Issue 23

that

MOMENT an interview with:

HOOD INTERNET hip hop's satanic new look:

DEVIL IN A NEW DRESS

northeastern students on music

President KYLE RISLEY

STAFF QUOTES:

Editor in Chief KATIE PRICE Art Director ANNE LATINI Web Design EDWIN MORRIS Marketing Director CAITLIN KULLBERG

"And animals wanna learn to talk so they can hang out with me."

–Jordan Munson (Metal/Music Industry)

"I was thinking will there ever be a boy born who can swim faster than a shark?"

-Michelle Buchman (English)

"If you can't dazzle them with brilliance, baffle them with bullshit."

Michael Gasiorek (International Business & Marketing, Asian Track)

"I hate kids that wear those stupid 'Lets Fucking Rage' t-shirts. My Grandmother came to visit campus last week and your ‘Jersey Shore’esque trash trend became the representation of my $50,000/year education. Now she wants a shirt. Thanks douche bag."

–Trevor Burns (Business Marketing & Finance)

Features Director COLIN PETERS Features Editor ALYSSA MASTROCCO Interviews Coordinator CHRIS STOPPIELLO Interviews Editors NICK HUGON Reviews Director DAVID TSCHEIGG Reviews Editors SUZIE CONWAY Photo Director ANDREW SWARTZ Copy Editor TOM CASEY Staff Writers AADIL SULAIMAN, DINORAH WILSON, JORDAN MUNSON, LAUREN MOQUIN, LESLIE FOWLE, V.J. TURSI, MICHELLE BUCHMAN, NATHAN GOLDMAN, PATRCIK DUANE Contributors ADRIEL TJOKROSAPUTRO, ASHLEY JACOBS, BIANCA FALCONE, BROOKE DALY, CASSIE HEBERT, CHRIS MACK, DAN ARIAS, DAN THOMPSON, DAN WILETS, EVAN PRAWDA, FELICIA GONZALEZ, PATRICIA CONCEPCION, GRACE MUNNS, HARRISON SEITZ, JAKE ROLF, JAMES MCKEON, JAY Art & Design DAVID TSCHEIGG, ABBIE HANRIGHT, ALYSSA SULLIVAN, JUSTINE FINDRA, LACEY HONDA, BRIAN CANTRELL Marketing Staff ALEX TAYLOR, MICHAEL GASIOREK, TREVOR BURNS Web Team ALI UKANI, ALEX BRAGAGNOLO, HUNTER SCHNEIDER, JUSTINE LOWE

GET MORE: www.tastemakersmag.com Want to become a tastemaker? Click the "Get Involved" button at tastemakersmag.com.

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Become a fan on facebook at www.facebook.com/tastemakersmag Follow us on Twitter at www.twitter.com/tastemakersmag

Check out issue 24, our first exclusively digital issue, being released online on April 20th.

Don't miss the Summer Festival Preview - your one stop shop for the upcoming festival season!

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** 2011 tastemakers music magazine all rights reserved

WHAT'S INSIDE:

4 6 8 10 12 13

Calendar

Show Reviews

Local Photos

Ab Early Inheritance

Big "Ups" To The Boiler Room

Fight This - The Turbo Fruits Efforts To Have Fun

14 16 17 18 20 21

The iDeath of Album Art

Dispatch 2011

The Rocking Dead

Pass The Mash(ups)

The Batter of Production vs.

Performance

Devil In A New Dress

22 28 20 31

That Moment

Show Reviews

Just A Taste Of... The Hotel Year

Etcetera

April 2 MiMOSA w/ Michal Menert PA

3 The Cave Singers BM

4 Cut Copy w/ Holy Ghost HOB

5 Starfucker BM

6 Mike Watt & The Missing Men w/ The Dirty Dishes TT

7 Collie Budz PA

8 Buffalo Tom PA

9 Builders & The Butchers ME

10 Jonathan Tyler & The Northern Lights BM

11 Timber Timbre BM

12 Wye Oak w/ Callers ME

13 Macklemore & Ryan Lewis BM

14 The Black Lips w/ Vivian Girls PA

15 Tim Barry w/ Jenny Owen Youngs & Josh Small ME

16 EOTA PA

17 Berklee Contemporary Symphony Orchestra NEC

18 Local H BM

19 Iron & Wine w/ The Low Anthem HOB

20 Neutral Uke Hotel BM

21 Rubblebucket BM

22 Silverstein/Bayside w/ Polar Bear Club, The Swellers PA

23 Mogwai w/ Errors PA

24 Hunx and his Punx TT

25 Milagres w/ The Milkman's Union TT

26 Rusko w/ Doorly HOB

27 Ted Leo BM

28 Tame Impala w/ Yuck PA

29 Furhter Seems Forever PA

30 Rise Against w/ Bad Religion HOB

R❋ C KOM ENDS 4

1 The Mountain Goats PA

Ke$ha Presents The Get $leazy Tour

Iron & Wine and The Low Anthem

Brush your teeth with that bottle of jack before you hit up this show! You best believe you will go hardcore and there’ll be glitter on the floor.

So, take it off, but keep your hot pants on and up because the party don’t stop woah-oh-oh-oh.

Before they play Sasquatch and Bonnaroo, Iron & Wine is stopping in Boston to support their newest album ‘Kiss Each Other Clean.’ Sam Beam and his band will likely play a mix of hushed fan favorites and songs from the new album. Show up on time, with an opening set from The Low Anthem, it’s sure to be a great show!

4/12 @ House of Blues

by Katie Price (Music Industry/Journalism)

4/19 @ House of Blues

by Colin Fucking Peters (Journalism)

Hafdis Huld

5/7 @ All Asia

by Nicole Sabino (Music Industry) “I promise – you will fall in love with Hafdis Huld after you see her live.

The combination of her adorable Icelandic accent, sweet voice, quirky personality, and tongue in cheek lyrics will leave you smiling. Definitely venture across the Mass. Ave. bridge and make it a point to see this girl sing.”

❋

May 1 Of Montreal PA

2 Foals w/ Freelance Whales PA

3 The Pains of Being Pure at Heart PA

8

9 Deftones w/ Dilinger Escape Plan HOB

10 Sleigh Bells PA

15 Adele HOB

16 Tune-Yards BM

17 White Lies PA

22 Panic At the Disco HOB

23

24 The Donkeys w/ Citay TT

29 B.O.M.B. Fest WCSU

30 B.O.M.B. Fest WCSU

31 Memorial Day!

Janelle Monae and Bruno Mars 5/7 @ Agganis Arena

by Chris Stoppiello (English)

Don’t worry about the Bruno Mars part. Janelle Monáe is possibly the best thing that happened to music last year and PASTE Magazine voted her their number one live act of 2010. The only downside is she still isn’t headlining on her own.

4 Toh Kay BM

5 The Charms w/ Spirit Kid TT

6 All Time Low w/ Yellowcard HOB

7 Janelle Monae and Bruno Mars AA

11 The Airborne Toxic Event HOB

12 Bowling For Soup w/ the Dollyrots ME

13 Childish Gambino PA

14 The Feelies ME

18 Brett Dennen RA

19 Arctic Monkeys HOB

20 Lykke Li HOB

21 The Mudhens/ Sun Jones BM

25

26

27 Friendly Fires PA

28 Man Man PA

Mary Anne Hobbs

4.24.11 @ Paradise

by Kyle Risley (Inflatable Man Dance) Earning a reputation for impeccable taste in electronic music during her fourteen years of hosting the BBC Radio 1 Experimental program, Mary Anne Hobbs is a tastemaker in the purest sense of the word. Now, thanks to the Together festival, she's making a rare appearance in Boston.

Expect the freshest dubstep, grime, and forward beats during a set you won't soon forget.

Key PA BM HOB TT ME NEC AA WCSU

Paradise Rock Club Brighton Music Hall House of Blues TT & The Bears The Middle East New England Conservatory Agganis Arena Western Connecticut State University, Danbury CT

5

clockwise from top left: Maps & Atlases

by Adam Straus Dr. Dog

by Andrew Swartz Freelance Whales

by Jenna Ross Ice Nine Kills

by Christina Spleen Engineering An Empire

by Stephanie Smith

---------Snapped a shot worth showing off?

Email it to TastemakersPhoto@gmail.com ----------

L O C A L

4

P

P H O T O S

5

R E V I E WS

André Obin

with Camden & Fens (DJ) @ Slaughterhouse Gallery, February 12th

by Christopher Stoppiello (English)

Have you ever been watching Dexter and thought, 'the decor of this kill room is pretty sweet but this music is so damn serious?' You should find your way to the next Slaughterhouse Gallery show.

The underground venue is really coming in to its own in terms of ambience and atmosphere. Clear plastic painters tarps covered colored lights and perfectly complemented the cold brick backdrop to the Slaughterhouse sign. I look forward to the evolution of this venue. My only complaint would be the red light directly in front of the stage; blue would make for a better photos.

Ok so enough about the venue, what about the actual music? This homegrown show began with a set from Tastemakers-approved DJ Fens (you might remember him from such hits as "Ignition" at the TM Prom). Fens got the crowd ready for dancing as they descended the brick basement.

People were a little slow at milling in but by the time rockers Camden were strapped in and ready to go the room felt fairly packed. The band rocked hard, shaking the walls with their intensity. Bassist and vocalist, James Williamson, made ample use of the close quarters as he addressed anyone who happened to make eye contact with him.

Seeing the band live was fun. It was music for music’s sake and the close quarters made audience and band tightly connected. But based on that performance alone I would not be likely to pick up a Camden album. Now, listening to the band afterward I must say I am thoroughly

Pictured above is André Obin at the Slaughterhouse Gallery photo by Christopher Stoppiello (English)

disappointed in their showing that night. The three humble tracks on their Myspace are a nice mix of rock and electronica filled with samples and synths and the urge to dance. All this was missing at the show. This band on Myspace is one I would pay money to hear again. Here's to hoping that the band finds a way to make their live show more like those promising recordings.

