The War On Drugs

Hello once again,

Once I stumbled upon The War on Drugs and frontman Kurt Vile's solo work, I immediately became obsessed with their indie psychadelic rock sound that is always one of my favorites. Kurt Vile successfully brings the sound of "real rock" back and puts his own twist that creates a sound reminiscent of Tom Petty and Bruce Springsteen with a more dreamy and relaxed sound. Vile's solo work such as "Hey Now I'm Movin'" also incorporates some Bob Dylan-like harmonica as well. The Philadelphia-based band has already toured with Neil Young and Sonic Youth and Kim Gordon of Sonic Youth has admitted to "listening to Kurt Vile's latest CD, 'Child Prodigy'...too much." Pitchfork has also given their first EP a 7.4 and it has garnered a decent amount of critical claim in the indie music scene.

My personal favorite is "Comin' Through" which was leaked a few months back and is now on their new album, "Future Weather", which came out on October 25th. "Brothers" and "Baby Missiles" also stand out from the rest of the stellar album that was released by Secretly Canadian, the record label that also released albums for Animal Collective, Yeasayer, and Jens Lekman. The neo-psychadelic, acoustic vibes of The War on Drugs produce a unique sound that givea me hope that true rock music is still alive and Kurt Vile is able to bring out the inner hippy in all of us.

Stay golden,

Brian

Brian Eno Interview

Hello everyone,

Being that Brian Eno is one of my favorite musicians/producers/people of all time, this is pretty damn amazing. New reviews to come soon, but for the mean time, watch this hilarious interview.

Stay golden,

Brian Farrell

SIDEWALKS

Hello all,

I have been counting down until the release of "Sidewalks" since I can't even remember now. After missing out on their listening party before their show in LA a month ago, I was blown away by their live performance and integration of their own versions of songs like "Better Off Alone" and "Just a Friend." The show even ended with Kim dancing on top of the crowd to Major Lazer's "Pon De Floor." Overall, it was a heartwarming performance by two people who love what they do and truly appreciate their fan base as well.

I immediately fell in love with "Cameras" when it was released back in August but it was hard for me to accept the fact that Matt and Kim's sound had progressed and matured and become a little more commercial. Sidewalks carries the more "universal" sound that Matt Johnson spoke about a while back in Spin Magazine and the fact that they chose Gnarls Barkley producer Ben Allen. This album has a much more mature and polished sound which may sound atypical compared to their past albums. The new album will propel Matt and Kim to even more stardom but they've lost the raw sound and their music has become almost over-produced.

Other than "Cameras," songs like "Block After Block" and "Good for Great" will look to be the most popular, complete with catchy drum beats and synth hooks. The album also includes a refined recording of "Silver Tiles," one of my past favorites from their recorded live set at Lollapalooza in 2007. But once again, Matt and Kim have released another album with possibly side effects that may include euphoria, uncontrollable smiling, and constant foot tapping and air drumming.

Stay golden, Brian Farrell