Author: kustradio

Slotface – “Try Not To Freak Out”

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By: Ryan Smith

Norwegian based pop-punk band, Sløtface deliver their debut LP Try Not To Freak Out, with just about everything you could want from a 2017 pop-punk album. Warm reverb, a strong bassline, guitars with a comfortable edge to em and, smooth vocals with a solid range delivering personal lyrics about dating and early adulthood Try Not To Freak Out offers you nothing you haven’t heard before but instead really focuses on its common sound to realize its strengths. I don’t know that I’d say this is an essential listen for anyone looking to keep up with 2017 but if you’re a fan of pop-punk at all I can definitely recommend giving it a listen, all the songs are strong listens (particularly Slumber, it’s the most interesting song on the album to me because it draws inspiration from post rock/emo in its structure) and the instrumentation is strong, varied and well produced. If I had any criticism for the album it’d be that it doesn’t really grip me enough to make itself distinct from the figurative bassline that it’s genre expects of it but there’s really nothing bad I can say about this album as a standalone project, its solid in all aspects and I’ll be giving it further listens while looking forward to what Sløtface come out with next.

For fans of:
Paramore, Wavves, Best Coast, DIIV or Wolf Alice
If you enjoy check out:
Sunflower Bean, The Smith Street Band, The Spirit of the Beehive

Hollywood Undead – “Five”

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By: Ryan Smith

Starting up Hollywood Undead’s “Five” is the infectious “California Dreaming”. The fun sounding pop influenced track tackles not only both sides of California (glitz and glamour vs dreaded reality), but also tackles both of the aspects of stardom. In a similar track name to 10 Year’s latest release, “Ghost Beach” takes an R&B influenced jingle to sing about the changes in life that we watch pass us by. If the sound you want to hear is some of that gritty, darker hip-hop influence, turn to “Black Cadillac”, whose featured artist B-Real get real about being a musician with fame and fortune. Bringing up a riot of a song shortly after is “Riot” itself, where electronica and hip-hop find a powerful combination to get everyone and their friends up and moving. This intense motley of sounds throughout the album produces an extreme level of sound and music that will have anyone getting hyped up, no matter where they are. Check out Hollywood Undead when they come to the Myth on 11/12!

10 Years – “(how to live) AS GHOSTS”

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By: Ryan Smith

Being around almost 20 years means that you’ll go through changes as a musician- whether its sound, subject, or even genre. With 10 Years “(how to live) AS GHOSTS”, the group digs down to their roots while at the same time recreating a new sound. Having previous members Brian Vodinh and Matt Wantland return for the album brings in the old energy of the group, and a new energy that is shown throughout the album, starting right off the bat with “The Messenger”. Lead single and second track “Novacaine” continues this trend, touching on the dark subject of losing that childhood spark as your time goes on. Powerful drums and a dark booming bass hit the listener at the halfway point of the album with “Ghosts”-as front man Jesse Hasek says that the song can “set your soul free”. Sweeping strings and more powerful lyrics about the dark parts of life are the common theme throughout the album, but don’t think that’s overplayed- 10 Years has built a powerful lyrical and musical masterpiece- be sure to see them when they come to the Palace Theatre on 12/14.

What Happened, Miss Simone? (2015)

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By: Elli Dubanoski

An insightful look into the life and music of Nina Simone, “What Happened, Miss Simone?” highlights the artist’s brilliance and civil rights activism while also refusing to shy away from the darker areas of her life, including her long-untreated mental illness. The biographical film shows how Simone almost seemed to stumble into an influential career as a jazz singer while trying to achieve her dream of becoming the first black woman to be a classical pianist. After the manager of the club she played piano at threatened to fire her if she didn’t sing, she rose to fame with her memorable and powerful voice that captivated audiences.

 

“What Happened, Miss Simone?” quite thoroughly records her life including her struggles with the tragic domestic abuse by her ex-husband Andy and the abuse she later inflicted on her daughter after she left him. The film contains an interview with her daughter who, despite experiencing violent abuse at the hands of her mother, insists on her mother’s musical genius and was able to redevelop a relationship with Simone when she received treatment later in life.

 

One of the more interesting aspects of the film is the negative impacts her involvement in the civil rights movement had on her career during her life. Simone aspired to achieve the same noteworthiness as other black women artists of her area, such as Aretha Franklin, but was unable to stay silent on injustices both through her speeches and her music. It was because of her involvement in the civil rights movement that she was given less opportunities as a musician.

 

Despite her faults, the film portrays Simone as exceptionally strong and incredibly talented. “What Happened, Miss Simone?” is a powerful record of her undeniable influence on music and a testament of the sacrifices she made to fight injustice.

Knuckle Puck – “Shapeshifter”

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By: Ryan Smith

It is very difficult to listen to “Shapeshifter” without immediately making associations to acts from whom the band draws significant influence, to include ’00-era heavies like Brand New, Taking Back Sunday and The Starting Line. Knuckle Puck delivers their pop-emo hooks with such complete confidence and conviction and eventually their debts to those bands are eclipsed by the fact that they’ve written a banger of an emotional punk opus.
In fact, the title track lands so hard it is almost as if space and time have warped and we’re hearing some revisionist version of history where 20 years haven’t passed and it is Knuckle Puck whose t-shirts are flying of Hot Topic shelves.
Following up their 2015 debut, “Copacetic”, which entered five different Billboard charts in the top ten can’t have been an easy task – and apparently wasn’t as the band changed directions and producers midway through the recording process and scrapped their early efforts. The end result is the right album for this band and they make it sound effortless.
It’s easy to see why the band is one of the most beloved of the current modern emo pop genre; they’ve clearly gotten sharper and have put in the work to uncover their distinct identity.