In between acts brought Fens back on the turntables to keep the mood up while headliner André Obin set up his equipment. Once he was ready to go, one of our show promoters gathered the crowd's attention to say a few words. This really demonstrated the magic of the venue because he needed no microphone to quiet us

down, thank us for coming, and introduce Obin.

If you are not yet familiar with Obin’s sound, he creates dark electronic/techno soundscapes and adds his own twist by singing live vocals over them. It was what was finally needed to have the crowd dancing. I don’t recall it feeling like this already but suddenly the room felt dark and smokey as people spread out more to dance.

Obin does not provide a ton of variety from song to song but that's not what you look for on the dance floor anyway. What Obin did offer was a more human approach to techno music. Overall the artists did a great job but I do feel a lot of that was thanks to the atmosphere the Slaughterhouse Gallery creates.

Yelawolf

to as a mixture between Lynyrd Skynyrd and Outkast/The Geto Boys. He raps at varied paces, usually implementing a rapid fire double-time flow which is truly mind-blowing to see live. The evening was more similar to a rock concert than any rap event I have seen or attended. The venue was packed front, back and side-to-side, an undulating mass of heads and hands bobbing excitedly in the air. Upon stage entrance, Yelawolf was greeted by an absurdly spirited crowd, all of whom jumped up, down and all ways around creating somewhat of a mosh effect that held for the entire event. The show was equal parts hip-hop and punk rock as Yela utilized the crowd to finish lyrics on tracks such as “Billy Crystal”, “I Just Wanna Party” and “I Wish”.

He opened with the immensely popular track “Trunk Muzik” and covered nearly the entirety of

@ Paradise Rock Club, March 18th

by William Patrick Duane (English)

Rapper Yelawolf tore down The Paradise Rock Club in Boston on Friday, March 18th. The Gadsden, Alabama native began making waves in the hip-hop community just prior to the January 2010 release of his highly popular Trunk Muzik mix tape. He has since signed to Interscope Records, accompanied artists on sold-out tours, released the retail album Trunk Muzik 0-60 and is now headlining his own tour across America. Yelawolf is sometimes referred

8

Dr. Dog

With the Head and the Hear @ Paradise Rock Club, March 18th

by Alex Gutowski (Environmental Studies)

It was an unusually packed house at the Paradise Rock Club, especially for a Sunday night. The crowd was already aroused before the show even started, and the night seemed to be one destined for electric performances. The opening band for Dr. Dog was the budding band from Seattle, The Head and the Heart. They played a handful of songs, starting slowly and building up more and more energy throughout their set.

The quartet started with an energetic, folky tune, sung by all three of the guitarists, harmonizing two male vocals and the voice of a spunky female.

Whirling around in her loose, ankle-length dress, she belted out each song, beautifully meshing the freedom of the former hippie culture with the modern folk movement. They continuously put increased energy into each song while paying homage to and thanking Dr. Dog for allowing them to open for the hugely popular band. Their set was lively and warmed up the crowd, but as soon as the female vocalist announced that Dr. Dog was to play soon, the crowd really got fired up.

When Dr. Dog walked onto the stage, the audience erupted into applause and cheers. The band played an even mix of new and old material in front of an intricate and illuminated stainedglass backdrop. Sharing the vocals were bassist Toby Leaman and Scott McMicken on rhythm guitar. Both dressed up in flashy sunglasses and homemade clothes, for McMicken announced about halfway through the show that all of the band's attire was made at home by his mother.

After playing various songs, mainly newer material, McMicken asked the crowd if anyone had heard Dr. Dog's first album, Toothbrush. He then proceeded to explain to the intrigued crowd that the band was attempting for the second ever time to condense their entire first album into

Trunk Muzik 0-60. The moment those distinctive synthesizers and ground rattling body vibrating 808’s struck the crowd absolutely went wild.

Yelawolf’s charisma is unmatched: he never pauses to catch his breath, misses a lyric, makes a mistake and he certainly does not slow down. The constant stream of energy increased exponentially until the closing track where Yela stage dove in three different sections of the crowd. Oftentimes, especially at rap concerts, fans feel “too cool” and neglect to catch the artist. There was not a sentiment of pretentious coolness to be found in the building: only kinetic excitement and appreciation for an entertainer. The crowd kept up with every track and all of the featured lyrics. Yelawolf was able to comfortably turn the microphone towards the crowd at any time with full confidence they would

one, fifteen minute chunk. He called it “an Itunes preview” of the album for those who had not heard it, which was a unique treat. The mashup of the album was fast-paced and the band blended each new song seamlessly with the previous.

Their creation was met with huge applause as they closed the show with it. As it the case with most amazing performances, Dr. Dog came out after minutes of applause for an equally amazing encore. It was a fantastic experience.

relay the correct lyrics. No song warranted a more adamant reaction than others, although the crowd was especially hyped for, “Good to Go” while still receptive to the sensitivity expressed on “Love is not Enough” towards the end. In between, Yela included “Marijuana”, “Daddy’s Lambo”, “Mixing up the Medicine”, and one of his darkest yet most popular tracks, “Pop the Trunk”.

Yelawolf is known for his energetic and entertaining stage performances. What I saw on Friday at The Paradise Rock Club was entirely different from any other rap show regardless of artist prestige. Punk rock aggressiveness mixed perfectly with the concert’s overall hip-hop sound.

Do not miss a chance to see Yelawolf live; it is truly a spectacle.

We love shows as much as you do. Want to review or snap pictures at a concert?

Email us: tmreviews@gmail.com

9

an early

INHERITANCE As many things as you are already indebted to your parents for, the list will never really end. Music, however, is probably the most enjoyable.

Written by Alyssa Mastrocco (English) Art by Lacey Honda (Graphic Design)

We all know that most music doesn’t span across generations.

Imagine your grandma listening to Lil Wayne or Chingy. Better yet, just imagine her saying their names. Funny, right? Sometimes, however, the exchange goes the other way. We get a lot of things from our parents just by constantly being with them for the first few years of our lives, but we rarely take notice of these things. Some kids are forced to listen to Barney and Raffi, but others are lucky enough to be exposed to real music from a very early age. I remember listening to the Beatles in my mom’s car, and not quite understanding what to make of it, but knew it was better than what they were playing for us in my kindergarten classroom.

I think I owe much of my ability to appreciate music both new and old from my father. I grew up listening to everything from the Chicago blues to Johnny Cash to the Allman Brothers Band with him, and I hated all of it when I was an angsty preteen, but I’m pretty sure I also hated the sun and kittens. Maybe my music taste wasn’t exactly at its peak since now that I’ve grown, these artists are in regular rotation on my iPod and I am so grateful to him for teaching me how to appreciate music from such a young age. So why

10

don’t others in our generation appreciate their musical roots?

Artists from then can be placed into genres of today, so why is it that the similarities don’t overcome the years?

When I started thinking about this, I was listening to Simon and Garfunkel: two old dudes who made some pretty sweet music along with some pretty questionable hair decisions in the seventies. Now, they’ve dropped off the airways and the top forty stations, but their influence can still be heard in today’s popular music. Funky hair, folky guitar and beautiful harmonies: am I talking about Simon and Garfunkel, or am I talking about Fleet Foxes? The two artists share a fair number of musical qualities but since Simon and Garfunkel stopped making music a long time ago, they don’t get the same appreciation that Fleet Foxes enjoy today.

My argument is mostly irrelevant unless your parents’ taste in music was fairly decent.

Don’t think the seventies equivalents of Miley Cyrus and the JoBros were nonexistent.

There’s just a reason you’ve never heard of them. Those decades were known for some laughable trends, so obviously every medium has to have the embarrassments that don’t make the museums. The Monkees

were like the KMart version of the Beatles back in the day.

They wrote cheesy songs and had an even cheesier television show, but somehow, the girls still went wild. This sure sounds familiar. For children of legitimate audiophiles with some sort of taste in music, the question remains, where did the gap become too much to overcome?

Then again, there are the bands that everyone knows, whether their parents listened to them or not like The Beatles, Led Zeppelin, the Rolling Stones and others from the British Invasion.

These artists’ music continues to be prominent in popular culture despite how long ago the albums may have been produced or how old the band members may get.

Beatles Rockband, for instance, was hugely popular upon its release in late 2009. Younger people may not necessarily know some of these bands by name, but their music is so recognizable that it’s hard to avoid hearing at least once or twice.

One way I thought of to explain this is lyrical content.

Artists draw from what they know to write about. Bob Dylan wrote about unrest and social disillusionment in the sixties and seventies while Paul Simon and Art Garfunkel wrote about growing up in Queens, New

York and using Kodachrome film. Kodachrome has become only a memory just recently and the notion of growing up on the streets is diminished by increasing amounts of helicopter parents, but then again, the idea of a song akin to “Like a G6” seems even more distant than some of the content of artists from back when. I still use film to take pictures but I’ve never been on a private jet, let alone first class on a commercial plane.

Society’s values have changed, and, thus, music has followed. Peace, love and understanding have gone out the window in favor of dead presidents and hoes in different area codes. Kids are looking to “get rich or die trying,” since these are the values that their musical idols are spouting on the radio and television.

