teddybear – The Story of “Nevermind”
The first time I heard a teddybear song, I didn’t know what I was listening to. Those connections you make when you hear a familiar sound (like “this is so Michael Jackson,” or “you can tell they ripped off Jack White”) just weren’t coming through. Instead I found myself juggling so many unrelated names—Drake, Bob […]
How “Meant to Be” Uses Slant Rhymes
Meant to Be, by Florida Georgia Line and Bebe Rexha, has been burning up radio air time this year. If you listen to country stations, you’re probably tired of it. If you listen to pop stations, you’re probably tired of it. If you’re like me, and you listen to country stations and pop stations, you’re […]
Zawe’s “Forget” Is Audio Self-Care At Its Finest
Everyone has a story about discovering a song at exactly the right time. Maybe it was the break-up song playing on the radio as you said goodbye to someone for the last time, maybe it came on in the car as you drove home from the hospital with a new baby in the backseat, maybe […]
Will Dailey – The Story of Golden Walker
For singer-songwriter and Boston native Will Dailey, inspiration can be found in the most mundane of experiences — or a once-in-a-lifetime encounter with a sculptor in a tiny village in France. “All the gold is being taken from our world,” the sculptor told Dailey after hearing his performance. “They take it all to use in […]
The Power of Damien McFly’s “Leap”
Put your good headphones on. Get your car stereo ready. Drink a warm cup of tea and prepare to shout. A good, get-totally-lost-in-yourself, hearty rock song is tough to come by, but if you’re in the market for one, you need to listen to Damien McFly’s “Leap”. Not quite retro nor super-modern, the song builds […]
Kris Gruen’s “Coming Down Around Me” is a Necessary Self-Reflection for All of Us
You peer into the world portrayed in “Coming Down Around Me” like you would look into a snow globe, curiously, eagerly, but also carefully, your hand’s stilled and breath held after the initial shake, taking in the scene in front of you, not wanting to disturb it. The snow globe Kris Gruen has created holds […]
The Slowburn Summer Vibes Of Amongster’s Brother
Doing any one genre well is hard, but blending them? That’s even harder. Done well, and different styles and influences meld so seamlessly that you can’t tell where one ends and the next begins, do it badly and a melting pot becomes a maelstrom. Amongster has the balance down perfectly, and that expert touch comes […]
Deaf Poets Challenge Social Constructs and Have a Good Time on Change and Bloom
My initial reaction upon seeing (and hearing) the Miami-born, Brooklyn-based Deaf Poets? How can they possibly make this much noise? But for singer-guitarist Sean Wouters and drummer Nico Espinosa, making noise comes almost too naturally. A tantalizing amalgamation of 70s psychedelia, 80s belligerence, and 90s grunge-chic, the most appealing aspect of Deaf Poets’ sound is […]
Future Thieves – The Story of “Dark Spin”
Sometimes you just want to try something new. Get away from everything you know, everything that’s safe, and see what comes out of it—see who you become when you’re left to be your most outrageous, risky, creative self. That’s what Future Thieves does whenever the alternative rock band comes together to make music. They challenge […]
Alex Francis Feels “Free,” and You Will, Too
Part indie-pop, part rock n roll, part 70s soul, Alex Francis’s “Free” is the defiant, upbeat, inspirational song you’ve been looking for this summer. But this doesn’t have to be just your summer song. It’s got a little bit of every season—warm acoustic guitars, cool funky bass lines, sweet springy doo-wop-ish vocals. It’s bound to […]
