Writing about music in lieu of human interaction
Digable Planets-Blowout Comb (1994, Pendulum Records) I bought Blowout Comb a while back because I wanted to be able to tout my cred as a “real” hip-hop fan, and I knew that Digable Planets were considered to be one of the best acts to come out of the 90s “jazz rap” scene. Ironically, I didn’t … Continue reading Digable Planets-Blowout Comb
James Lawrence Wolf and Raven Bauer Durham-The River And The Rain In It (2019, self-released) The other week, I wrote about “Building A Beehive,” a beautiful piece from seasoned Virginia multi-instrumentalists James Lawrence Wolf and Raven Bauer Durham. I managed to get in contact with Wolf himself last week, and he was kind enough to … Continue reading James Lawrence Wolf and Raven Bauer Durham-The River And The Rain In It
Bon Iver-22, A Million (2016, Jagjaguwar) I first listened to the music of Bon Iver (the project fronted by Justin Vernon) when “Woods”(off 2009’s Blood Bank EP) was recommended to me on an “iTunes Essentials” playlist (do those even exist anymore?) that featured songs with vocoder and autotune. I was attracted to the song’s densely … Continue reading Bon Iver-22, A Million
Japandroids-Celebration Rock (2012, Polyvinyl) I first heard Japandroids after their 2009 debut Post-Nothing was heavily plugged by Pitchfork (of course). Like most music I listen to, I first decided to give it a shot because I liked the band’s name. At that time, my ears were unaccustomed to the lo-fi sound, and my reaction was … Continue reading Japandroids-Celebration Rock
Lord Huron-Lonesome Dreams (2012, Iamsound) When I was a freshman in college (so spring of 2014, I guess), I pulled three all-nighters within the span of a week in order to study for finals. I had never experienced anything like it; I holed myself up in the basement of my shitty dorm for hours on … Continue reading Lord Huron-Lonesome Dreams
Band of Horses-Everything All the Time (2006, Sup Pop) Band of Horses first entered my consciousness when I watched the trailer for 127 Hours, the 2010 movie in which James Franco cuts off his own arm and some other stuff happens. “The Funeral” features heavily in the clip, and remains Band of Horse’s most well-known … Continue reading Band of Horses-Everything All the Time
The White Stripes-White Blood Cells (2001, Sympathy for the Record Industry) I first heard of the White Stripes when Weird Al Yankovic included sections from “Fell In Love With a Girl” in his “Angry White Boy Polka” medley on 2003’s Poodle Hat, which I owned before I owned White Blood Cells. I don’t quite remember … Continue reading The White Stripes-White Blood Cells
Bored In Pittsburgh 