Bob Dylan sounds downtrodden. And it’s perfect. In his latest release Tempest the 71-year-old Dylan plays the worn, grizzled storyteller, recounting his life and the lives of others in his timeless voice. Dylan’s infamous rasp plods steadily through the album and betrays more raw emotion than most singers could dream of expressing.
You can take the beast out of the jungle, but you can’t take the jungle out of the beast. Until a few years ago, Animal Collective had the peculiar distinction of being the “strangest band alive,” due in no small part to the group’s psychedelic sensibility, radical sonic experimentation and blatant disregard for conventional conceptions of “music.” But in 2009 it looked like the band had ditched its odd routine in favor of the ethereal and accessible pop on Merriweather Post Pavilion, an acclaimed effort that earned the group a broader audience. While writing their next album, all four members of the band moved back to their hometown of Baltimore, Maryland, where as childhood friends they had originally begun playing music.
The xx emerged in 2009 with a captivating and clearly defined aesthetic. The band’s hushed, minimal love songs won accolades, including Britain’s Mercury Prize.
The beauty of the Avett Brothers is their approachability. You hit the chorus, and you can’t help but sing along.
First utilized by musicians of the 1940s and popularized by hip-hop artists of the 1970s and ‘80s, sampling was nothing new when Gregg Gillis became Girl Talk in 2002.
You can always recognize the bands that were bred on a strict diet of their parents’ vinyl. In 2009, when The Heavy released their breakout record House That Dirt Built, it was apparent that they were one of those bands.
Die-hard fans of certain musical artists are often wary of purchasing (or even perusing) a tribute album.
With no opening act needed, the Mickey Hart Band took the stage at the Jefferson Theater last Thursday to a roaring crowd.
In the age of Internet streaming, digital downloads and miniature attention spans, music as an art form has fallen by the wayside.
The Jefferson Theater Thursday welcomes The Mickey Hart Band, headed by former Grateful Dead drummer Mickey Hart.
R&B singer-songwriter Frank Ocean released his introspective debut album channel ORANGE July 10 to critical acclaim.
Passion Pit’s new album Gossamer , released on iTunes July 23, is the Massachusetts-based band’s best studio album to date.
The Jefferson Theater Thursday welcomes The Mickey Hart Band, headed by former Grateful Dead drummer Mickey Hart.
A sea of neon tanks, frayed clothing, bandana-clad foreheads and excited faces flooded the path from Grounds to the Downtown Mall Thursday evening.
The American music industry has not been kind to rock stars in the new millennium. Look no further than Maroon 5, who went from Songs About Jane to “Payphone” in seven years flat, to see that the most well-intentioned bands struggle in a world where candy-coated hooks out-chart blistering riffs every time.
