All posts by j. walkos

Album Review: Cut Copy – “Zonoscope”

Video: Cut Copy – “Need You Now”

With their new album Zonoscope, Cut Copy have created one of 2011’s first genuinely exciting albums.

While unabashedly continuing down the same path of epic dance rock for which they’ve been known since 2001’s I Thought of Numbers, Cut Copy have also taken a step forward in terms of production and overall sound — thanks in part to producer Ben Allen (Animal Collective, Deerhunter).

Continue reading…

Poetic Memory: Ivan & Alyosha (List)

MP3: Ivan & Alyosha – “Glorify”

In Fyodor Dostoevsky’s final novel, The Brothers Karamazov, Ivan reads a parable to Alyosha called “The Grand Inquisitor,” in which Jesus returns to earth during the Spanish Inquisition, only to be arrested and sentenced to death by the church. This take on human nature is regarded as one of the most important passages in modern literature.

It’s that kind of source material that lends Ivan and Alyosha — an indie-folk outfit named after the novel — their air of intrigue. New light will be shed on the Seattle quartet, however, as it plays SxSW and travels the West Coast like a band of Karamazov brothers. Ivan and Alyosha are touring to support their new Fathers Be Kind EP, a harmonious collection of soulful, sincere songs with a pop sensibility to match, and they play the Tin Can Ale House on March 24th.

Band member Tim Kim was kind enough to send us a list of the songs inspiring the guys as they travel, and you can read it below. Continue reading…

Book Review: “Life” by Keith Richards

Upon hearing that Keith Richards was writing a biography, my first thought was, “Wow, how can he even remember what happened, given his proclivity for illicit drug use and all-around hell raising?” Now, having finished the book, I am even more amazed at the vividness of his recollections. Everything is there that you would expect, including the requisite sex, drugs and rock and roll. But it’s the unexpected things in Life that enrich the reader’s experience and provide a genuine sense of historical context about how the The Rolling Stones thrived in the midst of such a socially volatile time.

Every man dreams of being in Keith Richards’ shoes at one point or another. After all, this man is the archetypal rock star: living a life of excess, denying himself no pleasure, and keeping the world perpetually at his fingertips. In recent years, Richards has become a pop culture caricature — a Hollywood pirate, an old dude who should have croaked years ago, the crazy guy who snorted his father’s ashes. There’s a degree of truth to all of those characterizations, but if Life is any indication, the man is much more than that. Continue reading…

Owl and Bear’s Most Anticipated Albums of 2011

As a music fan, I’m waiting for the release that defines the new decade. You know what I’m talking about; every 10 years or so, a band comes out of nowhere with the perfect storm of style, lyrics, and — oh yeah — music.

The 80s had Guns ‘N Roses, the 90s Nirvana, and the 2000s gave us The Strokes. Granted, none of those bands dominated for a full 10 years, but they spawned countless imitators, some enjoyable and some terrible. That feeling of uncharted territory and danger rolled up into one is what I miss and am still waiting for. Remember when you first heard “Welcome to the Jungle,” “Smells Like Teen Spirit,” or “Last Night”? I’m guessing you were instantly on board, just like I was. Continue reading…