I guess what I’m trying to say with this whole spiel is that there’s no clear reason why some people inherit their parents’ music and others don’t. Some find it on their own. I was lucky enough to learn to appreciate what my dad presented to me as good music, but that doesn’t always happen. Some of us are just luckier than others.

now & then THE FLEET FOXES vs. SIMON AND GARFUNKEL JOHN LEGEND vs. RAY CHARLES

JONI MITCHELL vs. LAURA VEIRS

THE AVETT BROTHERS vs. THE ALLMAN BROTHERS BAND NEIL YOUNG vs. BON IVER

DAVID BOWIE vs. OF MONTREAL

PINK FLOYD vs. THE FLAMING LIPS CREAM vs. THE BLACK KEYS

THE MONKEES vs. THE JONAS BROTHERS BILL WITHERS vs. ALOE BLACK

CROSBY, STILLS, NASH AND YOUNG vs. BAND OF HORSES

11

V

Every Tuesday night, thousands of electronic music fans log onto their computers to get a taste of what’s going on across the pond.

by Michelle Buchman (English) At 8 p.m. in London, the Boiler Room broadcasts a weekly show with sets from some of the most talented DJs in the world. The show was started

by Platform Magazine, a UK based website that offers up news and information on the electronic music scene with a biting sense of humor. Each set is streamed live via Ustream where fans, aspiring artists and, sometimes, established DJs mingle and chat together while it all happens.

While the aim of The Boiler Room is to spotlight less established talents, buzzworthy musicians have stopped by to drop tunes for the crowd. Jamie Smith from the xx dropped in to do a set on Valentine’s Day while up-and-coming musician James Blake, who was recently the runner-up in the BBC’s Sound of 2011 music poll, played a set back in December. Music blogs and fans alike were buzzing with talk of each set the next day. Platform puts up full audio downloads and video clips on their website of each set for those who miss the live broadcasts.

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Although The Boiler Room is easily accessible online, getting an actual invite inside is still elusive. Platform broadcasts the show from the floor of a secret East London warehouse location. Originally, it was to be based in an old boiler room in the warehouse, which had been untouched for decades. The show moved location to a few floors up when the landlord discovered asbestos, but the name stuck. The underground nature of the broadcast gives it the feel of a pirate radio station, where those in the know carry the knowledge of when to tune in and get their music fix.

Fans and industry insiders have given Platform high praise for their ability to showcase a variety of different DJs within the electronic genre.

The Boiler Room takes pride in highlighting all types of sounds such as dubstep, house, drum & bass and soul. Labels have also latched onto the idea behind the broadcasts, using them as a showcase for their own artists. Underground labels like Young Turks, R&S and Swamp 81 have all had nights streamed so far. The chatter generated from these appearances gives artists and record companies a higher profile online and in the East London nightlife scene. Often, special guests will stop by and perform exclusive collaborations with

DJs that make an artist's set even more unique.

Appearances like this are what make The Boiler Room special, you never know who will show up to the party.

In an interview with The Fader, editor of Platform, Blaise Bellville, said, “I want it to consistently have amazing guests, for our reach to grow internationally, to be hosting tiny sweat box rooms at the best parties and festivals, and to keep our once a week back of a warehouse thing.

It’s like a really, really good house party. I hope it feels like that when you’re watching it at home.”

The party vibe translates well across computer screens thanks to the interactive elements of The Boiler Room site. A live chat is open while acts are spinning on the air. Additionally, a running Twitter and Facebook feed are located on TBR’s webpage. Platform has opened up the London sound to anyone with a browser who can find it, from Alaska to Australia.

LOG ONTO BOILERROOM.TV TO CHECK OUT LIVE AND PAST MIXES STREAMING FROM THE UK.

"FIGHT THIS"

by Lauren Moquin (Journalism) ver since the 2008 hiatus of Be Your Own Pet, disappointed fans have turned to the Tennessee-based band, Turbo Fruits to ease the pain. Be Your Own Pet was the eccentric female-fronted punk band that many knew for their songs about pizza and zombies.

The widely known fun spirit of the band made the news of the hiatus a hard hit. One of the original members of Be Your Own Pet, Jonas Stein, has strived to keep the wacky carefree spirit of this ‘garage rock’ alive with Turbo Fruits, but he could not care less about what others expect, judging by the solid fan base of Be Your Own Pet. Through the many lineup changes and expectations placed on the band, Turbo Fruits has strived to just have fun. They play the small venues because they like it that way, they throw a blues influence in because they want to, and they stay on the road because it’s how they feel like living. No fan influence or label would convince them to do otherwise.

Turbo Fruits was started by Stein and John Eatherly (drummer of Be Your Own Pet) while they were still in Be Your Own Pet. Determined to get their debut self-titled album together, bassist Max Peebles was added and the album was released in 2006. It sparked a curiosity in Be Your Own Pet fans, but many of them saw this as just a side project of the band. Little did they know, Be Your Own Pet would split up two years later, leaving Jemina Pearl (Be Your Own Pet’s feisty vocalist) to create her solo album and the surviving Turbo Fruits. Recharged after the shift to working solely with Turbo Fruits, Stein had to bring together a whole new lineup due to obligations of the other band members. Soon after, the band’s second album, Echo Kid, was released with the same eccentric spirit.

Although the band went through drastic changes, including a change in label (Ecstatic Peace! to Fat Possum) they managed to conserve their love for life and all of the mess that seems to come with it. The fuzzy guitar effects and high,

strong, harmonious vocals make it clear that Stein just wants to continue living with the chaos that he loves and create what he believes in, simple as that.

While many music enthusiasts remember Turbo Fruits as that band who have something to do with the band with that Jemina girl, Turbo Fruits has put it all to the side. They don’t show any remorse or harsh feelings towards any of the names attached to them, they just put all they have to offer out for the audience to experience for themselves. As members hang upside down, offer a dance, and jump into the crowd, they are just looking to share as much fun as a small, lowceilinged venue can offer - no nostalgia attached.

Picking the projects that they think endorse the same ‘live in the moment’ vibe that they live by, Turbo Fruits have performed at CMJ, contributed music to and appeared in the motion picture Whip It and agreed to play with the Black Lips on their tropical cruise show, Bruise Cruise Festival.

Even if Turbo Fruits are not considered a major player in the indie scene today, they strive to stay true to the chaos they love.

Check more of the Turbo Fruits at turbofruits.com!

11

The iDeath of Album Art

Written by Meredith Balkus (Communications / Art)

There was a time when the term "music library" implied a lifetime's worth of arduous searching: ransacking endlessly through stacks of records, navigating through aisles upon aisles of CDs in a local record store.

Nowadays the tables have turned and it's entirely possible for one to possess a life's supply of music within the palm of their hand.

Digital technology has its pros and cons, but ultimately, it makes for easier listening and accessing a wider variety of music overall.

With such advancements, it would seem that nothing has been lost in the technological switch. But as you gaze upon your computer monitor at the interface of iTunes, perhaps you might wonder: what happened to album art?

It's hard to go from a 12"x10" cover of a vinyl record to a mere 1" icon in iTunes. It would seem that album art has gotten lost in the hazy translation of modern technology, a sad possibility that seems to be manifesting in our daily musical lives and that could potentially lessen the intensity and integrity of the music itself. Details are inevitably lost in decreasing the overall size of the image, and the many people who download their music by illegal means are unlikely to even get the artwork at all. Digitally ripping CDs onto your computer automatically syncs them with Gracenote, Inc., which provides "digital music recognition technology" that searches for the respective artwork to the album being uploaded. As helpful as Gracenote is, illegal downloading is far

14

more prominent than is actually purchasing an album from iTunes, and even less so than an actual tangible copy. This is problematic because many downloads don't bother to include anything but the mp3(s) alone, so the art itself is inevitably lost. If you want proof, take a look at your neighbor's iTunes library and you'll likely see copious amounts of the default eighth-note symbol - the go-to graphic when the respective album art is missing.

So why is this even remotely problematic? Isn't high-quality audio enough when it comes to the music of your choice? It's certainly an argument that could be made, and it may come down to a simple matter of preference, but there are a plethora of albums that have sported such noteworthy artwork that it speaks nearly as strongly as the music itself does.

Take Radiohead's Hail to the Thief (Parlophone, 2003), the very title of which speaks to a commentary on the political condition of America (Yorke said his songwriting on the album had been inspired by current events, but denied that it had a "strictly political intent").

Regardless, the record's artwork does the album justice: designed

by Stanley Donwood, the artwork is reminiscent of a roadmap, except the buildings are replaced by words and phrases that relate to the album or the lyrics themselves.

Additionally, many of the words are

“Americanisms� or use the American spelling; hence Yorke's inspiration derived from current events at the time is further manifest.

Another striking example of relevant album artwork comes with Bob Dylan's self-titled, debut album (Columbia/Capitol, 1962), the art of which features a photograph of the 21 year-old Dylan dressed much like his early idol, folk singer-songwriter Woody Guthrie. Though it seems insignificant at first glance, Dylan's mimicry of Guthrie is actually quite historically relevant: various friends of Dylan during his start-up years in New York would later tell in their memoirs that Dylan sculpted his early image and persona after the influential Guthrie. Even his singing was affected – Guthrie, at the time, was dying of Huntington's disease, a progressive genetic neurological disorder that impaired his speech by sometimes slurring or eliminating syllables: a symptom of his illness that songwriters such as Dylan turned into a vocal stylistic tendency. The many attributes Dylan can credit to Guthrie's influence are never-ending, but in the end they helped to craft the cultural icon, figurehead of the folk movement, and groundbreaking musician that Bob Dylan is today.

Though it often goes amiss to the uninformed eye, the presence of Guthrie in Dylan's debut album art is undeniable, and it signals a brief deluge into Dylan's own life as well

as the history of folk music itself.

Additionally, one cannot forsake the simple fact that there is a certain beauty, at risk of being redundant, a fine art when an LP and the corresponding coverart inherently connect, when the artwork augments or is inherently interlinked with the nature of the music itself. Album art can be equally as indicative of a musician's progress, development, or changing stylistic tendencies as their music can be. One example is the Sex Pistol's Never Mind the Bollocks, Here's the Sex Pistols (Virgin, 1977); quite possibly one of the most influential punk bands in music history, the Sex Pistols had a glaring anti-establishment snarl to their music, and the artwork for said album is just as snooty: bright yellow and basic black text with a day-glo, hot pink stenciled graphic of the band's name glaring you straight in the face. It screamed just as loudly as Johnny Rotten himself, and would inspire punkdesign for the decades to follow.

