The Postal Service @ Bank of America Pavilion 6.12.13

Do I get tickets or not?  That was the battle going on in my head when I first found out that The Postal Service were going on tour for the 10th anniversary of their one and only album, Give Up. I initially decided that I wasn’t going to go, but a friend persuaded me five days before the show to get tickets. I mean, this was probably going to be a once… continue reading

Queens of the Stone Age – …Like Clockwork

Moldy | Stale | Edible | Fresh | Tasty!

People trying to qualify Queens of the Stone Age like the term “stoner-rock,” but frontman Josh Homme prefers to label his brand of broken blues as desert music. Whether or not he’s right, his fixation with that barren stretch of land is undeniable. The first in a series of five videos that preceded the band’s new album (and its first in six years) …Like Clockwork was a mummified man floating… continue reading

How to Destroy Angels @ House of Blues 4.27.13

In recent weeks, Trent Reznor has been in the news via the reactivation of his most well-known project, Nine Inch Nails. Back in April though, his focus was still on the warped, atmospheric electronic rock of How To Destroy Angels. The group, made up of Reznor, his wife Mariqueen Maandig, his film-scoring partner Atticus Ross and their art director Rob Sheridan, made their live debut at the Coachella Valley Music… continue reading

K104.7 KFEST @ DUTCHESS STADIUM 6.2.13

The annual summer radio festival, KFEST, taking place in the Hudson Valley area of New York came back strong this year with a lineup to please everyone. The Goo Goo Dolls and OneRepublic were listed as headliners with 45 minute slots, while boybands The Wanted and Emblem3 gave long awaited performances to close the show. In addition to The Wanted, there were two more British acts on the lineup this… continue reading

Boston Calling Festival @ City Hall Plaza 5.25/5.26.13

Boston’s very first large-scale music festival took over City Hall Plaza last weekend, and despite the challenging weather and logistics, it turned out to be a pretty damn good time. Saturday delivered danceable electro-pop in the rain while Sunday rocked out in the sun, and each day brought nearly 20,000 eager fans out to see a total of 18 bands across two stages. Saturday offered up a true challenge to… continue reading

Vampire Weekend – Modern Vampires of the City

Moldy | Stale | Edible | Fresh | Tasty!

It’s a rare occasion that a band I discovered in middle school has managed to defend its place on my iPod for over five years, but Vampire Weekend is one of those few survivors. Many artists play it safe and fail to evolve, while others flounder in their quest for evolution and lose their authenticity. Vampire Weekend, however, has managed to maintain their unique sound and perspective without becoming redundant… continue reading

Pierce The Veil @ Towson Arena 4.28.13

When Pierce The Veil co-headlined the Spring Fever Tour, alongside All Time Low, and the tour hit Towson, MD on April 28th, the fans were there in full force. It says a lot about a band’s fanbase when they arrive hours in advance to stake out a decent spot on the floor, and by 2pm (four hours before the show began) there was already a line wrapped around the arena…. continue reading

The National – Trouble Will Find Me

Moldy | Stale | Edible | Fresh | Tasty!

To say it’s been a busy few weeks for The National is an understatement if I’ve ever heard one. After three long years of writing and recording their new LP, Trouble Will Find Me, it’s finally been released upon the masses—and the appetite of their salivating fan-base has, at least for the moment, been sated. To celebrate (read: promote) the release, these Cincinnati natives have gone above and beyond the… continue reading

Preview: Boston Calling Festival

This weekend, Boston officially becomes a city with its very own music festival. Boston Calling will descend on City Hall Plaza this Saturday and Sunday with two stages and 18 acts in total. Before you head downtown, check out the Tastemakers rundown of the lineup, complete with set times and recommendations. Saturday offers by far the more sugary, pop-leaning lineup, contrasting with Sunday’s more rock-oriented fare. This is good news… continue reading

Daft Punk – Random Access Memories

Moldy | Stale | Edible | Fresh | Tasty!

Before my own attempt at throwing together my profusion of thoughts about Daft Punk’s Random Access Memories, I decided to parse through some of the already 3-to-5-day-old reviews of an album that became universally listenable less than a week ago. It might’ve been in hopes of accidentally absorbing an opinion to regurgitate, but a unanimous rating of “4/5″ from the top four Google search results killed my appetite for subconscious… continue reading

James Blake @ House of Blues 5.8.13

James Blake, 24-year-old British singer/songwriter, producer and all-around wunderkind, has just wrapped up a U.S. tour in support of his expansive new record Overgrown. May 8th brought him back to Boston for a headlining show at House of Blues, with an audience more than double the size of his 2011 Paradise gig. The intimacy of that room played especially well to Blake’s downbeat post-dubstep confessionals, but this evening proved that… continue reading