Liam Gallagher – “As You Were”

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By: Ryan Smith

Not much can be said about the peculiar man that is Liam Gallagher. Fans of his previous work would know him as one of the members of Oasis, famed for “Wonderwall”, continuing as a member of the group when they became Beady Eye, and finally starting his solo career with his debut solo album “As You Were”. For a man so erratic, so confusing at times, this album is one that fuels the inner workings of the mind to a level not normally accessed. The album starts out strong with the lead single “Wall of Glass”, with Gallagher showing us again that vocal power and sound that defines him as a musician. Digging through other tracks on the album, you can hear the influences of his previous musical preoccupations- from old Oasis throwbacks on “For What It’s Worth” to the everlasting comparison and grandeur he has when it comes to the Beatles on “Paper Crown”. The album continues to throw different themes at you, and leave a lot for you to think about. “Chinatown” is unusually cryptic without losing stride amongst the other songs on the album, and then there is Liam’s vocal heavy “I Get By”, which throws a whole lot of bark at you, but not a whole lot of bite- almost in the same vain of Liam spouting off about something on Twitter. But even under all the new ideas on “As You Were” this is the same old Noel slamming, willful chord progressing, “Wonderwall” set closing Liam that we are used to.

Activities Fair

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Glass Animals – Palace Theater 9/27

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By: Ted Tiedemann 

Glass Animals performed to a sold out crowd at the Palace Theater for the first time this past September. As always, they had an elaborate set design adorned with palm trees, pineapples, colored lights, a pineapple disco ball, and the letters GA in large 8-bit font hung above them. The band presented an upbeat, energetic set that got everyone dancing, which is typical at a Glass Animals show. David Bayley, the front man, engaged in his usual bouncy antics, dancing from one side of the stage to the other, singing while standing amongst the crowd, and letting his inner child out on stage. Their performance was no short of incredible; all of the members bring a high tier of musicianship and talent to the table. Joe Seaward is an underrated drummer in the indie rock/pop world and his live performance shows his precise skill and passion he contributes to the show. On the song “Cane Shuga,” he plays a syncopated beat seamlessly with super clean trap hi-hat rhythms, and in a live scenario it’s mesmerizing. Both Drew MacFarlane and Edmund Irwin-Singer handle all of the synths, guitars and samples to create a kind of symphony that’s rooted heavily in hip hop, indie, and culture. 


Unfortunately the show suffered some mixing issues; the midi instruments were too quiet, low and high frequencies were too hot which cut out essential mids. Despite some sound issues, the band persevered and played a high energy show. David Bayley evoked images of Thom Yorke’s wild dancing, and felt loose enough to improvise some falsetto runs on various tracks. Both Drew and Edmund improvised melodic motifs in their most popular songs to add intrigue to the live show. Above all that, what made the show feel so much more intimate was the fact that they had Joe playing drums to the side rather than behind the band. This setup felt more like I got a better sense of each individual member and what they contributed, rather than having the focus always be the singer. Much of their live show consists of a subtle tweak to the formula of having a good live show, and subtle breaking of the rules that make them stand out as an indie band. There is no doubt that Glass Animals are a tight outfit that will definitely last due to their solid live shows.

Fleet Foxes – Palace Theater 9/30

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By: Mitchell Roers

Few artists succeed in sounding as good live as they do on their studio produced albums. Being used to listening to an album that has been tweaked and perfected in a studio environment, as well as the challenges that go with perfecting a band’s on-stage sound commonly leads to fans experiencing an artist they viewed as “not as good live.” There was no such feeling, however, when Fleet Foxes took the stage at Palace Theater this past Saturday, where the Seattle based Indie Folk band took the audience on stroll through the serene Autumn landscape they crafted throughout the night, which also included some of the best live production I’ve ever experienced.

Although the band is coming off a four year hiatus, which is the result of the departure of drummer/percussionist Josh Tillman (who has since found much success as a solo artist under the alias Father John Misty), as well as frontman and group leader Robin Pecknold quietly enrolling as an undergrad at Columbia University, the band hasn’t missed a beat. In this massive eighteen song set (followed by a three song encore), the group wowed the audience both with their awe-inspiring full band sound, as well as with intimate solo acoustic performances by Pecknold. Musically, the band did everything they needed to to create fantastic sound quality. The mix/levels of the instrumental and vocal sounds was perfect, which was ever present on songs such as Helplessness Blues and Third of May. The blend between Robin’s voice and the backup vocals was smooth and complimentary, creating some beautiful natural vocal harmonies. Furthermore, the sheer musicianship and professionalism of each member of the band was indistinguishable, reminding us that this was a band worthy of all the critical acclaim they’ve received throughout the last decade.

The visual production of the show was minimal, but effective. The few abstract set pieces on stage (which to me looked like they were supposed to resemble mountains), the subtle light show, and the unique and interesting on-screen avant-garde visuals combined to create an atmosphere that appeased concert goers, while making sure to not take away from the music. All in all, Fleet Foxes shined in providing the perfect show to kick off October and connect with both the diehards and casual listeners in the crowd, making sure fans left Palace Theatre feeling euphoric and with a smile on their face.

Highlights: Helplessness Blues, Blue Spotted Tail, Ragged Wood, Battery Kinzie, The Shrine/An Argument, Third of May/Ōdaigahara

TL/DR: Fleet Foxes triumph at sold out Palace Theatre performance, combining excellent sound production with unparalleled musicianship to create the perfect autumn concert experience.