Posts by Chris Clark

Some albums come out and change the game of how music can be perceived and understood.  It doesn’t have to be The Beatles Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band, Dr. Dre’s original, The Chronic or more recently, Radiohead’s quintessential, Kid A.  For The Glitch Mob, their debut album Drink the Sea-which hit shelves a month ago with the surprisingly genre-defying appeal, achieves this status, maybe without you even knowing it.

Hipsters, hippies, hip hoppers and heads all coming together, a scene reminiscent of Sundays in Dolores Park,  a colorful concoction of what this town is all about rallying for a Saturday to remember.

Armed with a slick persona, creative song writing and an innate ability to capture ears and audiences, the Grammy winning, multi-platinum artist has sold millions of records without selling out and on his upcoming release Love, War, and the Ghost of Whitey Ford (September 23 Sony/ATV Music) Everlast takes listeners on yet another musical journey.

Through the incorporation of various styles of electronic music, professionally-run production and an overall unique appeal, Euphonic Conceptions has been stimulating new vigor in the Colorado music scene. Bringing a fresh perspective on electronic music, the new company has been making waves from coast-to-coast.

Hot on the heals of his highly anticipated second studio release, Underground Communication, Bassnectar is back in true pioneering form. Since arriving on the music scene a decade ago, San Francisco’s finest has been creatively honing his craft of performing purely passionate music, capable of being enjoyed by just about everyone with ears.

His name is John Maclean. For the last couple decades, Maclean has been creating a craft slightly ahead of the cutting edge. Against all logic, he has remained rather below the radar for the better of two decades. While his artistic innovations haven’t exactly fallen on completely deaf ears, his future-searching style remains unheard of by many of those who should know.

The Motet fuse together the Latin with the funk, the new break beats with the experimental sax-laden jazz. Through this fusion of sound and cultures, Boulder, Colorado’s darlings have been worldly instrumentalists since 1998. With the release of their new album, Instrumental Dissent, the experimental sextet has further stamped their claim to a sound that has become trademark The Motet.

With only a few weeks left till Camp Bisco V, we spoke with The Disco Biscuits’ Jon Gutwillig and Marc Brownstein while practicing in their Philadelphia studio. With newcomers The Roots, Thievery Corporation, RJD2 onboard and old friends The New Deal and Benevento Russo Duo coming to camp, this year’s event should not be missed.

Evident throughout, The Strength of Weak Ties offers the listening public a more mature, well-rounded Lotus. The Philadelphian quintet ventures deep into a plethora of vibes, ranging from down-tempo driven to full funk forays. With an eclectic mixture of synthesized beats, male vocals (Steve Yutzy-Burkley guests on several tracks), quick, funky guitar and textured harmonies, the album delivers a punch that Nomad may have lacked on the whole.

While the high-octane electronic trio from Memphis has only been around for a touch over a year, The Pnuma Trio (Alex Botwin – bass, Ben Hazlegrove – keys and Lane Shaw – drums) has virtually bombarded the live scene.

The perfect fit for a feel-good return of one of the most impressive bands of the last decade

From the dark and dirty to the mellow and mild, the band portrayed a multidimensional, multifaceted collective that can take their sound in whichever direction they feel.

Atmosphere made a good album in You Can’t Imagine How Much Fun We’re Having. Filled with solid beats, sultry samples and a thriving musical relationship between Ant and Slug, the album proves to be Atmosphere’s most impressive recording to date, helping place Minneapolis and the rest of the Midwest on the musical map.

Arising from the overcrowded jumble of Philly bands, this quartet has quickly ascended into a league few can claim as home. Think along the lines of a young Cure, Radiohead, Depeche Mode or Tortoise.

Riding high off successful performances at this year

It

Although choppy at times, Best Reason to Buy the Sun is a solid and mind-expanding piece of post-modern art. The funky yet heavy, groovy but hectic delivery shines bright, and with it, a certain appeal that will move feet, bob heads and entertain ears.

Chicago has long been recognized as fertile grounds for hard work and liberal, free thinking. From Wicker Park

Some bands defy categories. For the rare few, there is no single applicable label; no simple black or white, but instead an undefined gray area that encompasses a taste of black, a smidgen of white and a whole lot of color in-between.

or three nights, STS9 brought the heat to the state of Colorado and showed the music world just why they are a band to look out for in 2005. With Artifact now released and the band in the midst of a massive national tour to support, watch out for a band poised to make a big splash and change the music world as we know it.