Though Atoms for Peace might sound like some kind of Bono-spearheaded campaign to help war-torn countries, it’s actually the name of a band, one of the latest in a string of side projects put together by Radiohead’s Thom Yorke. Amok is their first album together, and although it’s not quite a concept album, it does have a sort of running theme.
Atoms for Peace- Amok
Posted on 13, May
Attack on Memory By Cloud Nothings
Posted on 20, Feb
Cloud Nothings is an indie rock band founded in 2009 by then teenager Dylan Baldi. What started as a basement solo project for his own amusement, turned into a full time gig when a couple of songs Baldi posted to a fake band’s MySpace page he crafted started to garner enough attention to earn him EP release offers and bookings for shows in New York. Just over three years later Baldi’s near prolific levels of output coupled with a fierce and youthful exuberance, have resulted in not only a collection of early EP’s and singles, but two full length albums as well. The most recent, Attack On Memory, was released in January 2012.
“I Don’t Believe in Beatles”
Posted on 22, Jan
John Lennon has been, and always will be, my favorite Beatle. I guess that, honestly, I was drawn to his life’s story because of his tragic end. How could a peaceful, fun-loving, gentle man come to such a violent, senseless end? After reading many books and watching many documentaries about Lennon, I came to find that he wasn’t always peaceful and fun-loving. He had his dark side which is much clearer to see in his solo work than his “I Want to Hold Your Hand” years. His solo career had him singing from opposite ends of the spectrum, like, “Imagine all the people living life in peace” and, conversely, “Those freaks were right when they said you was dead/The one mistake you made was in your head” (an obvious stab at fellow ex-Beatle Paul McCartney). Lennon was a very emotional person and his feelings, both positive and negative, wore heavy on him. This was also reflected in his solo music career.
Here are my top five John Lennon songs.
Michael Wense Reviews Love This Giant
Posted on 27, Nov
As far as collaborations go, the fact that David Byrne (frontman of the band The Talking Heads) and St. Vincent (songstress Annie Clark) have an album out together is kind of surprising. Though I’ve usually liked what I’ve heard, I’ve never been a big David Byrne follower, and St. Vincent has kind of flown under my radar thus far. What I do know about these two would have been enough to give me pause if someone a few years ago had told me, “Hey, these guys are going to put out an album together.”
Jack White Without The Stripes
Posted on 6, Nov
I have, thus far, written two articles for Slackers concerning Jack White. The first was a review of the White Stripes documentary Under Great Northern White Lights and the second was a list of my favorite White Stripes songs. But Jack White wasn’t satisfied with having a highly successful and popular band like the White Stripes. No sir, he decided to start collaborating. Then he started forming new bands. Then he started up his own recording studio. Then he released a solo album. Oh, and he’s acted in a couple of films, too; ya know, just because. This article, though, focuses on his music outside of the White Stripes. Here are my top five Jack White songs that are not White Stripes tracks.
Michael Wense Reviews Fiona Apple’s The Idler Wheel. . . .
Posted on 4, Aug
After a seven year absence from the music spotlight, Fiona Apple returns with a collection of all-new songs to engage listeners with all the emotions Apple knows so well. With her new album, Fiona takes on subjects of failed relationships (most notably involving her former beau, writer Jonathan Ames) and her feelings of self-doubt. Listeners coming from her previous album Extraordinary Machine might be in for a bit of a tough transitional period. While Extraordinary Machine did have songs of varying tempos, The Idler Wheel consists mostly of slower, moodier tracks.
