Review: The Gaslight Album Bottles Instant Nostalgia On “Get Hurt”
–Written by Michael Hogan
Late in the summer of 2008, I was settling into my new apartment in Boston. I had just moved there, and I didn’t know many people yet, so most of my time was spent either walking around the city trying to get my bearings or sitting on my computer listening to music. One day, not long after I had moved in, my good friend from New Jersey messaged me on AIM with an album that I needed to check out immediately. This was something he’d do from time to time – and in fact still does – but this album was different than all the others; this album spoke to me immediately.
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Mix Review: Dieselboy Ups The Ante, Revs The Tempo With ” The Destroyer”
–Written by Michael Hogan
Does anyone remember the brostep dance? One hand on your crotch, the other in the air, waving up and down more or less to the beat as you lunged your whole upper body along with it? Yeah, I’m glad that didn’t really stick. 2010 was an interesting year for EDM though – things were really starting to pick up steam in America, with crowds growing from hundreds to thousands seemingly overnight. And as the crowds got bigger and more unmanageable, so did the music; bigger, louder, and often incomprehensible.
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Review: Branx Brings The Funk On Debut EP “Look But Don’t Touch”
–Written by Kevin Madert
When foraying into the ever widening future-funk landscape, it’s good to have two things: serious talent and serious friends. Branx (formerly DCarls) has more than enough of the former to not even need the latter, but it doesn’t hurt when everyone from Gramatik to Opiuo is singing your praises. Case in point: the producer’s debut EP under his current moniker, Look But Don’t Touch. Over five tracks he pilots the listener on a funk-fueled odyssey, often changing the tempo but never straying from the crisp basslines and shimmering synths that shape the album tonally.
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Review: Four Year Strong’s Career-Affirming “Go Down In History”
–Written by Michael Hogan
Every city has their hometown heroes – those bands they’re going to cheer on no matter where they go, be it the other side of the world or that shitty VFW down the street. They’re so meaningful to so many different people that the very idea of them brings a city together, rallying behind them in support of every show, every new album, every single.
When I lived in Boston, we were incredibly lucky to have a huge and diverse music scene. Everything from post-hardcore and metal to pop-punk and hardcore was equally represented. Hell, we can even lay claim to some extremely talented progressive and post-rock bands.
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Review: United Nations’ Brutal Sophomore Effort “The Next Four Years”
–Written by Michael Hogan
I first heard about United Nations not long after the release of their debut album. They were very secretive about everything, going so far as to wear matching Ronald Reagan masks and not telling anyone who was actually in the band. It didn’t take long for astute listeners to determine that Geoff Rickley and Daryl Palumbo (of Thursday and Glassjaw, respectively) were a part of the project – pretty solid credentials on their own. I was really sold when I heard Converge drummer Ben Koller had something to do with it.
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