Interview: Michael Shepard of Lovedrug
Frontman Michael Shepard chats about Lovedrug’s progression on Wild Blood, the process of falling in love with music again, and staying off the beaten track without a record label.
Review: Fun. – Some Nights
Around the time The Format was about to release their final record Dog Problems, lead man Nate Ruess wrote a very lengthy and impassioned blog about not succumbing to the pressures from the big labels to tweak his band’s music to sell more singles. It resulted in a fantastic middle finger salute towards the industry (“The Compromise”) and Ruess gained heaps of praise and respect for his integrity.
So maybe that’s why fans will be initially shocked by Fun.’s second album (and Fueled by Ramen debut) Some Nights. But the more you listen to and dig into the album, the more you’ll realize that the manifesto that Ruess wrote nearly 6 years ago still rings true throughout. Ruess is still writing what he wants without any outside pressure, albeit this time it was something fans weren’t completely expecting.
Read More “Fun. – Some Nights”Review: The Menzingers – On the Impossible Past
I’ve been having a horrible time
Pulling myself together.
I’ve been closing my eyes to find
The old familiar failures.
I’ve been closing my eyes to find
Why all good things should fall apart.
So begins The Menzingersʼ latest record, the sweeping, driven, masterful On the Impossible Past. Those lyrics come from the opening (and essentially introductory) “Good Things,” a short song that starts calm before the guitars and vocals tumble into an avalanche of power. As we have come to expect from the band, which is following the phenomenal Chamberlain Waits, anthemic sing-alongs provide a vessel for thought-provoking lyrics.
Review: Eisley – Deep Space
After exorcising past demons and embracing new directions on their stellar 2011 release The Valley, Eisley decided to go back to their roots somewhat (while taking some of that new found edge on The Valley) on their brand new EP Deep Space. Recorded and produced by the band (along with engineer/mixer Andy Freeman) in their hometown of Tyler, Texas, the DuPree clan (Stacy, Sherri, Chauntelle, Garron, and Weston) were inspired by the works of sci-fi novelist Ray Bradbury and turned a five-song EP into a remarkable love story set in space that fully enraptures you.
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