The Sound of Animals Fighting- The Ocean and the Sun Review

Back in September, the third and final piece of what I think is an epic music experience was born into the world. I’m talking about the album, The Ocean and the Sun, by TSOAF (The Sound of Animals Fighting if you’re nasty). If you’re not familiar, TSOAF is a project that was formed in 2004 by various members of the bands Circa Survive, Sunn O, RX Bandits, Finch, Atreyu, Never Heard of It, The Autumns, and Days Away. The core members though, are Anthony Green of Circa Survive, with RX Bandits members Chris Tsagakis on drums, Matt Embree on guitar and vocals, and Rich Balling (formerly of... [Read more of this review]

Radiohead- In Rainbows Review

I’ve been wanting to write about Radiohead all year, and I hope you got your hands on the special edition box set of the 7th Radiohead album, In Rainbows. This is due to the fact that one of the best Radiohead tracks to date, Go Slowly can only be found on the bonus second disc. At any rate, if somehow you haven’t heard, Radiohead is an English Alternative Rock band from good ol’ Oxfordshire (which sounds like a bit of a juxtaposition if you ask me), led by Mr. Thom Yorke. This album marks their first major album release that wasn’t on a music label contract. Also, the opportunity was... [Read more of this review]

Metallica Live at the Great Western Forum - Inglewood, CA

So before I get into this little music review of mine, it will come with some meaty disclaimers. And they are: I’m not a metal fan I’d hardly call myself a Metallica fan Truth be told, I’m a borderline music fan in general Now that we have all that cleared up, I will continue. Heaven forbid you think that the following will be in any way thorough or authoritative. First, I will start with what I felt (note the above again), and then I will mention some of the things I heard from actual metal / Metallica fans thereafter. Redmanthatcould’s POV We went to see Metallica... [Read more of this review]

Album of the Month-Neptune by The Duke Spirit

It’s always so refreshing to find a  true-blue rock band that honest-to-goodness rocks.  Sultry female singer-check. Pulsing catchy drum beats-check. Intoxicating guitar and bass harmonies-check and check. After the major let down that the new Kings of Leon album was, a band that sticks to its rock roots finds me by way of Neptune, the new Duke Spirit album and our first album of the month. For those of you who enjoy rock, do read on… Neptune is The Duke Spirit’s second album release. It finds a more polished, refined and more confident Duke Spirit attacking with a blitzkrieg... [Read more of this review]

The Killers- ‘Day and Age’ Review

The Killers: Day and Age I’ll be honest. Back in 2002 when I saw the name Brandon Flowers as the lead singer of the Las Vegas based band The Killers, I thought it was supposed to be some stodgy stage name with an arbitrary band title thrown in for shits and giggles. Turns out that I was only about ten percent right. I know a few of you out there wondered if that was his real name, and where the hell that band name came from. Just like in grade school, I went and did your homework for you. Brandon Flowers is his REAL name, and the band actually derives its name from a music video of the British... [Read more of this review]

A Night at the Circus

As a skinny jeans/old man cardigan-wearing hipster who meditates over the lyrics of Dylan’s Blonde on Blonde, I feel it only appropriate that my first review should pertain to Britney’s new album, Circus. As much fun as it is to name drop indie rock psychedelic bands like Sunset Rubdown at art kid parties, every righteous musical strategist is allowed one to two major “oopsies”. While I might try to lure someone in to my deep musical knowledge by relating the Velvet Underground to the new work of the Crystal Stilts, I am still allowed to have a few songs on my iPod that render no deep... [Read more of this review]

Holiday Music: The Agnostic Holiday-phile Edition

The Holidays are here and Spazarella is in the mood.  Now, I’m sure there are plenty of Behind The Hype readers who sweat profusely and vomit every time they hear the words Christmas Music spoken together, but for me it’s a necessity.  It was THE holiday in my household growing up and it makes me think of my mom…yeah I happen to like my mom too. This article is for the rest of the holiday-philes who will admit that they embrace the cheese and goof of this over indulgent excessive holiday.  We don’t need money and presents, just a warm cup of our favorite warm cup beverage,... [Read more of this review]

Common - ‘Universal Mind Control’ Review

Common: Universal Mind Control Hello party people! Flak here, fresh out-tha-gate with my first review here on BTH. This week in review, I’ll be reviewing the hip hop album Universal Mind Control, by one of my favorite Chicago (The Chi if you’re nasty) MC’s, Common. But first, let me introduce you to the background of this strapping young fellow. As I said, Lonnie Rashid Lynn, Jr., or Common as you more readily know him, hails from Chicago, Illinois. Since 1992, hes been coming at us with an onslaught of real-talk verses and flows. For years, he’s made many a cameo on the... [Read more of this review]

The Walkmen - You & Me

The Walkmen don’t walk. They don’t run. They don’t even saunter. They lilt. They float. They roll and stumble along even. But they don’t walk. Never have, and on their new album  You & Me, they roll and stumble with the best of them. Hamilton Leithauser can’t really sing. He screams, yells, deadpans, talks, croons even, but he don’t sing. If you’re familiar with The Walkmen, you know they have a penchant for lilting twinkling string sections, throbbing precise percussion and a lull groggy voice with introspective lyrics that resembles a drunken inner... [Read more of this review]

TV On The Radio-Dear Science/Wiltern Show Review

I didn’t get it at first. I thought to myself “what is this amalgam of unintelligible sonic bantering?”. But that’s mostly because I didn’t get it. It took me a while to swallow down TV On The Radio’s EP Desperate Youths, Bloodthirsty Babies and actually remains, to this day my least favorite album of theirs. It wasn’t until Return to Cookie Mountain, their first LP, that I realized you cannot approach this band with the typical rubric of rock. To be quite honest, anything TV On The Radio isn’t lent to accessibility and anyone who says they liked... [Read more of this review]

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