: Side B.”
(08/25/16 12:21am)
Despite being the most popular metal band in the world, Metallica has been alienating its fans for decades. After the critically acclaimed “Black Album” broke into the mainstream in 1991, the band fell into a controversial decline with the streamlined “Load” and “Reload” and the abysmally produced “St. Anger.”
(08/23/16 11:17pm)
Graceful harp opening? Check. Slowly building orchestral arrangements? Check. Pounding percussion driving the track? Check. Larger-than-life chorus from one-woman powerhouse Florence Welch? Check.
(05/31/16 4:12am)
“Strangers” sees a dramatic musical shift for Marissa Nadler. Rather than the acoustic folk settings of her previous LP “July,” Nadler has expanded her musical repertoire to the point where it’s barely recognizable as folk.
(05/19/16 1:51am)
In 2013, Haken’s third album, “The Mountain,” established the group as giants in the modern progressive metal scene. The album’s creative a cappella vocal parts, culled from cult prog classic Gentle Giant, gave cuts like “Cockroach King” which, nearly three years later, still sound entirely unique within the scene. Doubters who had previously called them Dream Theater clones were promptly shut down by the vocals, the quirky jazz sensibilities and an overwhelming sense of heart and emotion, which often lack in the sterile genre of prog metal.
(04/14/16 1:45am)
“The Legend of Zelda: Symphony of the Goddesses” made a stop at John Paul Jones Arena last week. The show was spectacular, featuring a fully-fledged symphony and choir performing some of the greatest pieces from the iconic video game series. Alongside the symphony was a video presentation of famous scenes in the series, effortlessly weaving the music and the game footage to retell entire narratives. From the feeling of adventure one might feel sailing across the sea in Wind Waker, to the mysticism of the creation story in Ocarina of Time, to the unsettling atmosphere in Majora’s Mask, the entire presentation evoked the range of emotions players feel during these games.
(03/09/16 4:59am)
Patrick Stickles is not a very happy man. Having fronted Titus Andronicus since 2005, almost every lyric he’s penned for the band has reveled in self-loathing and hatred of both the people around him and humanity at large.
(02/26/16 2:39am)
It’s hard to put The Jezabels in a box. They simply cover too much ground with their melding of indie rock and synthpop while also taking an unorthodox approach to vocals. The Jezabels have carved an identity of their own, and “Synthia” is the fullest realization of their sound.