The Menzingers have never been an ambitious band. There’s an inherent simplicity to their work, which has always felt by design. Even when the band was putting together its knottiest songs—found predominantly on its first two releases—it’s always been in the business of anthems.
You can get an idea of what Sampha sounds like by looking at a list of his previous collaborations: the production-focused pop of Jessie Ware, the forward-thinking R&B of Frank Ocean, the spry boom-bap of Drake and 40. You’ve heard his voice rise wryly on tracks by Kanye and both Knowles sisters, a rare trifecta of…
Amid the deaths of several rock notables last year was the loss of Surfer Blood guitarist Thomas Fekete, who died from a rare, aggressive stomach cancer at only 27 years old. As one might expect, struggling through that traumatic ordeal—and frontman John Paul Pitts’ mother being diagnosed with breast cancer as…
Every Friday, dozens of new records are released into the wild. Some make big splashes, and others sink almost immediately. For most music consumers, it’s almost too much information, and save for those precious few who spend their hours glued to review sites and release calendars, it’s hard to know what’s coming out…
Next to sex and death, there’s no more compelling subject for songwriters than the thing that happens in between those two endpoints on the cycle of life. Aging—and all the excitement, confusion, and existential dread that accompanies it—has long captivated the songwriter, whose work within a ruthlessly youth-focused…
Dan Goldin is an incredibly busy guy. Not only is he behind Exploding In Sound, an amazing record label that puts out adventurous music that skirts lines between post-hardcore, indie, and art-rock, but he also runs the blog Post-Trash, which features some of the best new music around. In December 2015, Post-Trash relea…
Migos’ “Bad And Boujee” was a sneak attack, creeping into our bloodstreams like a dosed vat of punch. Initially released in late October, it crept up on the world thanks in part to a rapidly matriculating meme about heading back into the club the second that the track comes on. This narrative—of “Bad And Boujee”…
In our short interview with Bear’s Den on A.V. Club Live, we asked the band three of our famous 11 Questions. In addition to learning the band’s favorite swear word, we got to learn what things they secretly enjoy and the worst advice they’ve ever been given. Check it out, and watch their performance video here.
While on paper Bear’s Den is a folk-rock band, its two albums—2014’s Islands and 2016’s Red Earth & Pouring Rain—take that sound to its raucous peak. Ahead of its sold-out show at Chicago’s Thalia Hall, the band dropped by to play some stripped-down versions of its songs. Watch this performance of “Dew On The Vine”…
Following in the footsteps of Atmosphere, P.O.S—the nom de plume of Stefon Alexander—was primed to be the next star to emerge from the Minneapolis hip-hop scene. Though he never broke out in the same way as Atmosphere, records like Audition and Never Better saw P.O.S. amass a loyal following across genres. Between givi…
It’s a phase that all aging indie rockers enter: years of breakthroughs that never were, fatigue of the fruitless treadmill of recording and touring, peers peeling off in droves to start careers and families—when is it worth stepping back from the dream for a little stability? The latest atop the mound of albums Fred…
This week’s question comes from A.V. Club contributor Becca James:
Since her early days as the drummer of P.S. Eliot, Allison Crutchfield has always been in great bands, even if she’s rarely gotten the recognition for it. After P.S. Eliot dissolved, her sister, Katie, took to making lo-fi solo recordings under the name Waxahatchee, quickly finding an audience—and critical approval—in…
Cloud Nothings has always felt like a perpetual work in progress. With each record, the Dylan Baldi-led group takes incremental steps forward, building on its influences—peach-fuzz power pop, scabrous post-hardcore, and furious punk aggression—and creating something more refined and confident. It’s no coincidence that…
Each Japandroids full-length has felt hard-won, not inevitable. The Vancouver duo intended to posthumously self-release its 2009 debut, Post-Nothing, but some label interest and online acclaim turned the album into a commencement, not a eulogy. Touring made writing a successor difficult, so the band released a few…
It’s the fourth Thursday of the month, which means it’s time for the latest installment in The A.V. Club’s Pickathon video series. This time around, we’ve got footage of The Oh Hellos playing “The Valley” on the Oregon festival’s Mt. Hood stage last year. It’s sweet and bouncy, and there appear to be about 15 people…
In Under The Influence, The A.V. Club asks a musician to pair three of their songs with a non-musical influence.
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Our friends from Kinja Deals are taking over Income Disposal. Commerce Content is independent of Editorial and Advertising, and if you buy something through our posts, The A.V. Club and Gizmodo Media Group may get a small share of the sale. Click here to learn more, and don’t forget to sign up for our email newsletter.…
We’re talking about Trump’s pre-inauguration ceremony featuring Toby Keith, 3 Doors Down, and all the other tremendous, amazing celebrities who answered the call and said, “Okay.” Does this mark American culture’s official transition into being the state fair of countries?
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