Review: Gorillaz – Cracker Island

Adam Grundy Mar 7, 2023

The eighth studio album from the animated band known as Gorillaz is a pretty thrilling return to form. While their previous effort known as Song Machine: Season One was bit of a bloated collection that hit as often as it missed, Cracker Island wears its influences proudly across multiple genres, and might be their most cohesive album to date. At ten tracks and a running time of under 38 minutes, you can put Cracker Island on when you need a reprieve from the noise of the outside world. The set was produced by Greg Kurstin (Beck, Foo Fighters) at his own studio in Los Angeles, California, and he does a great job in honing in on this band’s strengths. Mainly from the mind of permanent collaborator/lead singer, Damon Albarn, Gorillaz find a nice groove within these Latin-infused beats and crisp production to engulf the listener into a world of pure imagination.

Kicking things off with the title track, a trippy, synth-driven song clouded in mystery about the world you’re about to embark unto, Gorillaz capture the spirit of their early, bulletproof work into a solid re-introduction. The opening lyrics of, “On Cracker Island, it was born / To the collective of the dawn / They were planting seeds at night / To grow a made-up paradise / Where the truth was auto-tuned (Forever cult) / And its sadness I consumed (Forever cult) / Into my formats every day (Forever cult),” are paired with complex beats in the background to keep things interesting from the get-go. “Oil” features a nice cameo by Stevie Nicks, and has a great, pulsating bass line to set the stage for Albarn’s vocal croon. It’s a very 80’s, new wave type of song that takes me back to the days of the Walkman and bright clothing choices. Nicks’ contribution is small, but necessary, as she adds just the right type of mystique to the song.

Adam Grundy Mar 6, 2023

Today I’m thrilled to share with everyone the latest single from Hooray For Earth, called “Jatevee C.” On this sprawling cover, Hooray For Earth makes their mark on the music scene in a big way. I was also able to catch up with this artist to chat about his upcoming music.

Adam Grundy Mar 4, 2023

Today I’m excited to share with everyone the new single and lyric video from SWIMM, called “Talk To Me.” This psych-pop artist does a nice job of re-capturing the spirit of the 80’s, all paired with anthemic moments in the chorus. SWIMM shared:

I made a promo video for this song where I dressed as Jesus–getting a spray tan. I’m still figuring out why I did that, but I felt the inspiration for the song–being my ponderings about the polyamorous nature of nuns marrying Jesus–fit with modern LA dating styles and thus, Jesus would probably get his hair cut high n’ tight, get some flash tattoos, and make sure he had regularly scheduled spray tans. I hear Raya is awfully competitive, so our anointed one wouldn’t be playing games with these nuns–or maybe he would be? Or he would just identify as poly-something-or-other and it would all work out just fab.

The song comes from the band’s upcoming LP, Best Comedown Ever, out everywhere music is sold on August 10th.

Adam Grundy Feb 28, 2023

Today is a great day to share the new single from independent artist, Homeschool, called “Bound To Be.” Homeschool is the solo project of NYC-based singer/songwriter and actor Tom D’Agustino. On this great-sounding single, Homeschool blends pop elements with thrilling anthemic moments in a crowd-pleasing track. Homeschool shared that this single, “Blends all these different genres like electronic music, salsa beats, and indie rock, to show me that my music can be more than one thing – that it can be unfixed and fluid.” I was also able to catch up with this artist for a brief interview below.

Adam Grundy Feb 27, 2023

Like many people who grew up in the height of the Drive-Thru Records era, discovering new up and coming bands was a bit of a tricky science. For me personally, I found many new artists through punk rock CD compilations, surfing the web on AbsolutePunk, getting to a concert early to check out the openers, or by skimming through the pages of Alternative Press. So how did a band like The Movielife make it so easy to enjoy their music? The Movielife were a punk rock band in spirit, but their ability to mix in hardcore elements and make their concerts an experience made me a lifelong fan. Early songs like “Hand Grenade” and “Walking On Glass” were my first introduction to the band, and it made me backtrack through their earlier catalog to grab as much music as I could get my hands on.

