[Music Review] Kate Miller-Heidke “Curiouser”

kate_miller-heidke_curiouserA lot of people have a sour taste in their mouth when it comes to Pop Music. They think it’s all supposed to be sugary lyrics paired together with subpar music and a pretty face, and to a degree that is the case. The music industry gets behind acts of solo artists who are attractive and produce inoffensive music. The problem is, that music is pretty offensive to people with ears, who have to listen to it repeatedly on every freaking radio station within a 2,000 mile radius.

But there are bands/performers on pop music stations that don’t suck. My No. 1 example is always Justin Timberlake. That guy is freaking money. But for every Timberlake we get five Soulja Boy’s  and their music pollutes our eardrums. Continue reading

[Casual Anniversary Celebration] The Day I Met Jeff Mangum

One year ago, this happened:

To clarify, I did not experience the happenings of the video above in person. I did however experience the same performer performing the same song in the same fashion in Bloomington, Indiana the following night. Unfortunately, the performance I witnessed first hand was never made readily available on any internet site I have come across. But enough semantics, it’s time to get into why the contents of this video are so important. Continue reading

[Music Review] The Flaming Lips “Embryonic”

the-flaming-lips.embryonicI wish a younger version of myself had been more in tune with the wonderful music that has always been around during my 24 years on this Earth, rather than just being force fed whatever bubble gum garbage was on the radio, whatever Classic Rock music was deemed good enough to still be popular, or whatever flavor of the month Rap Star was clever enough to come up with some catchy hook. I wish a younger me had discovered bands like The Flaming Lips.

For those uninitiated, The Flaming Lips are a psychedelic and spacey American rock band from Oklahoma City. They produce what can be classified as bizarre rock tunes, and when listening to them I can hardly believe they aren’t mega-Gods here in their home country (they’ve achieved much more notoriety overseas.) Continue reading

[Music Review] Kid Cudi “Man On The Moon: The End Of Day”

Overview:

It’s a very rare occasion when I sit down and listen to an album several times through the way I did with Kid Cudi’s most recent CD. I usually find that I like one song from an album, and don’t really care much for the other tracks. However, after spending many hours listening to “Man On The Moon” I find myself deeply impressed by the album’s well made beats, intriguing lyrics, and creative concept. Continue reading

[Concert Review] I Fight Dragons, Whole Wheat Bread, and MC Chris Live in Bloomington, IN

rhinosRhino’s was the place to be Monday night with  a thirteen dollar triple threat consisting of Chicago’s premiere Nintendo centric rock band, I Fight Dragons, Jacksonville Florida’s own dirty south punk band Whole Wheat Bread, and the nerdcore giant MC Chris!

We arrived at 7:30, the doors opened at 7:00, and the first band took the stage at 8:00, giving a good deal of time to meander around, check merch out and scope the local crowd. As eight approached, the stage was flooded with NES controllers, dance pads and a group of guys (and girls) wearing Justice League shirts. The group in question was I Fight Dragons, the Chicago based band with a pension for all things Nintendo and DC Comics. Continue reading

[Music Review] The Mars Volta “The Bedlam in Goliath”

Overview:

Most frequent Everyviewers may remember Clay’s review on the progressive rock band The Mars Volta’s newest album Octahedron. Well today, in the shadow of Halloween and with T.V. channels beginning their brutal rape of any and all things scary, I will be reviewing an album based on ghosts, Quija boards, and the afterlife. The album in question is the Volta’s fourth, and my personal favorite, The Bedlam in Goliath. Continue reading

[Concert Review] Ben Folds: Live in Bloomington, IN

I know I tend to get over excited after I’ve seen a live show, and I come out gushing about how truly bad ass the show actually was to the poor bastards who couldn’t or didn’t want to go. Last night, filing out of the IU Auditorium, I again felt this bonery affection having watched the amazing Ben Folds.

I’ve been a fan of his since before I had pubes, and that my friends, was a long, long time ago. At that time, I was a fan of his band Ben Folds Five, and then once he went solo, I followed him there as well. This show was for fans just like me, who have heard all his songs and loved his music during our awkward and formative middle school careers. Continue reading

[Concert Review] Kings of Leon: Live at Verizon Wireless in Noblesville, IN

You might be asking yourself, “A Kings of Leon concert? Really?”

Yes, really. I’m a big fan of their’s, and just because they happen to have a song on pop music stations now doesn’t really bother me. I don’t see them as a band who sold out (yet). Sure, they could eventually hit Nickelback or Kid Rock status at some point, but I doubt that ever happens. They have a distinctive sound, and I dig it.

Anyhoo, I headed up to Noblesville, Indiana to catch the show with my girlfriend and a couple friends. First of all, it had been a few years since I’d been up there for a show (2005, I believe), and I was very excited to see the area around the amphitheater has undergone a massive face lift in those years and that traffic was not suicide inducing (at least, not on the way in. More on that later). Continue reading

[Retro Review] New Radicals “Maybe You’ve Been Brainwashed Too”

newradicalsmaybeyouvebeenbrainwashedtooLet’s face it. There are always going to be bands who hit the airwaves with a catchy tune, and then fade as if they never existed in the first place. These types of acts are a dime for twelve (is that how it goes?)

In the mid to late 90s, there were a shocking amount of these bands on radio stations all over the nation. Every week, it seemed, there was another catchy tune, only to be replaced by two more the next week. The airwaves were literally jam packed with tunes that were fun, harmless, and actually, pretty damn good. Continue reading

[Music Review] The Decemberists “The Hazards of Love”

the_decemberists_-_the_hazards_of_loveOpening:

The Decemberists, yet another of my more recent musical discoveries, released “The Hazards of Love” earlier this year, and having just been turned on to them, I just checked it out. “Wow” is the quickest way to describe this album.

There aren’t a ton of young bands out there who could produce a concept album like this and have it not suck. Listening to it the first time around, I was completely blown away by the structure of the album. It’s not just a collection of songs, it’s actually written in such a way that there is a story within the album. This is Pink Floyd kind of shit, and to say The Decemberists have hit a home run here would be an understatement. There isn’t a hit in baseball that describes this album.

Continue reading