Author Archives: Graham von Oehsen

[Indie Rock] Portugal. The Man – Purple Yellow Red and Blue

Posted by Graham von Oehsen - April 18, 2013

Portugal. The Man
Purple Yellow Red and Blue

Portugal. The Man has followed up their first single, “Evil Friends“, with a second single that demonstrates a very different musical direction. As opposed to the garage rock style found in “Evil Friends”, “Purple Yellow Red and Blue” shows off a more electronic side of PTM. Coupled with a heavy drum beat and typical falsetto vocals, this makes for a very appealing track and shows the versatility this band has. Every indication points to Evil Friends being a great album, but we’ll just have to wait until June 4th to find out.

Alternative/Rock

Posted by Graham von Oehsen - March 18, 2013

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Portugal. The Man
Evil Friends

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Portugal. The Man has returned to the music scene with two things: a brand new single and Danger Mouse as the producer for their upcoming … Continue reading »

Alternative/Rock

[Alternative Rock] The Strokes – All The Time

Posted by Graham von Oehsen - February 25, 2013

Along with the announcement of their new album Comedown Machine, The Strokes have dropped their second single, entitled “All the Time”. In this song, The Strokes go back to their roots. They leave behind the synths from “One Way Trigger” in favor of the much more familiar electric guitar riffs they’ve been known for since the beginning. After two singles, it sounds like the new album will be a good one.

Comedown Machine is due out on March 26, 2013 on RCA Records.

’The Strokes – All The Time’

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Alternative/Rock

[Alternative Rock] The Strokes – One Way Trigger

Posted by Graham von Oehsen - January 28, 2013

After a nearly two year hiatus The Strokes are back in the studio working on new material. A couple of days ago, they released the single “One Way Trigger” along with the message, “more to come…” Hopefully this means they are well on their way to releasing a new album, but nothing has been confirmed. On the new track, Julian Casablancas opens up his vocal range to falsetto over a synthesized melody. While this is different than anything they have done before, it still manages to sound like a Strokes song. If this is the first single from an upcoming LP, it sounds like we can expect another great record, per usual, from The Strokes. You can listen to “One Way Trigger” below and download it for free from their website here.

’The Strokes – One Way Trigger’

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Alternative/Rock

[Folk] Josh Ritter – Joy To You Baby

Posted by Graham von Oehsen - December 21, 2012

Josh Ritter is back! The tireless singer-songwriter announced his seventh studio album, entitled The Beast in Its Tracks, due out in early 2013. Along with this announcement came the release of the album’s first single, “Joy to You Baby”. On this track he takes a simple melody and uses it to showcase his beautiful songwriting ability. He builds the song with acoustic strumming and finishes it off with a touch of electric guitar and a quiet drum beat. Despite the cheerful chords, the lyrics give off a sad and wistful vibe. Yet, they come to a close with a little bit of hope. Once again, Ritter has crafted a wonderful song, which you should definitely check out below.

’Joy To You Baby’

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The single “Joy to You Baby” is available now, and look for The Beast in Its Tracks out on March 5th.

Folk

[Folk Rock] The Amazing – Gentle Stream (Album Review)

Posted by Graham von Oehsen - November 13, 2012

The Amazing, a band hailing from Stockholm, Sweden is tough to categorize. Their sound places them somewhere between a folk band and a jam band, producing an all-together unique sound. Interwoven guitars create beautiful melodies, punctuated by horns and wind instruments, and anchored with masterful drumming. The vocals drift effortlessly through each track, complementing the instruments perfectly. While The Amazing’s songs seem to draw from folk music, they are almost certainly a jam band. Out of the nine tracks on their album, Gentle Stream, five of them are six-plus minutes long. “Gentle Stream,” the title track of the album, which you can listen to below, is a perfect example. At just over seven minutes in length, the song steadily builds to a melodic crescendo of electric guitars, horns, and drums.

While The Amazing may not produce songs that instantly draw you in with catchy pop hooks and predictable melodies, they make a different kind of music, the kind that is crafted down to every detail to provide the best listening experience possible. So, give them a shot and allow yourself to be taken in to the world of The Amazing.

’The Amazing – Gentle Stream’

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Gentle Stream is out now via Partisan Records. Purchase it via iTunes.

[Indie Rock] A.C. Newman – Shut Down The Streets (Album Review)

Posted by Graham von Oehsen - October 15, 2012

A.C. Newman, maybe better known for his role as frontman of the alternative rock outfit The New Pornographers, has been making music long enough to know how to create an album with a distinct sound and infectious tunes. This is just what he does with his third solo studio effort, Shut Down The Streets. The album definitely draws its roots from folk music, but would by no means fit straight or strictly under the that genre. Newman creates his music using a wide variety of instruments including acoustic and electric guitar, banjo, horns, and even synthesizer, among others. Along with some harmonized vocals, he manages to bring together ten quality tracks.

The single from the album, “I’m Not Talking,” is one of the stand out tracks along with “Encyclopedia of Classic Take Downs,” and “Hostages,” each of which has a catchy, unique sound. You can listen to and download two of these below, stream the entire album for free here, and, if you enjoy it, purchase it here.

Shut Down The Streets is out now on Matador Records.

’A.C. Newman – Im Not Talking’

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’A.C. Newman – Encyclopedia Of Classic Takedowns’

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