Nirvana's Nevermind (DGC, 1991) was equally as meaningful, as the photograph of the naive baby chasing the one dollar bill signified the grunge band's reluctance and uncertainty about buying into the corporate music industry. While we're on the subject of design, illustration has also found a home amongst cover art. Take Kanye West's Graduation (Roc-A-Fella,

Def Jam, 2007), in which everyone's favorite "Dropout Bear" comes to animated life at the hands of Japanese contemporary artist Takashi Murakami. Without album art, the cartoon alter-egos of the Gorillaz would have one less outlet to make their existences visibly known. Some albums are simply profound in that they lack album art entirely: take the Beatles' White Album (Apple, 1968), an instance where the visuals and the music are dually iconic.

The list of all that is being lost or has gone askew with the digital progression of album art is seemingly infinite, and requires more time and attention than the span of this article can readily allow. At the end of the day, music connoisseurs of all genres should stop and reflect upon the following question: has technology refuted the long withstanding belief that quality is more important than quantity? And if we forsake the former for the latter, what aspects of our auditory appraisal are being lost? The matter is up for debate, certainly, but after considerable review one might conclude that the fate of music in the modern day has taken an unfortunate turn down a colorless path, to a destination devoid of the sublime and imaginative: a world without album art.

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Dispatch 2011 For The Right Reasons

Written by Nick Hugon (International Affairs) Photography courtesy of Foundations Artist Management

Most of us know the story of Dispatch, arguably the most successful and influential independent band of the 90s and early 2000s. Formed at Middlebury College in Vermont in 1996 by Brad Corrigan, Pete Heimbold, and Chad Urmston, the band eventually based itself in Boston but has a nationwide following. Dispatch are notable not only for their great musicianship and attractive, raw sound, but for the fact that their rise to fame was entirely self-produced and self-promoted. In 2002, however, the band announced a hiatus due to internal strife.

Solo projects from the three artists followed, with Urmston pursuing his soft protest-rock project State Radio, Corrigan recording as ‘Braddigan’, and Heimbold using his own name for his new music. Each project has been fulfilling for the artists, but none of these efforts approached the kind of acclaim that Dispatch achieved.

In 2004, the three artists reunited for what they foresaw as a final free concert to celebrate Dispatch’s existence and satisfy its ravenous fans at the Hatch

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Shell on the riverside esplanade in Boston. The turnout was incredible, estimated to have exceeded 100,000 people, bestowing the event the honor of having the largest ever attendance at an independent band’s show. Boston Police even had to divert traffic from Storrow Drive to deal with the overflowing crowds. The buildup to the iconic show and the concert itself was documented in the film entitled The Last Dispatch, which offered a lasting tribute to the three musicians’ successful, but relatively short time together as a band. The documentary was very honest, however, and did not shy away from many of the less pleasant details of Dispatch’s final moments together. Urmston, Corrigan, and Heimbold all admitted that the band’s dynamic had suffered over the years, going from three great friends playing music that they loved to a competition for who would claim the most adulation from the fans and who would be considered the band’s frontman. It was clear that the band had been sticking together for the wrong reasons, and that its indefinite hiatus was more than justified.

But having gone out with such a bang, there was still unfulfilled potential for a reunited Dispatch to do great things. Having always been charitable in nature, the three musicians reunited for a benefit concert for organizations that they supported in Zimbabwe. The single concert was scheduled in midJuly 2007 at New York’s Madison Square Garden, but quickly turned into three sold-out arena shows and an exclusive nightclub show at Webster Hall due to the overwhelming desire to see the band play again. The concerts were again incredibly successful, and an acoustic encore performance in Washington, D.C was even requested by the grateful Prime Minister of Zimbabwe. The band was more than happy to oblige.

After the MSG shows, the band again faded into obscurity and worked on solo projects, but this summer, Dispatch are on the move again. Teaming up with an organization called Amplifying Education that supports local schools, Dispatch have scheduled a tour that they’ve dubbed ‘Dispatch 2011,’ with huge venues booked and portions of ticket sales going

to the charity. The tour will include three shows at Colorado’s Red Rocks Amphitheatre, two of which are already sold out, along with dates in Chicago, Berkeley and Los Angeles, California, the tristate area’s Red Bull Arena, and Atlanta, and will conclude with three shows at Boston’s TD Garden. As it currently stands, the tour lasts from June 3 to June 26, but the band already had to add two shows at Red Rocks and two shows in Boston due to demand so the band is evidently open to expanding the tour if there is enough interest.

The point, however, is that since the so-called “Last Dispatch” on the Charles River esplanade, Urmston, Corrigan, and Heimbold have realized that their leverage over the massive audiences at a reunion concert as popular as their own is bound to be for a great cause. Starting with the Zimbabwe benefit shows, Dispatch reunions have had a distinctly philanthropic theme that suggests that after all the arguments, competition and strife that marked the band’s final years together, Dispatch are finally performing for the right reasons.

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ions) nicat u m (Com esign) D way Con Graphic e i z y Su nright ( b n a e Writt Abbie H y Art b

M

ichael Jackson is dead?!

While it seems to be the news everyone is still obsessing about, it may actually seem that the King of Pop is alive and well.

Having already released two albums and a documentary post-mortem, one would think maybe he really is just chilling on an island, sipping margaritas with Tupac and Elvis.

While the posthumous album is not a new concept, MJ and other dearly departed artists have released an onslaught of material post-mortem. This has conjured up considerable debate from different camps: those in favor of the material being released and those who feel releases after death exploit the artist.

This division has highlighted a disagreement within the music community. With rumors of enough Jackson material to be released into 2017, it’s not likely to go away.

Some of the controversies have surrounded whether or not Jackson’s material should be released at all, with will.i.am notoriously denouncing the album. However, rumors also began circulating that some of the vocal work on the album is actually not Jackson’s, and rather an impersonator. Even if these rumors are false, what does this say about the record companies releasing these albums? Is this the highest

tribute to serve an artist, or is it taking advantage of their death?

Some of the most fervent reactions have been to Jackson’s releases, which is not surprising due to the magnitude of his stardom, but new posthumous releases are also expected from stars such as Jay Reatard and Ronnie James Dio of Black Sabbath. Notable recent releases of posthumous work include Johnny Cash and Jimi Hendrix. While some of these are to contain live material that has not been released yet, others contain songs that the artists were working on before their deaths. As of late, these albums have not received nearly the same attention as Jackson, but still generate some of the same questions.

Many past posthumous releases have become classics in their own right, sometimes even overshadowing these artists’ work when they were alive. Notorious B.I.G.’s Life After Death gave Biggie some of his most successful singles. Also, Otis Redding’s most well-known song, “(Sittin’ on) The Dock of the Bay” wasn’t released until his death. This became the first posthumously released song to reach #1 on the charts in 1968.

One of the murky questions this issue brings up is whether or

not these artists wanted the songs to be unleashed to the public, as well as how long we can see the same songs released over and over. In the case of Elliott Smith, very careful decisions were made about which songs would be best to release to the public. Still, some songs were leaked on the internet.

Jeff Buckley, who died in 1997, has had his material released as recently as 2009. Having had such a short career to begin with, new releases such as Grace Around the World, seem to be squeezing every last song for what it’s worth, with live recordings and studio songs being presented in new ways. After a while the question seems to be, when is enough, really, enough?

The general consensus seems to be that as long as there is money to be made, old songs will get rehashed, original demos will see the light of day, and concert footage will be released. A variety of people and organizations benefit from these releases, with the biggest recipients

of profits being Jackson’s estate and his label, Sony Music. According to The Huffington Post, Jackson’s estate signed the biggest recording deal in history, which could total up to $250 million for all of the late star’s upcoming releases.

Tupac’s estate had a similar deal with Interscope Records, having released a multitude of Tupacrelated albums and merchandise.

Additionally, legal problems often arise over who can claim the rights to a deceased artist’s work. For example, legal battles erupted over who had the rights to the work of both Jimi Hendrix and Kurt Cobain.

Whether a tribute or exploitation, posthumous albums can be called many things. In the end, it’s impossible to know the intentions of each artist, but certainly every fan of these artists will be anxious to see what can be brought from beyond the grave.

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PASS THE MASH(UPS): A Q&A with STV SLV from

THE HOOD INTERNET The Hood Internet is a duo out of Chicago, consisting of ABX and STV SLV, who have done wonders for the mashup and DJ communities since the group's inception in 2007. By starting a blog that consistently churns out new mashups and remixes multiple times per week, The Hood Internet has managed to overhaul the "art of mashups" hitting dozens of genres and countless artists.

Their serious work ethic and immense skill have spurred other DJs to scramble in order to keep up. Starting as members of two different bands, the duo has gained recognition and their rise to the top has no end in sight. STV SLV sat down with Tastemakers not too long ago . . .

by Vincent Tursi (Management Information Systems) photo by Andrew Swartz (Music Industry)

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Tastemakers (TMM): Starting small and working together to get bigger and bigger, what has been the hardest obstacle for you guys?

STV SLV (SS): The hardest obstacle is that when we first started, like those first couple of years, is that we have lives outside of music, and we have other things that we do. I think the hardest part was being able to find the time to do this. This actually started out as a side project for us, and there was that moment that was like, 'Well, we should probably start spending some more time on doing this.' Because, you know, we started to get a response, and get more and more fans. We just wanted to make it better and better, make the shows better, make the tracks better, etc. I think everybody has busy lives and we've just had to carve out more and more time to do this, and it's been kind of difficult, but we're taking the challenge.

TMM: So is this the full-time gig now, or are you guys doing other stuff on the side? I know you're making your own music from scratch now.

SS: Yeah, I have a band called Shapers that I play with a few nights a week. [It's] just some musicians and people I know and have known for a while. Shapers is going on tour in April with Tobacco, so I'll be doing that for a little bit.

