If you ever need a record cover to justify that adage about a picture being worth a thousand words, Michael Kiwanuka’s Home Again will do the trick. Kiwanuka’s 2012 full-length debut sports a stark close-up of its mastermind’s face draped in half-shadow and wearing a pensive expression. You can just…
Imagine Dragons’ debut LP, Night Visions, begins with a guitar intro that might remind you a little of Bon Jovi’s “Wanted Dead or Alive.” Then it descends into a heavy, current-sounding verse anchored by the stuttery, wub-wubbing bass made famous by dubstep — or at least movie trailers with dubstep…
Didja get your mitts on Daft Punk’s new album, Random Access Memories, yet? If not, your slow ass is certainly in the minority, since damn near everyone’s streamed or pirat — er, bought a copy of the just-released 13-track gem birthed from the robotic loins of Thomas Bangalter and Guy-Manuel…
The last few punk fans staggered out of downtown Las Vegas Tuesday, marking the end of Punk Rock Bowling. It was a fun experience marked by four days of music (including the club shows), pool parties, and a bowling tournament. The weekend went by way too fast, though I’m sure…
Founded in 2007, Columbus, Ohio’s Rock on the Range has become one of heavy metal’s largest events, and every year, it just gets bigger and better. As Jacoby Shaddix of Papa Roach said in an interview: “As far as rock festivals in America go, Rock on the Range in No…
Let’s face it: Arizona isn’t exactly prime real estate for music festivals. Yes, we have the party-hard atmosphere of Country Thunder and the locally beloved McDowell Mountain Music Fest, the EDM-drenched Soundwave and some killer jazz fests. But our fair desert doesn’t yet have the appeal or pull of such…
Provo, Utah-based Fictionist wants to make your troubles melt away, and the band can do it in any number of ways. Singer Stuart Maxfield channels a slightly less throaty Caleb Followill over crunchy, stratospheric guitars on tracks like “Swept Away” and chilled acoustic moments like “Still Reaching,” and groovy distortion…
Over the past decade, “hipster” has re-emerged as the insult du jour — an increasingly vague, increasingly common label placed on elitists and enthusiasts of all stripes. No one’s really working to take the word back, but if such a movement existed, !!! would be an ideal torchbearer. This dance-punk…
It is impossible to ignore Taylor Swift, which makes it incredibly easy for music fans to dislike her — people just don’t like to have their attention monopolized, whether they enjoy somebody’s music or not. Her music is explicitly autobiographical, which means that every new song about never getting back…
Jeff Lusby-Breault and Mike Seitz of Enormodome never really thought their collaborations would go past entertaining themselves. The longtime friends — one in Flagstaff and one in Phoenix — took a quick-and-dirty approach when they started writing songs together, and they were surprised to find that their gritty rock songs…
So it’s Memorial Day weekend, which equals three days and four nights devoted to rest, relaxation, and thoughtful reflection, right? Eff that, gramps. More like 72 hours filled with ragers, ravers, and ribald behavior, primarily for those in the coveted 21- to-35 age bracket who are more into EDM than…
[The Valley is a big place, and it puts out more interesting music than we could ever hope to cover. Every week or so, Mike Bogumill will use this space to cover a little more of it. In this week’s edition: Music videos from Jock Club and Playboy Manbaby and…
Am I the only one who is sick to death of the ever-growing list of metal subgenres? It seems to evolve and pulsate and throw out even more obscure genres on a daily basis. Honestly, if there’s one thing metalheads should be able to have faith in when it comes…
David Lamb and MorganEve Swain — the duo that makes up indie band Brown Bird — made a left turn last month with the release of Fits of Reason. The electric guitar that joins their metal, rock, and even Middle Eastern influences isn’t the only surprise on the band’s latest…
Just because a former hardcore punker turned surf instructor decides to dump the angst for acoustic guitars, it doesn’t instantly make him a Jack Johnson shuffle artist. (And the world needs another Jack Johnson like I need a hole in my head.) Fronted by Andrew Heilprin, a surf instructor by…
San Francisco’s Callow makes music for standing alone in a hallway after somebody important to you has just let you know they don’t feel anything you’re feeling. It’s not that it’s sad or self-indulgent (the way we want to be in those moments); it’s that nothing in these songs insists…
Christianity wants to change your life and make you feel born again, and rock ‘n’ roll wants to change your life and make you feel born again. Contemporary Christian Music, then — that’s the genre’s full name in the trade papers — isn’t quite so strange a chimera as it…
Listen up, local party monsters and EDM fans. We’re about to dispense some sage advice. There are a few things you’ll definitely need before going wild out at the massive outdoor dance fiesta and electronica rager known as Dirty Disco this weekend. First, make sure to sport a colorful and…
Begin applying your facepaint now, just for the practice: Insane Clown Posse is coming to Flagstaff on June 2. They’ll be playing the Pepsi Amphitheater, and they promise that “even the most diehard, longest, longtime Juggalos who’ve seen ICP 100 times will be schooled.” Why will they be schooled? I’m…
[The Valley is a big place, and it puts out more interesting music than we could ever hope to cover. Every week or so, Mike Bogumill will use this space to cover a little more of it. – Ed.] The goal of this column is to document, explore, and create…
Slayer guitarist Jeff Hanneman died of cirrhosis on May 2, the same day as the Golden Gods Awards. It was devastating that on a day meant to celebrate the lives of the best musicians in metal, one of those artists was taken from the world of music. It also came…
Nineteen-ninety-three saw the birth of Korn, Jimmy Eat World, Jurassic 5, At the Drive-In, the Crystal Method, and Shaq’s hip-hop career. A more obscure name to arrive that year was Rotten Sound, a Finland-rooted grindcore four-piece currently celebrating its big 2-0 with big things. Along with international touring and festival…
