Maybe it's the isolation of being Icelandic that gives Of Monsters and Men their charm. Maybe it's their rose-tinted sincerity or their ability to make dramatic yet inviting folk rock. Perhaps it is merely a combination of all of these that make Of Monsters and Men seem so universally appealing.
Though the after taste of Dracula might be a bit lacking, Nurses' quirky take on contemporary music is definitely worth a listen.
In one word: eccentric. The Flaming Lips refuse to be confined within the norm, and instead, they propel themselves to a world far beyond. Even their venue shatters visions of the mundane. Famous guests such as Harry Truman, Carl “Alfalfa” Switzer, and Johnny and Dee Dee Ramone are all in attendance, because this is no ordinary venue. The Flaming Lips will be preforming The Soft Bulletin in its entirety in Hollywood Forever Cemetery.
Arcade Fire was greeted by a never ending crowd of people who had been looking forward to their headlining set all day. Their stage was set up like the outside of a movie theater and had clips of quirky old movies showing in the background. After a few powerful songs, Win Butler steps out and says, "If you had told me in 2002 that we would be headlining Coachella and having Animal Collective play before us, I would have thought you were full of shit.
A crisp autumn breeze swept the streets just outside the El Rey Theater where indie fans were beginning to gather. Anticipation growing along with the hum of riffs to come emanated from them. They had come prepared to dance their way into the early hours of Halloween. Some people took notice of this special occasion and dressed appropriately. A proven fact as a guy wearing a pig nose walked to the back of the line shortly followed by Minnie Mouse. But these people were not here to see silly costumes, little did they know they wouldn’t have a choice. No, they had come to see Portugal. The Man.
Stoners everywhere gathered in San Bernardino, California for the Cypress Hill SmokeOut on October 16, 2010. From the Patient Consumption Area to the Massive Stoned Garden there wasn’t a clear eye in sight, though plenty were looking rather dazed and perhaps even a little confused. The beats were inescapable, but it’s not like you would’ve wanted to escape them anyway. The genres ranged from reggae to techno to hip hop and it drew gangsters to hipsters and everything in between.
In unison with the drastic transcendence into psychedelic Sixties, surfer sounds, MGMT has matured. As a result their appearance has evolved from funky tie-dye to thrifty dress clothes. Before their sophomore album, the band had been labeled as hippies creating indie, synth-pop music, but after their latest album, Congratulations, was released on April 13, 2010, it became clear that these shape shifters of sound won’t be condemned to a specific genre.