TMM: How do you keep up with the fact that the blog is consistently updated with remixes all the time? Do you create a bunch in one chunk, or is it more of a daily thing?

SS: It depends on the time of year, really.

Sometimes we do a batch and then slowly release them and sometimes we kind of just knock them out, one at a time. Now that The Mixtape Volume 5 is out, we're chillin' on making some new stuff and honing in more on making this new record because it's overdue.

TMM: Having listened since The Mixtape Volume 1, you can definitely hear growth as you guys are reaching further into every genre and pulling out a bit more. Have you worked with any artists specifically, with a certain goal in mind, or do you just pick and choose what you want to do?

SS: I guess it goes both ways. The thing with the record is that when we get into the studio it's somebody that's going to be on the record. The specific goals there are to work on and improve the songs we're making. In terms of making mashups for the site and stuff like that, we sort of oscillate between doing isolated tracks or doing something like a little EP, such as taking Waka Flocka Flame vocals or Metric vocals, or taking instrumentals for the Lazerbeak record and then working around that. That's like having control over your experiments and brings a face to the projects.

TMM: Nice, so what's your next move after the mixtape?

SS: Next move is to finish this fucking record that we've been working on forever [laughs], and do some touring this year, maybe visit some other countries if we can. You know, just making some more music to get people interested in the music we are making. Maybe put together a live band to perform the songs on the record. Right now, though, our sights are really just set on finishing this record.

TMM: What kind of music do you guys listen to in your free time? Do you have any favorite artists, mixtapes, etc.?

SS: We're the kind of people that listen to so much music that I don't know if either of us has one [favorite]. I mean, I can't speak for ABX, but I don't know that either of us have a single favorite artist or a single favorite mixtape. We just come up with the stuff that we drop, and we have so many different angles, and so many different channels of musical styles. There's just so much music out there, and with the accessibility to easily listen to anything you want, it's so hard to pick one out as a single favorite. I have plenty of things that I like a lot, but there's very little that we won't listen to. I guess I don't like 'hot' country. I mean, the people that are always like, 'Buhh, I like everything except country' are either fucking stupid or liars, because they're kidding themselves if they don't like old [Johnny] Cash or some Earl Haggard, or some of that stuff from back in the day that was more folky or whatever.

Now there's this 'hot' country, you know what I'm talking about? I can't really get down with that stuff.

TMM: Do you have any good stories about getting very positive or negative responses from artists that you've used in your material?

SS: I don't think we get hated on too much by people, but I think mashups, in general, are getting the shifty eyes, because they're like, 'Yeah, you just need good software and you can do any of that shit.' But it's whatever. Plenty of people have hate out on the Internet. That's what the Internet's for, hating on things, so it's all good.

We've gotten love from artists that we like, and that we are fans of. They sort of appreciate what we do and give some compliments. The thing with this record is it will be fun to take the time and see what we do, and actually make some new songs, and I think people will like it.

TMM: With all the side projects and whatnot, we don't expect The Hood Internet to go down any time soon, do we?

SS: Oh no, projects aside, we've got plenty of new stuff coming out. Even with all these new projects, we'll still have time to do classic Hood Internet stuff. We're just gonna keep trying.

TMM: Like Keith Urban kinda stuff?

SS: Yeah, exactly. At the same time, though, I don't know what I mean by that, because there's an art form to that, too. People have varying tastes in music, but then there are horrible things like when Uncle Kracker and Kenny Chesney team up, or whatever, [laughs].

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The Battle of

Production vs. Performance Written by Jordan Munson (Music Industry)

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sk any person you know who has been involved in the music industry in any way (working, listening, etc.), and there is no doubt they will tell you the music industry has changed drastically over the last few decades. Record sales have plummeted, styles of music have come and gone, but perhaps nothing has changed more than the comparison of production versus performance in the live setting. Think back to Woodstock in ’69 and how every band performed with little to no stage production.

Since then, huge live performances have come to resemble box office hits more than live music concerts.

Superbowl performances all but a distant memory now, the Black Eyed Peas are the icing on the cake to argue performance over production. Until this year, it seemed as though the general public was relatively uneasy about admitting the poor performances in recent years when the beloved icons The Who and The Rolling Stones were among them (let’s be real, who wants to

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hate on such icons). The Black Eyed Peas have changed all that.

Resembling /Tron 3/ more than a concert, the show was a train wreck from start to finish. Whether it was the poor levels on the different parts of the show, the horribly executed auto-tune, Fergie’s off-key vocals or Usher disappearing in the mix, there was not a single redeemable part of the entire show (the lights even malfunctioned at one point).

So what does it take for the public to realize that concerts should still be performances: the desecration of legendary bands such as The Rolling Stones and The Who? No, that’s not enough–they have to subject us all to quite possibly the worst musical performance by a globally recognized performance group in the history of time. Unfortunately, Superbowl halftime shows are not the only place plagued by this; larger-scale tours have a fair share of this happening as well (though, not to such a glaringly obvious or painful level).

What about GRAMMY performances? Performances at

the GRAMMYs are stereotypically pop acts that are often criticized for not singing their own parts, or being overly fake. What happens when they do sing live? Well, you never really know, which is why they often take the route of being semi-live with some vocal assistance. After all, how many acts can really pull a Michael Jackson and sing live while dancing? Not many, that’s for sure, since singing and dancing long routines is incredibly difficult. Performances in situations such as the GRAMMYs are where the decision between theatrical production and musical quality are at their toughest.

The third class of events that see this conundrum are large festivals. In an interview published December 7, 2010 on OurStage. com, post-hardcore band Silverstein mentioned having a conversation with the band For Today discussing “all these bands coming out now that are basically playing to backing tracks” and how “it really sucks because obviously if you play your CD live, it’s going to sound better than having to mic all the

instruments and playing them live.

So then kids go and see a band and they’re like, ‘oh, this band sounds awesome!’ Well, they sound awesome because it’s not real,” which is the entire problem. The standard is no longer being set to playing your instruments live and still sounding good, but instead it’s setting the bar to look cool while you act like you’re playing.

Thankfully, however, this issue is not a widespread plague, but a rather seldom occurrence.

Of course, like everything in the music industry, your stance on this issue is entirely subjective, but at some point should someone (nay, everyone) stand up and say we’ve gone too far? Much like MTV, the music industry is getting to the point of being the style industry with music as a byproduct. Dear nondenominational higher power, when will it end? Better yet, dear music lovers, when are we going to stand up and say “we want music” not “we want pretty lights”?

F E ATU R E

DEVIL IN A NEW DRESS SATANIC IMAGERY IN HIP-HOP VIDEOS WRITTEN BY DINORAH WILSON (JOURNALISM)

THERE’S SOMETHING ABOUT HORNED WOMEN, HOODED FIGURES CROSSING SWORDS AND PHARAOH CHAINS THAT MAKES THE GENERAL PUBLIC A BIT NERVOUS. The music video for “Power,” one of the hit singles off of Kanye West’s /My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy/, burst onto the musical scene last year and became known for its recurring images of horned creatures, black-clad Dementor-esque demons, and pagan symbolism.

While there is no denying the depth of artistry to be found in the short video, the vague references to symbols associated with the occult have more than a few hip-hop heads talking.

These images, clearly alluding to mysticism seen in ancient religions, resurface in the much anticipated release of Damian Marley and Nas’ music video for their single “Patience” off their joint album /Distant Relatives/.

Surprisingly, it’s not so much about the expertise of Marley or Nas, but critics seem more concerned with the video’s obscure imagery, which at first glance can appear as if it has been ripped from the ritual books of a primeval cult.

Nabil Elderkin, the same director for the spacey, ominous visuals of Kanye West’s “Coldest Winter,” “Power” and “Monster” is responsible for the video, which vividly depicts Nas and Marley as cloaked royalty, spitting verses while wading through foggy rivers with only the glow of torches lighting their paths through an ancient African civilization. Although the music video’s theme clearly ties into the duo’s vision of black unity by portraying Africa as a continent of prominence and wisdom, all the cryptic symbols are sure to arouse suspicion from the more superstitious music fans out there.

This may be new to mainstream hip-hop fans who have grown accustomed to extravagant videos filled with money, girls and cars, but artists of other genres have experienced backlash from fans regarding “devilish” symbolism in their videos. Traditionally, metal music has always been unjustly associated with demonic messages. Many artists of this

genre, including Marilyn Manson, have had to defend the content of their videos as an expression of creativity, rather than worship of Satanism or occultism.

Lately, there has been a major shift in these dynamics. Hip-hop artists, such as Kanye West, have begun to toy around with arcane metaphors and darker elements of cinema. These details that have been linked with the prominence of secret societies, such as ancient Egyptian symbols, have produced an interesting reaction from urban audiences, causing a significant number of followers to go on a witch hunt for devil-worshipping artists who they perceive are determined to negatively influence the rich urban culture of hip-hop music.

Much of the general audience has accepted these cinematic risks in urban music videos and labeled it as “ingenuity,” signifying a departure from the earlier misogynist and materialistic nature of Hip-Hop videos. Yet, there is a growing urban audience that interprets the videos as nothing but “devil’s work.” Suggesting that these videos are not art, they accuse artists and directors of

subliminally manipulating young audiences with symbolism relating to the ancient or unknown, and ultimately what everyone fears: Satan.

So, is Kanye West actually a servant of the Devil? The answer would most likely be no.

While there are many things we could call Kanye West, the fact of the matter is that most (if not all) music videos are produced purely to generate publicity and acclaim for artists. Many times, drumming up publicity for the artist involves adding a little controversy into their music videos for shock value.

Marketing teams and directors, especially, are forever in search of innovative ways to surprise and create memorable ideas in the minds of its subjects. So, before we all pick up our metaphorical “torches” and rush Kanye West, our own personal polo-wearing Frankenstein, we might want to take a deeper look at the business minds behind these videos.

