Reviews
Review: Captain, We’re Sinking – The King of No Man
Tuesday, January 30th, 2018 by WLOY Staff
Captain, We’re Sinking
The King of No Man
Rate: 10/10
RIYL: The Menzingers, The Wonder Years, The Descendents
As a whole The King of No Man definitely has a softer tone than Captain, We’re Sinking’s last album, The Future Is Cancelled, which was released in 2013. Despite this, The King of No Man is still very distinctly the punk sound of Captain, We’re Sinking. Overall, the album has mellow verses with heavier choruses. This album’s tracks have similar sounds to that of The Wonder Years, Knuckle Puck, The Gaslight Anthem, classic punk bands such as The Rites of Spring and The Descendents, and complimenting other out-of-genre influences. I feel like this album is like the Thanksgiving meal of punk; there’s so many sub-genre punk tracks that work deliciously well together. Below is just a taste of what the album is like: (more…)
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Review: Anderson East – Encore
Wednesday, January 24th, 2018 by WLOY Staff
Artist: Anderson East
Album: Encore
Released: 01/12/2018
RIYL: James Morrison, Passenger, John Mayer, Ray LaMontagne
Rate: 10/10
As the boyfriend of one of my favorite country artists, Miranda Lambert, Anderson East is a person of my special interest. There’s something about this soulful singer’s voice that makes it clear why Lambert swoons over him—it’s downright gorgeous with just a touch of a rocker’s raspy-ness. From the beginning, Encore has a funkier and more upbeat and in-your-face sound than East’s previous album, Delilah. Still, Encore is not without a few of Anderson East’s signature style consisting of slower love songs. A lot of different (and great) components of the album remind me of the 60s and 70s funk-rock and The Temptations. With co-writers such as pop artist Ed Sheeran, country artist Chris Stapleton, and Nashville songwriter Aaron Raitiere, this album is pure beauty. In this way, Anderson East takes southern soul and twists it making his music accessible to listeners of many different genres. (more…)
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Review: Spice Boys – Glade
Wednesday, January 17th, 2018 by WLOY Staff
Artist: Spice Boys
Album: Glade
Label: Punk Slime Recordings
Released: 01/12/2018
RIYL: FIDLAR, WAVVES, Together PANGEA
Rate: 9/10
When I first heard of the band Spice Boys, I was immediately intrigued and “Wannabe” by Spice Girls starting playing in my head. To my surprise, the Spice Boys are nothing like their flavorful, female, predecessors. Spice Boys released their first EP in 2016. After signing to Punk Slime Recordings shortly after this, Spice Boys have blessed us with their newest album, Glade. The whole album is full of distortion of all aspects of the songs—the vocals, the guitar, even the drums sound more static-y than normal. This Swedish garage rock band’s sound makes me think of kicking up some trouble with my friends on the beach in the summer. The use of echoes and wa-wa-like effects in all of the tracks just gives the album a really fun-inspiring. The fast-paced and upbeat songs make you want to dance like a fool. (more…)
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Review: Shooter Jennings and Jason Boland – Baltimore Soundstage
Sunday, December 10th, 2017 by WLOY Staff
On December 6, 2017, Shooter Jennings and Jason Boland rocked the Soundstage on the very first night of their joint tour. The opener was Sean K. Preston (not Britney Spears’ son as he mentioned) and he was equally as amazing. With a sound somewhere between Johnny Cash and Elvis, songs of divorce and snakeskin boots, and incredible vibrato, Preston set the stage perfectly for Shooter and Boland. Preston’s classic country sound complimented the mellowness of the genuinely heartfelt performance that ensued. (more…)
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Hitting the Jackpot with The Yardbirds
Friday, August 11th, 2017 by The Professor
The Yardbirds mark their premiere appearance in Atlantic City
by Radio RockonTour host Timothy Tilghman
Formed in London in 1963, [itunes link=”https://itunes.apple.com/us/artist/the-yardbirds/id535787?uo=4″ title=”The Yardbirds” text=”The Yardbirds”] finally debuted in Atlantic City, New Jersey, on Friday, July 7, 2017, among the assorted characters who gamble their fortunes on the turn of a card. The talented musicians appeared at the Resorts Superstar Theater anchored by original drummer Jim McCarty who is the last founding member of The Yardbirds. (more…)
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Earth People! The Triumphant Return of Dr. Octagon
Monday, June 26th, 2017 by The Professor
by Earl Crown, host of Crucial Cuts on WLOY
On June 4th 2017, Kool Keith (aka Dr. Octagon) came to Baltimore Soundstage with his hip-hop super-group, and reminded us why we loved Dr. Octagon in the first place. His 1996 album, [itunes link=”https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/1977/id310121423?i=310121516&uo=4″ title=”Dr. Octagonecologyst” text=”Dr. Octagonecologyst”], is considered by many to be among the most important albums of that decade and a must-own LP for any serious fan of the genre. With the help of producer and DJ Dan “The Automator” Nakamura, as well as world-class turntablist DJ Qbert, Octagon was able recreate the genius of his groundbreaking 1996 album on stage.
