Stylistically, Love as Laughter have jumped around a fair amount over 14 years of existence. Holy, the sixth release from frontman and founding member Sam Jayne (who seems to be…
Taylor Long
1 Min Read
Looking at the six years between The Devil, You + Me, the newest release from the Notwist, and Neon Golden, the release that threw them into American ears, leaves a…
Taylor Long
1 Min Read
When one thinks of survival, it conjures up images of barren islands, a lack of vital resources or, thanks to modern times, television shows where people are purposefully cast into…
Taylor Long
1 Min Read
The word together implies the combination of parts — and the third full-length from Philadelphia’s Pattern Is Movement, All Together, perfectly represents that which its title suggests. There are many…
Taylor Long
1 Min Read
Nearly two years ago now, I posted a short list of songs that reminded me of my post-college trip to Europe & Asia. One of those songs, DJ Bobo’s “Chihuahua”…
Taylor Long
1 Min Read
Fourth of July is, without a doubt, my favorite holiday. Firstly, because it’s not religiously affiliated. Secondly, because it generally involves some combination of the following three items: fire, grilling…
Taylor Long
1 Min Read
Their fifth studio album finds My Morning Jacket attempting to fulfill their urge to not be evilly defined solely by one genre. They’ve banked on the same aesthetic for awhile:…
Taylor Long
1 Min Read
For equitable purposes, it’s probably best to mentally separate Wolf Parade from their debut, Apologies to the Queen Mary. Not because it’s too good and they’ll never top it, and…
Taylor Long
2 Min Read
Comprised of material from their earliest singles, everything from Wooden Shjips’ Volume 1 was actually written before the material on their self-titled release from last year. Unfortunately, it shows. Wooden…
Taylor Long
1 Min Read
Death Cab for Cutie isn’t the only band who threw fans off with an unusual single this year. Go ahead and add Sigur Ros to that list. When they released…
Taylor Long
1 Min Read
For a band like Radiohead, making a “best of” is almost like a slap in the face. Limiting their consistently impressive catalog to a handful of songs completely out of…
Taylor Long
1 Min Read
Have you ever felt like a song has the answer you’re looking for? That if you could just figure out what the person is really, truly singing about and saying,…
Taylor Long
1 Min Read
The French Kicks have presented the same problem to music journalists for a third time in a row. How do you write about music that’s unremarkable but pleasant in a…
Taylor Long
1 Min Read
Listening to The In Crowd, the sophomore effort from Chicagoan rap duo Kidz in the Hall, is a lot like putting your R&B and rap collection on shuffle. Showing more…
Taylor Long
1 Min Read
As we approach summer, I find myself somewhat unimpressed by 2008 as a new release year. Granted, the second half of the year is almost always stronger than the first,…
Taylor Long
1 Min Read
When it was announced that Scarlett Johansson was going to release an album, there was actually reason to be hopeful. Her sultry, smooth cover of “Summertime,” the first recording of…
Taylor Long
1 Min Read
Trent Reznor strikes again. So, Ghosts I-IV didn’t satisfy your hunger, it wasn’t like a “real” Nine Inch Nails album, it was instrumental, it didn’t count? Well, that’s fine. ‘Cause…
Taylor Long
1 Min Read
It would be a lie to say that listening to M83’s Saturdays=Youth is vaguely reminiscent of being transported back to the ’80s. Listening to M83’s Saturdays=Youth is incredibly reminiscent of…
Taylor Long
1 Min Read
When I was in middle school, I had a lot of ideas for music videos. Generally, these ideas were boring and tame — mostly because at the time, I was…
Taylor Long
1 Min Read
It’s been a good year for Bon Iver, aka Justin Vernon. Last year, Vernon independently released his album, For Emma, Forever Ago. After a round of accolades from online and…
Taylor Long
1 Min Read
When you’re young, the desire to fit in can be a very, very dangerous thing. Sure, this applies to drugs, sex, alcohol, violence and all those things parents worry about…
Taylor Long
2 Min Read
If putting money in the hands of artists isn’t charitable enough to compel people to buy music, Green Owl Records is hoping that helping the planet will be. Founded in…
Taylor Long
1 Min Read
The last time I saw them perform, which was at least two years ago, if not longer, the Gossip put on one of the most exhilarating live shows around. Listening…
Taylor Long
1 Min Read
Maybe it’s because I recently heard Narrow Stairs, Death Cab for Cutie’s upcoming album, for the first time, or maybe it’s because I’m going through Death Cab’s discography for a…
Taylor Long
1 Min Read
This song is Spring. Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, “Helplessly Hoping” (download) It’s easy enough to point to nearly any Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young and say that — “Judy:…
Taylor Long
1 Min Read
Having moved away from Seattle to the cement pastures of New York City, I feel woefully out of touch with the consistently good music scene of my hometown. To make…
Taylor Long
1 Min Read
The first music, in general, that I remember loving and growing up with was from The Music Man — as in the movie with Robert Preston, which I would watch…
Taylor Long
1 Min Read
Too many electronic releases fall within two extreme aesthetics: icy cold or super dance party warm. It’s hard to make non-traditional, machine-made notes sound humane, simply because they’re not. With…
Taylor Long
1 Min Read
Getting a car was a bit of a long process for me. In actuality, it probably wasn’t that long, but when you’re 17 and most of your friends have cars,…
Taylor Long
2 Min Read
Much like John Darnielle himself, the Mountain Goats’ audience at Webster Hall on Tuesday night had a tendency to flaunt its wit. Every time someone called out a song request…