After all, we’ve seen the Louis Vuitton Don in action, and there’s nothing he’d like better than to be worshipped for all time as the Savior of hip-hop.

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Radiohead by Alyssa Mastrocco (English) 20 22

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EVERYONE'S HAD A MOMENT WITH LIVE MUSIC- that moment where time slows, your senses heighten and you feel the music. You hear the crowd's collective heartbeat through it all, the lights ignite the stage and you know that there is meaning in that moment. Sometimes it can be hard to fully describe to another person, but we've given it a shot. If you've had a "moment," you'll understand the beauty in the music.

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W

hile I've had a lot of goose-bump inducing moments at shows since the year 2005, my first luckily happened to be at the first concert I've ever attended. It was at The Who concert at the TD Banknorth Garden, then called the Fleet Center, and I was surrounded by a bunch of old people trying to relive the glory days- including my parents.

My fourteen year-old self had just come along for the ride. But when the however aged Pete Townshend picked up his guitar I longed to be a part of that era who could call themselves part of "My Generation."

It was no Woodstock, but I was lucky enough to see the The Who perform in perhaps one of their last appearances in Boston. If they do not come again I advise anyone to take the advice of Zooey Deschanel in Almost Famous, "Listen to Tommy with a candle burning and you will see your entire future."

By Leslie Fowle (English/Journalism)

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ast summer, I saw Arcade Fire here in Boston. The Bank of America Pavilion was an amicable host to the band, and they sounded phenomenal. From the driving, pounding blast of the drums to the warmly classical flair of the hurdygurdy, AF's sound that night was a hipster's dream come true. The inevitable scent of pot filled the air occasionally, as one would expect, but most people were transfixed upon the magical outpouring of ideas and sounds emanating from the stage. The entire show was great, but when the band broke out their indie classic Wake Up for their closing song, the pavilion became a church. The overwhelming sense of nostalgia and affection towards this song was palpable, even 15 rows back. It was as if this one song made us strangers, friends for one brief moment. The triumphantly soaring vocals intoxicated the crowd and ended the show on a surprising note: hopeful. As with most great shows, you leave the venue in some sort of happy trance, as if your mind needs to hit the reset button.

I didn't snap out of it for days.

By Jeremy Christian (Music Industry)

he day was Friday, June 5th, 2009. I was about to see my favorite band ever for the first time at the Paradise in Boston. The first band on the bill was Tombs, out of NYC, whom never fail to put on a good show filled with pure force. The second band on the bill was Pelican, whom I never really cared for, but still put on a decent show. Two bands in at it was time for the headliner, the one and only, the goliath band Isis.

This was essentially the tour for Wavering Radiant, so Isis played a ton of material from that album (which is fine, because like every Isis album it is excellent), but also played other classics such as "Dulcinea" and "In Fiction." The encore for the band was easily the climax of the night, however, as they played my favorite song ever: "Celestial (The Tower)" leaving me with a feeling of euphoria. I was utterly and totally speechless at the performance Isis put on. Note after note, song after song, it just kept getting better. By the end of the show, I was at peace.

It seemed like the perfect set played the perfect way with the perfect people. To this day, no performance has matched it in my book; it was easily the single best moment I've ever experienced at a live show.

By Jordan Munson (Music Industry)

upos was crowded, smelling overwhelmingly of pot and alcohol. In fact, I'm pretty sure I watched a group of kids, mind-numbingly aware of the bouncers, light up at the front of the ​ crowd. I was there for Cage The Elephant, having seen them a year before with just 30 other people in Berklee's Cafe 939. I wanted to see what they were like in ​a bigger venue, with a larger and more rambunctious crowd. They didn't disappoint. Everyone from your dad to a nine-year-old kid (legitimately) was crowd surfing. When lead singer Matt Schulz made his first stage dive pretty much on top of me, the fan boy in me freaked out. He ended up clutching my arm while he hoisted himself up to stand on top of the crowd. Yes, I was watching the band I felt like I discovered just a year before play to soldout audience and sing and throb and thrash on top of the crowd.

The mosh pit was really going for Cage, but it only got harder and faster when Silversun Pickups took the stage. I was about to take off with some friends, the Pickups weren't doing anything for us and the mosh pit was getting rough. I was taking a last look back at the stage when a voice next to me said "I fucking love these guys," and, out of instinct I turned. Matt Schulz was standing beside me, amidst the sweaty crowd, wearing a big green winter jacket. I froze up, and only came back to earth when the mosh picked up again. After the show ended a small crowd formed around Matt. At the front of the crowd was the nine-year-old kid who had crowd surfed four times that night. Matt looked him in the eye and said "You made this concert.

Without you, I wouldn't be making music. Heartfelt or not, the capacity of this Kentucky-bred musician was touching and that kid had the concert of his life. I approached next, I had nothing for him to sign.

So I handed him my high school ID, he looked at it, laughed, and said "I think I looked like a heroin junky in mine," and handed it back to me, his signature scrawled across the back. I left feeling like a nine-yearold kid that had just met his idol.

By Aadil Sulaiman (Undeclared)

Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros by Kathryn Price (Journalism/Music Industry)

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rior to this show, I had been listening to Radiohead for only a few months. I had begun dipping into all of their albums and taking in this great new music, but it really hadn't completely won me over for some strange reason. However, when I saw the lineup for that day of the festival (which included Metric, Animal Collective and Kings of Leon), I figured it was worth the trek.

After the day's already fantastic acts, the sun began to set and the crowd became denser, I could feel the anticipation growing around me. Soon, the band hit the stage.

I have never been so awestruck by a performance, or anything for that matter, than that entire set.

In fact, it was SO wonderful that I couldn't even clap after songs. I just silently stared on as they played.

By the final encore, I was already so blown away by the songs I had heard, it did not matter what they played. But, to my surprise, the second-to-last song began with Jonny Greenwood messing around with that effects I had grown to love so well. My hands shot up to hold my head in disbelief and surely enough they played my absolute favorite track: "Planet Telex." The song had the most intense lighting of the night and some of the highest energy I had seen on stage yet. After this, the floodgates just opened.

The most perfect music I had ever seen or heard.

By Nick Calvino (Environmental Studies)

S

itting in the middle of the sweat-and-beersaturated floor at Webster Hall in the middle of July may not normally be appealing. But at the Edward Sharpe & the Magnetic Zeros show this summer, it united the audience and performers, putting everyone on the same level for the last songs of the night. The visibly exhausted, bare-chested lead singer Alex Ebert encouraged everyone to sit with him on the floor. He, lady songbird Jade Castrinos, and other members of the merry band of Zeros sat down and had everyone follow suit.

After seeing the sold-out crowd falling over each other trying to sit, eventually everyone was at peace, watching a wave of serenity come over the formerly frenzied crowd.

After playing a mixture of songs from "Up from Below" including what I think I deciphered as being "Simplest Love," it was as if everyone was just about ready to hold hands and sing "Kumbaya." It was ​virtually impossible to make out anything Ebert and Castrinos were singing, but it was it was a moment unique and peaceful enough to make me forget everything and totally envelop me in the music. ​By Suzie Conway (English)

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he best concert moment I ever experienced, the moment I will always remember, didn't even happen during a concert. Thursday, November 4, 2010 could have been a typical Thursday night, full of Jersey Shore re-runs and aimless Facebook stalking, except for Matt & Kim taking over Boston that night. I remember the rain on the walk over, the piped music inside the House of Blues, the banter of the opening acts well enough. And I remember the huge dance party that erupted the second Matt & Kim took the stage in a blaze of energy and their brief cover of "Do You Think You're Better Off Alone" even better. But what I remember the most is after the concert ended, after Matt & Kim triumphantly exited the stage, and the piped music returned. No one left the venue; everyone was too busy dancing to "Empire State of Mind" by Jay-Z and Alicia Keys. Even now, over three months after that concert, I can't hear that song without getting a stupidly foolish grin on my face. It was the perfect ending to an amazing concert, everyone too full of dancey energy to simply stop dancing and go get pizza just because the concert had ended.

By Leah Tribebtt (English) 23 25

Wayne Coyne of The Flaming Lips by Kathryn Price (Journalism/Music Industry)

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concert moment that has continued to resonate with me long after the final notes rang out was when I saw Brand New for the first time at Johns Hopkins University in the spring of 2006. With the band just returning from a two year hiatus and still riding on the wave of Internet buzz generated by their leaked demos, it was a thrilling time to be a Brand New fan.

My dad was kind enough to drive a friend and me down to Baltimore and drop us off at the university campus around noon so we could wait in line like the obsessive sixteen year olds we were. After finally being ushered towards the stage, pushing my chest against the barrier, and making conversation with the other giddy fans, the ensuing concert was everything I could have wanted.

"Soco Amaretto Lime" opened the show, "Sowing Season" and "Degausser" were played for the second time ever, and I popped my crowd surfing cherry as "Jude Law" closed out the performance.

To top it off, my friend and I got to speak to Jesse Lacey (vocals, guitar) at the end of the show, string together a few fumbling sentences to express our appreciation for his music, and copped an autograph on my golden (literally) concert ticket. I'm pretty sure I walked on clouds for the rest of the month.

And now, even though "Deja Entendu" is not the standard to which all other records are measured and I don't waste my days on Brand New forums, I have yet to attend a concert that encapsulated the urgent excitement of adolescence more than that evening at Johns Hopkins.

By Kyle Risley (Marketing)

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he rain started at six, just as we were getting in line. It came down hard and within minutes we were soaked.

Homeless men began walking up and down the line, peddling stolen umbrellas and parkas. An hour passed and we were listening to a horrid experimental act consisting of a Dylan rip-off and a gas mask-wearing mouth keyboardist.