The Dr. Octagon tour features an all-star stage band, with a live drummer and bass player, along with two DJs, the aforementioned Dan the Automator and DJ Qbert. The set list for the Baltimore Soundstage show included many tracks from the Dr. Octagonecologyst album, including “[itunes link=”https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/3000/id310121423?i=310121435&uo=4″ title=”3000″ text=”3000″]”, “[itunes link=”https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/earth-people/id310121423?i=310121448&uo=4″ title=”Earth People” text=”Earth People”]” and “[itunes link=”https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/bear-witness/id310121423?i=310121476&uo=4″ title=”Bear Witness” text=”Bear Witness”]”. The appreciative crowd got especially wild for “[itunes link=”https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/blue-flowers/id310121423?i=310121467&uo=4″ title=”Blue Flowers” text=”Blue Flowers”],” a fan-favorite from the 1996 release. (more…)
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Pretty Don amazing: Don Broco Live
Thursday, May 11th, 2017 by WLOY Staff
The British rock band, [itunes link=”https://itunes.apple.com/us/artist/don-broco/id307317604?uo=4″ title=”Don Broco” text=”Don Broco”], has been around since 2008, but have just embarked on their first US tour. Aside from having the pleasure of interviewing the band, I had the opportunity of seeing them live at Baltimore Soundstage.
Anyone who knows Baltimore, knows that the music fans of the city are very hard to please, especially the pop punk scene, who have seen acts like Modern Baseball, All Time Low and many more jump off to headlining acts at major festivals and their own tours. And to be honest, Don Broco is definitely the odd ball out when looking at the bill. They are lined up with bands like: With Confidence, Against the Current and State Champs. Fortunately, there were a few fans there, but Don Broco definitely had a challenge ahead of them. (more…)
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Concert Review: The World is a Beautiful Place @ The Metro Gallery
Thursday, March 16th, 2017 by WLOY Staff
On January 29th I got to see The World is a Beautiful Place and I Am No Longer Afraid to Die, along with the local openers Us &Us Only and Purrer. Although The World is a Beautiful Place and I Am No Longer Afraid to Die wasn’t the reason I wanted to go to the show, the whole concert was an all-around great experience. (more…)
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Album Review: Elton John – Tumbleweed Connection
Friday, February 17th, 2017 by WLOY Staff
Review by: Claire Riley’20
Elton John – Tumbleweed Connection
Released: October 30, 1970
Rate: 10/10
LIYL: Billy Joel, Chicago, Paul McCartney, James Taylor
First and foremost, I would like to give credit to Billy McLaughlin (Class of 2020) for recommending this masterpiece of an album. In “Tumbleweed Connection,” Elton John incorporates a unique twist on his classic and iconic style that has made an indelible mark on music history. He takes his audience to the cowboy era of the Midwest in each ballad with his mesmerizing and soulful piano-playing and distinct vocals accompanied by the harmonica, drums, guitar, and harmonies that are sure to stick in your head and draw you right back in when the album concludes. Some of my personal favorites include “Ballad of a Well-Known Gun,” “Country Comfort,” and “Where To Now Saint Peter?” (more…)
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Album Review (New Release): John Mayer – The Search for Everything – Wave One
Friday, February 10th, 2017 by WLOY Staff
Review by: William O’Connor ’20
John Mayer – [itunes link=”https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/moving-on-and-getting-over/id1195111784?i=1195111863&uo=4″ title=”The Search for Everything – John Mayer” text=”The Search for Everything – Wave One”]
Released: January 20th, 2017
Rate: 8.5/10
LIYL: Train, Ed Sheeran, and the John Mayer Trio
This first “wave” had a lot of hype leading up to its release and it’s finally here. This is his first release since [itunes link=”https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/dear-marie/id672720304?i=672720308&uo=4″ title=”Paradise Valley – John Mayer” text=”Paradise Valley”] and [itunes link=”https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/something-like-olivia/id516701586?i=516701811&uo=4″ title=”Born and Raised – John Mayer” text=”Born and Raised”], those two albums being very different compared to what he has put out in the past. They were definitely not his best, and in anticipation of this new release we were all hoping for a huge improvement, something different from the singer-songwriter. For one thing, his trio band members who have made some of John Mayer’s best music with him, Steve Jordan and Pino Palladino, are backing in the drums and bass. They played songs with him such as “[itunes link=”https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/gravity-live/id388127285?i=388127511&uo=4″ title=”Gravity – John Mayer” text=”Gravity”]”, “[itunes link=”https://itunes.apple.com/us/music-video/who-did-you-think-i-was-new/id295970158?uo=4″ title=”Who Did You Think I Was – John Mayer” text=”Who Did You Think I Was”]”, “[itunes link=”https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/daughters/id322697981?i=322697997&uo=4″ title=”Daughters – John Mayer” text=”Daughters”]”, and “[itunes link=”https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/try-live/id159527304?i=159528791&uo=4″ title=”Try – John Mayer” text=”Try”]”. (more…)
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