Articles tagged: Critical Voices

Leisure

Critical Voices: Lake Street Dive, Side Pony

If there’s one word to describe Side Pony, it’s different. On the cusp of mainstream success, Lake Street Dive has refused to repeat themselves and this record takes their sound... Read more

By February 23, 2016

Leisure

Critical Voices: Porches, Pool

Indie artists have increasingly incorporated synth pop vibes and unrefined vocals into their sound. On the surface, Porches, a NYC-based band spearheaded by couple Aaron Maine and Greta Kline, appears... Read more

By February 10, 2016

Leisure

Critical Voices: Elton John, Wonderful Crazy Night

Friday saw the release of Elton John’s thirty-third studio album. Wonderful Crazy Night is his first since 2013 and the first to enlist the Elton John Band (guitarist Davey Johnstone,... Read more

By February 8, 2016

Leisure

Critical Voices: Sia, This is Acting

“Everyone in entertainment is insecure. We’ve been dancing our entire lives for your approval,” commented Australian singer-songwriter, Sia. With the release of her 7th album, This is Acting, Sia dances... Read more

By February 8, 2016

Leisure

Critical Voices: Wet, Don’t You

Synth indie pop has been an increasingly popular genre, and indie groups and mainstream artists alike seem to have increased R&B influences in their music. Rising music trio Wet offers... Read more

By February 1, 2016

Leisure

Critical Voices: Ty Segall, Emotional Mugger

Ty Segall just can’t stop making music. Emotional Mugger, his latest release (from Drag City Records), is his ninth studio album in as many years, not to mention the numerous... Read more

By January 31, 2016

Halftime Leisure

Critical Voices: Drake, If You’re Reading This It’s Too Late

2pac released All Eyez on Me after his first big break. Biggie dropped Ready to Die after a round of first hit singles. Successful rappers, much like Han Dynasty emperors,... Read more

By February 17, 2015

Halftime Leisure

Critical Voices: The Decemberists, What A Terrible World, What A Beautiful World

There are few bands that can be compared to R.E.M., the Smiths, and Neil Young through the lense of folk music. The Decemberists have released a number of hit songs... Read more

By January 28, 2015

Halftime Leisure

Critical Voices: Phony Ppl, Yesterday’s Tomorrow

Phony Ppl has made a name for itself in the New York music scene, and through a strong social media influence and a unique aesthetic, the band continues to widen... Read more

By January 26, 2015

Halftime Leisure

Critical Voices: Låpsley, Understudy

There’s something fascinating about individuals who find what speaks to them—what they intend to devote their life’s time and energies to—at a young age. 18 year-old Holly Lapsley Fletcher, the... Read more

By January 13, 2015

Halftime Leisure

Critical Voices: The Memories, Hot Afternoon

The Memories’ Hot Afternoon could not have been more appropriately named. After three self-produced albums from the Portland-based band, Hot Afternoon, their first studio album, contains exactly the kind of... Read more

By December 4, 2014

Halftime Leisure

Critical Voices: Haerts, Haerts

In their self-titled freshman album, Haerts crashes 80’s new wave into modern synth sound. However, this crash often comes with the calamity of too many genre-bending, mottled tracks. The majority... Read more

By November 7, 2014

Halftime Leisure

Critical Voices: Damien RIce, My Favourite Faded Fantasy

My Favuorite Faded Fantasy, Damien Rice’s third album, is a refreshing, introspective twist on Rice’s usual, breathy laments on love and heartbreak. His first album since his move to Iceland,... Read more

By November 6, 2014

Halftime Leisure

Critical Voices: Cold War Kids, Hold My Home

About a year and a half ago, I went to a Cold War Kids concert with some of my friends. In one of the band’s most popular songs, “Hang Me... Read more

By November 3, 2014

Halftime Leisure

Critical Voices: Billy Idol, Kings and Queens of the Underground

Famous for his signature lip snarl, sexual innuendo-ridden songs, and a seemingly endless leather wardrobe, Billy Idol is at it again with his latest album, Kings & Queens of the... Read more

By October 27, 2014

Halftime Leisure

Critical Voices: Hozier, Hozier

As Julius Caesar once said, “experience is the teacher of all things.” No sentiment could ring more true than this in explaining the skill with which Irish singer-songwriter Andrew Hozier... Read more

By October 9, 2014

Halftime Leisure

Critical Voices: Generationals, Alix

Any band foraying into the realm of indie-pop can attest to the difficulties that this genre presents. Trying to create a catchy, high-energy sound without coming across as empty and... Read more

By September 19, 2014

Halftime Leisure

Critical Voices: Tweedy, Sukierae

Sukierae, father-son duo Jeff and Spencer Tweedy’s first album, plays like a twenty track long jam session, with all the good and bad that implies. The duo, going by the... Read more

By September 18, 2014

Halftime Leisure

Critical Voices: Maroon 5, V

Most every person walking around this campus has at least heard of the band Maroon 5, but only avid fans know that this wildly successful pop band actually found its... Read more

By September 4, 2014

Halftime Leisure

Critical Voices: In the Valley Below, The Belt

It is finally here. After over a year since the release of their debut single “Peaches,” duo band In the Valley Below has released their first official LP titled, The... Read more

By September 3, 2014