As the dousing continued, large unavoidable puddles started to form. Every face I saw in the crowd seemed to suggest the same thing: this show was a bad idea. But halfway through the surprisingly awesome second opener's set, the rain stopped. We started to dry off and the crowd seemed to loosen up. As Explosions In The Sky was setting up, the clouds started to thin. It was roughly eight and the sun was setting. Just as the lead guitarist welcomed us and thanked us for braving the weather, a few slender rays started peeking through the clouds. The set started with one of their biggest tracks, "The Birth Of Death And Day". By the time the band got to the climax of the song's first massive crescendo, the clouds had almost c ​ ompletely cleared. A golden orange sunset lay behind us, illuminating the four members of the Austin post-rock act a sublimely picturesque moment for sublimely picturesque music.

The 2-hour set that ensued left my soggy friends and I in an ear-ringing daze for the rest of the night.

By Bill Shaner (Women's Studies)

ery few artists realize that concerts are about a full experience, not just music.

The Flaming Lips seem to forget that a concert is about music. The band doesn't sound great live but it doesn't matter because you are quite literally at a circus. Seeing The Lips should be on everyone's bucket list. It doesn't matter if it's at a festival or indoors, a Lips show promises costumes, laser hands, a giant hamster ball, aliens, balloons, and most importantly confetti. I was once at New York City's Terminal 5 three days after the Lips had performed and confetti was still falling from the rafters. There were many moments throughout The Flaming Lips set that got me choked up mid-show, but one specific song can still induce tears just listening today.

The band closed the show with their hit single, "Do You Realize??".

Before starting the song Coyne told the audience how one young man in, opening act, Stardeath and White Dwarfs lost his father at the age of 15. On his father's request, "Do You Realize??" was played at the funeral. The songs lyrics are a reminder of the beauty of life. The duality of that unfortunate story plus the fact that I was with my Uncle Pete, with whom I share many musical experiences, gave this song special meaning for me.

As the confetti cannons punctuate every iteration of that simple question, it's impossible not to be moved. The Flaming Lips provide adults with happiness: pure and childlike. My u​ncle was so hooked that he had to see them again only a few weeks later. I haven't seen them again yet but their music still makes life a little more special.

By Christopher Stoppiello (English)

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I

t still surprises me when people who aren't from Levittown know about Brand New. It didn't matter that their records were in Best Buy and their videos on MTV; they were the one cool thing that came out of our shitty, boring town where nothing ever happens, which somehow made them ours and no one else's. So when I saw them at this tiny theater during finals week December 2007, it felt like seeing friends - friends that I'd never met and idolized throughout my entire adolescence, but friends nonetheless.

On that particular evening, even though they were touring their third album, they decided to play only songs and b-sides off of their first album (this was before playing your fan favorite album was a thing.

(This was a total surprise). For those familiar with the band (see?

I still do it), there's a song off of Your Favorite Weapon called Soco Amaretto Lime. It's a youth anthem about passing out on an overpass and staying eighteen forever and suburban high school blues. But, for me, when Jesse Lacey talks about how he wants to 'get the hell out of this town' he's not just talking about any town. He's talking about my town. I had drank a bottle of Yellow Tail Pinot Grigio that night, so I can't quote Lacey verbatim, but I definitely remember him shouting out to "the hometown fans" in the crowd as he tuned his guitar before playing it.

I hugged my fellow drunk hometown friend, and we proceeded to be those drunk girls singing way too loudly during the soft, pretty song. But whatever, dude.

Fuck you. It's our fucking song.

By Jaclyn Loraso (N/A)

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tend to get pretty emotional at concerts, full stop.

Seeing Radiohead, however, was like nothing I could have ever expected. It was my first festival experience, my first summer in college and, most importantly, my first time seeing my favorite band.

They were the Saturday headliner for the first All Points West Festival, and there were five b ​ ands between Thom, Jonny, Ed, Colin, Phil and me. It was a long but mostly enjoyable day, and by the time eight o'clock rolled around, I had made my way to the center barrier.

With ten or so people between the stage and me I had a clear view.

It seemed like forever before their light show was set up and the electronic intro music finally pumped from the speakers but by the time the band took the stage, with Thom in his red pants and a Tibetan flag draped across Jonny Greenwood's electric piano, the crowd was getting antsy.

There is was. /Reckoner./ Bathed in a pinkish glow, they opened with my favorite song f​rom /In Rainbows/ and it sent chills through my body on a hot August night. The harmonies, the reverb, the guitar melody and Thom's awkward dancing sent the night off on a perfect high that never came down. Two and a half hours of euphoria later and I was buzzing.

That concert holds the number one spot on my all-time greatest concerts list and I'd be surprised if anything ever takes its place.

By Alyssa Mastrocco (English)

t was day two of Coachella 2010, and with the crowds and the desert heat starting to get to me and my friends, we knew Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeroes would be the perfect set to go to in order to let off some steam (read: dance insanely without anyone judging us). After waiting through a few delays, the ten-piece band finally came onstage with their delightful mix of instruments, and we prepared to go crazy along with the rest of the smoke-filled, sweaty crowd. But before the band could even begin their set, their frontman, Alex, accidentally dropped a mic stand off the stage and into the part of the crowd lucky enough to be front-row. Immediately, Alex said into his microphone, "I'm so sorry, man," and we could see that the mic stand had hit a fan right in the head, leaving a pretty serious-looking gash.

The crowd, having been cheering and catcalling moments ago, fell into a did-that-really-just-happen kind of silence. Alex proceeded to take the dirty, ripped wifebeater he was wearing under his usual performance attire of a white jacket and pants, creating a makeshift bandage that he wrapped around the victims head like a turban.

Despite the bloody circumstances, it became this beautiful moment that perfectly showed the heart of the band's music-promoting love, community and caring for your fellow man. After making sure the guy was okay, the band jumped into the glorious isolated drum beats of "40 Day Dream," playing to a newly-inspired crowd.

By Emma Vine (English)

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ayne Coyne rolled over me in his signature hamster ball while I was in the photo pit. I shot Edward Sharpe and The Magnetic Zeroes after a fire marshal threatened to shut down the show and made everyone sit down.

I saw Alexander Ebert and Jade's parents meet for the first time shortly after that. Broken Social Scene played "Anthems For A Seventeen Year Old Girl" with Emily Haines two feet in front of me. I witnessed Muse play a tiny secret show at SXSW. Imogen Heap sang "Hide and Seek" entirely on her own after her vocoder broke when I saw her at Coachella.

I have seen so many truly aweinspiring moments in live music, but nothing will top Tastemakers Presents... shows for me. Most people have no idea what the process of planning these shows entails. In short, we go through months of frustration and get told we can't do anything we want.

We end up with artists that we usually don't care for that much.

That doesn't matter though. What matters is getting up at six in the morning to break down a truck with your friends, sharing gloves and sweatshirts. What matters is running around together getting porn magazines, nasty tea and mood enhancers for the bands. What matters is leaning your head on someone's shoulder at 5:30 when you're ready to pass out already.

And what matters most is standing in Centennial Commons shoulder to shoulder after the sun has gone down and looking out at a crowd that we brought together because we love music. We really do.

By Katie Price (Music Industry/Journalism)

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[cd]

REVIEWS If you would like to submit a review to be considered for publishing in print or online, e-mail: tmreviews@gmail.com

by Runyon Colie (Computer Science)

The Joy Formidable The Big Roar Release Date: January 24, 2011 Label: Atlantic Records Genre: Indie/Noise Rock

The Big Roar is in an interesting place. Though it is being referred to as The Joy Formidable’s debut album, many of the songs were released on 2009’s EP A Balloon Called Moaning or as singles on the band’s Myspace. The album suffers from a lack of coherent vision because of this, most obvious in a pacing that approaches tedium in the middle to latter sections of the album. Still, the album is a good introduction to the Welsh rockers. Fronted by the wild Ritzy Bryan, the band serves up a grungy indie rock that’s not afraid to throw some distortion into the mix.

This has never been more apparent than on this release – standout “Whirring” has been transformed by the addition of a two minute barrage of primal rock, driving the already impressive drum and guitar instrumentals of the band to the forefront. What the album lacks is a moment of release. The magnificent and (relatively) calm “9669” of A Balloon Called

by Holly Thomann (Linguistics)

Cut Copy Zonoscope Release Date: February 8, 2011 Label: Modular Recordings Genre: Indie pop

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As with 2008’s In Ghost Colours, Cut Copy’s Zonoscope flows effortlessly from song to song, creating connections and establishing an overall feeling for the listener rather than simply offering a collection of unrelated songs. In Ghost Colours, albeit a great album, tended to overemphasize this flow which meant few songs really stood out. Not so for Zonoscope! In addition to seamless dance pop-beats, Zonoscope gives us a broader taste of what Cut Copy has to offer.

“Need You Now” starts us off by building tension slowly, only to release us into a sweeping, lush and surprisingly emotionally-charged track. We are then transitioned into the “tribal” drum-beats and groovy bass riffs that compose the incredibly fun “Take Me Over.” “Where I’m Going” is next as the albums most obvious single with vocal layering akin to an Animal Collective song. Following is “Pharaohs and Pyramids,” a funky song with the precious mantra: “loudspeakers sound like disco

Moaning has disappeared, leaving nothing to slow the album’s pace. “Maruyama” seems to be its replacement, but at less than two minutes it is largely forgettable.

The songs themselves are still generally excellent. “I Don’t Want to See You Like This” and “Austere” are still the same catchy, exciting tracks that they were a year ago, while new tracks “Llaw = Wall” and the epic opener “The Everchanging Spectrum of a Life” bring new works to the table.

Closer “The Greatest Light is the Greatest Shade” finishes everything off impressively, perhaps being the album’s best track. While The Big Roar’s pacing is questionable, it is hard to dispute the quality of each track (and the thrilling power that each would hold live). If you like what you hear, be sure to dig into their previous releases for a more well-rounded picture of the band.