The third full-length studio album from The Movielife felt like a momentous opportunity for them to stand out from the pack of Drive-Thru bands that began dominating the greater part of the decade. Forty Hour Train Back To Penn was recorded at Salad Days Studio with veteran producer Brian McTernan, and his fingerprints are all over this punk classic. The band released two singles from the set, “Jamestown” and “Face or Kneecaps,” however during the promotional cycle of the record, The Movielife decided to call it quits. This kind of derailed the intentions of Drive-Thru Records doing a bigger push for the LP, but the legacy that this band left behind is still felt today. The majority of the songs written on this record were by lead vocalist Vinnie Caruana and guitarist Brandon Reilly, and they would end up being the last ones standing when The Movielife released Cities in Search of a Heart 14 years later. Forty Hour Train Back To Penn tackles many situations head-on like fractured relationships, traveling on the road, and growing up, while still having an emotional element to each track to showcase the band’s collective growth as people and musicians.

Adam Grundy Feb 23, 2023

Today is a great day to share the latest album from Mothlights called Walking the World With A Leaky Umbrella. Mothlights come from the mind of Rishi Gupta, who also owns the label Strawberry Moon Records. This DC-based artist would be perfect for fans of Julien Baker and Low. Gupta shared:

More than once was a guitar take on this record interrupted by the sound of an armored police vehicle rolling past my window in mid 2020, and more than once did I give up recording a vocal take after yet another news buzz on my phone left me exhausted. I feel like we all feel it, seeing it on our screens, before our eyes and in the way it’s affecting our personal behaviors. Rising global fascism, rising tides: we’re in the end stage now. I’m still reckoning with the fact that we will never get the pre-COVID world back and how this new world was born from that one. Being terminally stuck in my 700 sq ft apartment for two years in downtown DC amidst all of that was pretty rough as I was writing and recording this album, so I retreated heavily into fantasy. Almost all of the songs are informed by what was going on around me contextually but set in this surreal other place I had retreated to. I tried to let the quarantine, the Floyd uprising, the loss and declining health of loved ones and the wave of reaction bleed into this completely hypothetical folk music from some place I made up in my head.

Welcome to the world of Mothlights.

Adam Grundy Feb 20, 2023

Today I’m thrilled to bring everyone the new single and music video from indie rock band Poe The Passenger, called “Hologram.” On this thrilling track that sways somewhere between the stylings of Linkin Park, From Ashes to New, and Panic! At the Disco, Poe The Passenger arrive on the Alt Rock scene with passion and purpose. Lead vocalist Jeff Pridgen shared, “Hologram is about a person suffering from imposter syndrome and bogged down by failure in the modern age.”

Adam Grundy Feb 16, 2023

Today I’m thrilled to bring everyone the new single from Camp Bedford called “2 AM.” This folk-pop trio finds beauty in the form of complex musical arrangements packed with substance. The band has been described as:

Melding their unique voices and styles of instrumentation, Camp Bedford is a folk-pop-rock band spinning tales of adventure, self-discovery, life’s journeys and the stumbles along the way. Nostalgic forward-thinkers, Camp Bedford’s music is infused with the magic of possibility. Compared to the likes of Joseph, First Aid Kit, and Wye Oak, the group finds inspiration in poetry, nature, and musical genres ranging from bluegrass to hyper pop.

Comparisons aside, Camp Bedford appear poised and ready for their musical moment.

Adam Grundy Feb 15, 2023

Today is a great day to share the new single and lyric video from Ashlynn Malia called “Comfortable – Voice Memo.” The song comes from her recently announced EP Navigating Galaxies, out everywhere music is sold on March 21st. Malia shared this about the new track, “It’s never fun to feel like your pain is the new normal in a relationship, and no matter how many times you hope it will change, or you ASK for it to change, the other person doesn’t seem to have a problem coasting over your very valid feelings. It’s like you’ve expressed yourself so many times that it no longer has an impact. That’s where this song is coming from.” If you’re ready to fall in love with a great new artist, Ashlynn Malia is here for you. I was also able to catch up with Ashlynn for a brief interview below.

Adam Grundy Feb 15, 2023

Just in time for Valentine’s Day, MuMu have returned with a new music video for “Honeymoon Love.” On this love-filled track, MuMu have crafted a song that is sure to leave a smile on your face. The video features a collaboration with Zeno Mountain Farm and MuMu shared this about the music video, ”I hope this video reminds us that diversifying our friend groups doesn’t have to happen in designated spaces like Zeno. We can reach out to our neighbors, strike up a conversation on the bus, or share a dance with someone who walks/talks/thinks differently than you. We shot this video in two hours, with zero dollars and infinite love.” I was also able to catch up with this artist for a brief interview below.

