Regina Spektor is quite the talented woman. She uses her voice in ways I’ve never heard anyone else before—it’s hard to describe. Her voice and her music are flexible. Her music can reach people of all ages; she’s one of my favorites, but my parents enjoy her music as well. She is an eloquent, upbeat singer-songwriter-pianist, and her fifth full-length album, entitled Far, was released this Tuesday.
June 29, 2009
June 14, 2009
Spotlight’s On….Good Old War!
L-R: Keith Goodwin, Dan Schwartz, Tim Arnold.
Today, a friend asked me, “Was there any song that, the first time you listened to it, changed your life?”
April 27, 2009
Laura Marling, Laura Marling; Music’s Newest Darling?
Laura Marling.
By: Kirstie Millar
Laura Marling, Laura Marling…what can I say about Laura Marling? I could say a lot about Laura Marling, to be perfectly honest with you. I could write for days and days about this girl. Her album Alas, I Cannot Swim, is, to put it simply, mindblowing. (more…)
April 12, 2009
Some Lessons from the (Older) School of Rock
Bands like The Vibrators are few and far between. One of the very first original UK punk bands, The Vibrators have continued to tour almost constantly since they formed in 1976 and have survived multiple line-up changes. Seeing these punk veterans live is a guaranteed good time and it’s pretty much impossible not to dance to their fun, upbeat music. Keep your eye on their MySpace page for their upcoming tour schedule. They’ll be tearing up Europe with the UK Subs during the beginning of 2009 before heading over to the U.S. in April and May.
I met with Ian “Knox” Carnochan, a founding member and The Vibrator’s lead singer/guitarist, to talk about the band, the punk scene, his affinity for art and the possible end of the world.
April 11, 2009
An Interview With Death Crazed Teenage Superheroes
The last thing you’d think about when you hear of a band name like Death Crazed Teenage Superheroes is this motley, independent crew. Staunchly DIY in their musical approach, Chris Splain (guitar, vocals), Brendan Gauntner (bass, vocals), and Dennis Thomas (drums, vocals) possess a tremendous amount of energy guaranteed to start riots on any cramped stage and in any needlessly large ampitheater. They quelled their spirits long enough to give us a few words.
Family Force 5 are in my Top 8!
Family Force Five - Giving 'fierce' a whole new meaning.
What do you get when you combine Christian crunk music, silver hulk gloves and a passionate love for mullets? A nice heaping dose of Family Force 5, that’s what. (more…)
An Interview With The Likely Lads
The Likely Lads have a dominating concert presence.
Pleasing Mary Poppins may not on the top of the list for The Likely Lads (their myspace headline even says so), but I think making brilliant music just might be. Hailing from Birmingham England, The Likely Lads are able to create an interesting indie/garage sound that often goes amiss today. It’s easy for talented bands to be lost amongst the hordes unoriginal pop-punk and indie want-to-be’s, but I think the Likely Lads might just be able to stand out from the crowd. With influences ranging from Oasis to Dance Gavin Dance, The Likely Lads are capable of creating good music and here at pseudononymous, we like that sort of thing. If you also like that sort of thing, then read on because in an interview with Christie, one of the band members, we managed to talk about Halloween costumes, live performances and the future for The Likely Lads. Who knows what type of trouble we’ll manage to get ourselves into?
Best Albums of 2007 — Diana’s Pick
10. RIOT! – Paramore To all of those who know me, you know that I went on a rant about this album for straight days. Personally, I feel as if Paramore’s lyrics went from amazing to shit when this album came out. The music only sounds better because the album was produced by a better producer who’s been in the game for God knows how long. I mean, David Bendeth? C’mon, he produced a Hawthorne Heights album (R.I.P. Casey Calvert <3). It was poppy, MTV-ready, and just really mediocre. That isn’t to say I didn’t like it, though, I guess. I’ll be the first to admit that even as an elitist, this album hooked me from the beginning. I find myself humming songs like “crushcrushcrush” and “Fences” but that’s only because IT’S SO GODDAMN CATCHY. Even though it’s not Paramore’s best work, I feel it belongs on my top 10 for 2007 simply because it really did make a difference in my life this year… in some way. (more…)Spotlight’s On…Pinback!
The members of Pinback.
Their lyrics are so, so deceptively simple. It’s good to see you / It’s good to see you go, Pinback everythingmen Rob Crow and Zach Smith croon. That is the chorus, in its entirety, of the first single off of Pinback’s new album Autumn of the Seraphs ‘Good to Sea’. The song begins with a poignant, easily memorable tune (that I’ve been humming nonstop, much to the annoyance of many) and carries through with Pinback’s effortless style and flow. (more…)
Spotlight’s On…Born Ruffians!
Possibly the single greatest (or just most entertaining) band alive.
I got into Born Ruffians from — wait, you’ll never guess it — the British made-for-teens channel E4 drama, Skins. On a side note, that show is the most amazing thing to come about since Moses parted the masses. It does the same thing! I have a crush on half the cast (girls included)! (more…)