Recommended Tracks: I Don’t Want to See You Like This, The Everchanging Spectrum of a Life, The Greatest Light is the Greatest Shade

lights.” Influences from Talking Heads and New Order to Fleetwood Mac and Paul Simon push this new variety of sounds forward without sounding so referential that Cut Copy loses its identity.

The only low point of the album is the selfindulgent final song “Sun God” which is an unnecessary 15 minutes. The first five minutes constitute a good song but then slowly “Sun God” becomes merely background pump-up music.

After all this build up you finally get what sounds like Trent Reznor whispering. Worth it? Nope. My advice is to stop at the five-minute mark.

Overall, Cut Copy diversifies their sound on Zonoscope while still creating great pop-dance songs. Also, the cover art is pretty neat! My suggestion to you: put this album on and listen from start to finish – I dare you not to dance!

Recommended Tracks: Where I’m Going, Pharaohs & Pyramids, Need You Now

by Nathan Goldman (Comp Sci/Cognitive Psych)

Toro y Moi Underneath the Pine Release Date: February 22, 2011 Label: Carpark Records Genre: Synthpop

Chaz Bundick, also known as Toro y Moi, has had the label of ‘chillwave’ following him ever since the term was coined to describe the brand of light, airy synth music that he and several other artists were pioneering. That isn’t a bad thing in itself, but of course it comes with other associations for many listeners; words like ‘dull’, ‘formulaic’, or ‘fad’. While he shows no sign of shedding the aesthetic altogether, it seems Bundick has sought to broaden his scope somewhat on his new album Underneath the Pine.

This album is at its best when it’s at its funkiest. This can be seen on singles “Still Sound” and “New Beat”, both of which have a rather insidious ability to tempt one into bobbing their head or grooving around their dorm room while playing. These infectious beats certainly

by Jeff Curry (Behavioral Neuroscience)

Lupe Fiasco Lasers Release Date: March 4, 2011 Label: 1st & 15th, Atlantic Genre: Hip hop

The most disheartening thing about listening to Lasers is knowing the unfathomable amount of effort it took to make and release. At the end of its two-year delay, Lasers broadcasts the opposite of everything that made Lupe Fiasco the best artist of his genre. The songs dedicated to the underdogs and the references to dating and high school band are gone; in their place is an overabundance of electronic melodies, cumbersome rock guitar tracks, and Auto-Tune; the very thing that Fiasco humiliated in his 2009 single, “Shining Down”.

Lasers skips the typical Fiasco introduction to avoid target audience boredom and jumps into “Letting Go”, a song that could easily be found on Linkin Park’s recent catastrophe of an album. The two relative standouts on the album are “The Show Goes On” and “All Black Everything”, the latter being the most closely reminiscent of past records.

It’s not that Lupe's message is unsatisfactory.

Although not nearly on par with his previous lyrics,

by Kate Lieb (Journalism)

Holy Ghost! Holy Ghost!

Release Date: April 12, 2011 Label: DFA Records Genre: Electropop

After spending the year touring with DFA Records-head James Murphy and his band LCD Soundsystem, Holy Ghost! is now ready to release its self-titled debut record. Parts of this album make you want to jump to your feet and party like its 1975 again with strong, fun disco rhythms, but some make you want to cut the party short.

By looking at track length at many of these tracks, you can tell this record was produced by DFA. Just like a typical LCD record the majority of the songs were more than four minutes long, however, few needed to be that long. For example “Say My Name” is a great track with a strong beat that throbs through the speakers and it excites the listener for four minutes, but unfortunately the track doesn’t end there. In fact, there’s another 2 minutes 38 seconds to go. With many of these songs, you can’t help but wonder why the song didn’t end earlier. It’s a flaw that prevents this

prove that Toro y Moi has more to offer than just straightforward chillwave.

However, much of the album as a whole lacks the charm of these tracks, and, in fact, any charm or personality at all. Some tracks, such as “Good Hold” or instrumental slow-jam “Divina,” feel like wasted potential--promising opportunities and interesting ideas that could have been better seized. Others, such as “Light Black,” are just forgettable tracks; not bad, just inoffensive and bland. Nonetheless, Underneath the Pine is a pleasant listen with a number of gems among its ranks, which prove Chaz’s breadth as a musician and deserve plenty of play time on their own.

Recommended Tracks: New Beat, Still Sound, Before I’m Done

Lasers avoids the hackneyed domain of “disregard females, acquire currency” while generating enough testicular fortitude to call out some of America’s biggest ignoramuses. The main problem stems from the conflict between artist and label. Lasers seems to be a compromise between Lupe’s progressive lyrics and the album’s conventional sound. Verses on race and politics are overwhelmed by labelpushed choruses, a combination that gives Lasers an awkward feel.

Even Lupe expressed his disappointment with the album and how overbearing Atlantic Records was. One can only hope that the success of Lasers will satisfy his label’s monetary cravings and allow Lupe to redeem himself with Food and Liquor II: The Great American Rap Album, tentatively scheduled for release this year. Until then, I’ll think of the “Lupe Fiasco’s” on past album titles as his official seal of approval, conveniently missing from this record.

Recommended Tracks: The Show Goes On, All Black Everything

album to be the great record it tries to be, but with that said, there are some that achieved greatness.

“Jam for Jerry” is the giant sigh of relief for any Holy Ghost! listener anticipating a great pop song. Calling this song infectious would be an understatement as it is the type of track that would start a dance party the second someone presses the play button. “It’s Not Over” features the jaunty and sharp electronic beats Holy Ghost! uses throughout the album.

Overall, this is a good album with great tracks that are just too long. This is an impressive debut from Holy Ghost!, but it could have been one of the best debuts of the year. Despite the excessive song length, this band is ready to be the soundtrack to a party at your house.

Recommended Tracks: Jam For Jerry, It’s Not Over, Slow Motion 29

A

The Hotel Year

melodic power-pop quartet that sings about losing old friends and makes Smiths references? It’s no wonder that Christian Holden – vocalist/ bassist of Massachusetts-based The Hotel Year – jokes that the band jacked their sound from early Brand New. (And after hearing the group’s spot-on cover of “Seventy Times Seven,” we’re not so sure he was really kidding.) But while their swelling choruses and fuck-you lyrics may at times be reminiscent of Your Favorite Weapon, the foursome maintain a sense of humor – not to mention humility – that Jesse Lacey and co. lost long ago. We’re into it, and we think you will be too, so we caught up with Holden to get the lowdown on The Hotel Year’s origins and to find out why the group deserves a spot on your next mixtape.

Tastemakers Magazine: How did the you guys meet and start playing together?

Christian Holden: We all went to high school together. Sam played in a metalcore band, Chris played in a screamo band, I played in various 80s hair-metal bands, and Zack actually started the first Dubstep group, ever. So we decided to combine our music tastes and make this band.

TMM: How would you describe your sound to our readers?

CH: Uhm, we've been described by others as sounding like Piebald (because of my voice),

30

early Brand New (because we purposefully ripped them off), The Early November, Saves the Day, Rise Against, and others. I'm not going to say I really agree with any of them.

But I obviously have a different idea of our sound than someone listening to it.

TMM: Can you tell us about It Never Goes Out? CH: The name is a Smith's rip off. I always thought that song (There Is A Light that Never Goes Out) had an odd title. Before I even listened to the Smiths, I just saw the title and had this whole philosophy about the songs meaning thinking it was going to be about this adventurous, youthful, lively spirit that doesn't die. Then I listened to the song, and I was like “I don't get it.”

But we just released the album at the very beginning of the year. It was written while we were all starting to explore new types of music, and thus were experimenting with a lot of different feels, chords, and writing styles (as far as lyrics).

I see it as an album that has a lot of diverse sound, with this sort of somber tone that just naturally came out of us while we were writing it.

TMM: Who are your influences?

CH: We all listen to a lot of different bands and genres. For me, I was a kind of angsty kid growing up, so I was into the whole Good Charlotte, Simple Plan, Blink 182 thing. Then my friends said that wasn't cool anymore. So

Illustration courtesy of The Hotel Year

J UST A TASTE OF

then I liked Drive-Thru bands, like the Starting Line, New Found Glory, I Can Make a Mess... but then... Pop punk influenced by hardcore was the new cool thing. So I liked that. Then it stopped being cool to be macho, so I liked bands from the ‘90s like Pavement, The Pixies, The Weakerthans, The Promise Ring, Cap'n Jazz... and so on. Then it stopped being cool to be cool, so now I just like Avril and Ke$ha.

TMM: Who are you listening to right now?

CH: I have been really into Icelandic art rock bands. Chris has been listening to Miles Davis' Bitches Brew. Sam is listening to college fight songs. And Zack just sits in his room blaring dubstep and laughing hysterically to himself.

TMM: What do you guys have going on in 2011?

CH: We have come to the conclusion that we should play shows outside of Massachusetts. So we are going to that more.

TMM: Why should fans make sure they give you a listen?

CH: Because by the end of this interview, your readers are probably so confused, that they don't know what else to do than make fun of us.

TMM: If the Hotel Year was a flavor of ice cream, what flavor would you be?

CH: Grasshopper Pie. Because it sounds special, but really it’s just a glorified mint chocolate chip.

crossword

zoomed

Can you tell which five Across album covers we've 1 This band was like a KMart version of the Beatles zoomed in on?

6 The college where Dispatch was formed 7 Designer of Radiohead's Hail to the Thief album art 8 The Boiler Room was started by ____ Magazine 9 Interscope Records had a deal with this artist's estate to release his albums and merchandise after death 10 STV SLV's band Shapers is going on tour with _____ 11 The Black Lips' tropical cruise show Down 2 The director known for the ominous visuals in several of Kanye's music videos 3 The name Brad Corrigan recorded a solo project under 4 We want music, not___ 5 Otis Redding's most famous song, "(Sittin' on) The Dock of the Bay" was released ____

find bieber We've hidden Justin Bieber somewhere in this issue. Find him and maybe something cool will happen...