Adam Grundy Feb 13, 2023

What do you do when the world around you gets a little strange? Paramore seem to embrace the weird on This Is Why, their quirky sixth studio album that largely relies on post-punk chord progressions, Bloc Party influences worn proudly on their sleeves, all mixed in a blender on the highest speed to see what concoction comes out in the end. In the interviews leading up to the release of this record, the band seemed to be getting more comfortable in their collective skin. They mentioned that the songs they were crafting for the follow up to After Laughter were more “guitar-driven” and the band found themselves “listening to a lot of older music” that inspired them to make a career in music in the first place. Whereas After Laughter was originally seen as fairly dramatic departure from the punk-tinged sound the band had cut their teeth to early on, the same could easily be said about this next dramatic leap of faith on This Is Why. Paramore has always been a band that has challenged the artistic norms of what is expected of them, and have grown accustomed to their audience wanting a certain “version” of themselves. In what may be their most polarizing record to date, Paramore continue to push the envelope of creativity in dramatic ways, and find their band going through yet another reinvention. The metamorphosis of this trio may just be complete.

Adam Grundy Feb 9, 2023

There’s something amazing that happens when a group of musicians come together, with a like-minded approach to their sound, and deliver music that sounds completely different than anything else currently out there. Babyfang are here with their debut EP, called In The Face Of, that re-captures youthful exuberance paired with lyrics brimming with substance about making real change in this world. The band is Théo Mode (guitarist), Canteen Killa (drummer) and 13th Law (bassist), with all of the members being instrumentalists, producers, singers, and songwriters. Packed with talent, the band falls somewhere between the unpredictability of The Mars Volta, the pop-sensibilities of Radiohead, and the rock and roll spirit of The Rolling Stones. In the band’s own words, “The music is a response to / an expression of all that we’ve felt in the face of everything that has been / is happening right now; a lot of rage and joy and hope and sadness and gratefulness of just being able to make this music at all.” Babyfang might just be the most important band to storm onto the scene in years.

Adam Grundy Feb 7, 2023

Today I’m excited to share with everyone the debut single from LA-based artist, Devon Thompson, called “Soft Like Water.” This artist channels elements of classic rock, with a modern flair, and a twist of vibrant personality to make songs like this shine. Thompson shared, “This is a song about a re-discovery of one’s self after losing yourself to someone, and finding a new darker perspective to approach life.” If you’re ready to discover the next big name in music, you’ve come to the right place.

Adam Grundy Feb 6, 2023

The latest EP from Zebrahead comes at an important crossroads in their history. II is the second release from the band since adding the new vocalist/guitarist Adrian Estrella, and finds Zebrahead tinkering with their sound in order to discover what works best for them for the foreseeable future. Their last record, entitled III, was a thrilling reinvention of their dynamic sound that left the realm of possibilities wide open for where this artist could travel to next. Much like a storm coming out to sea at the wrong time, this ship occasionally steers off course, when they could’ve simplified the process of crafting these songs. The band covers a little bit of new ground by adding more metal riffs in one song, and attempts a ska/punk track on the EP that goes a bunch of directions, but never in a straight path.

Adam Grundy Feb 3, 2023

For those unfamiliar with the artist known as BANNERS, it is the solo project of the talented, and award-winning singer-songwriter, Michael Nelson. On his latest EP, entitled I Wish I Was Flawless, I’m Not, BANNERS firmly cement their status as a big name to watch in the pop realm. With a platinum single already to his name in “Someone To You,” Nelson’s songs transcend musical boundaries and makes the listener connect with him on a spiritual level. BANNERS would be perfect for fans of The Fray, Coldplay, and Dean Lewis, and this artist has made me a believer in his crisp pop production found on this record.

Review: Gorillaz – Cracker Island

Hooray For Earth – “Jatevee C” (Song Premiere)

SWIMM – “Talk To Me” (Song Premiere)

Homeschool – “Bound To Be” (Song Premiere)

Review: The Movielife – Forty Hour Train Back To Penn

Mothlights – “Walking The World With A Leaky Umbrella” (Album Stream)

Poe The Passenger – “Hologram” (Video Premiere)

Camp Bedford – “2 AM” (Song Premiere)

Ashlynn Malia – “Comfortable – Voice Memo” (Song Premiere)

MuMu – “Honeymoon Love” (Video Premiere)

Review: Paramore – This Is Why

Review: Babyfang – In The Face Of

Devon Thompson – “Soft Like Water” (Song Premiere)

Review: Zebrahead – II

Review: BANNERS – I Wish I Was Flawless, I’m Not