Opening with the sound of a sunrise, humming and gentle like morning air, If Blue Could Be Happiness doesn’t ask much at first listen. It is space, which Florist’s singer and songwriter Emily Sprague uses to invite and share vulnerable parts of herself. Accompanying these soft acoustics, early on, we hear Sprague admit “I’m… Read More

  cool coma is the first full length release from Montreal’s PHERN a “super group” of sorts. Although the band is indeed composed of members of various Montreal acts (Moss Lime, Soft Cone and Sheer Agony) Ben Lalande, one of the band’s guitarists, scoffs at the term. Like its creators, cool coma, does not take… Read More

Fact: “The Dream is Over” is a direct quote from lead singer Stefan Babcock’s doctor. After Stefan basically destroyed his vocal chords due to the band’s insane touring schedule of about 250 shows a year, he was rewarded with this crushing diagnosis. But if the story sounds a little ridiculous or overly serious to you, you’re… Read More

The summers of 2014 and 2015 could not have been more different for me. 2014 was the start of a new relationship, and 2015 was the difficult ending. Although the two summers were a year apart, and although they corresponded to two opposite emotional poles of my life, I associate both summers with many of… Read More

A great effort by an established indie alt-folk artist, but unfortunately marred by one of his worst songs in years. Before the announcement of Are You Serious earlier this year, Andrew Bird fans were starting to worry he’d never release a proper follow-up to 2012’s excellent LP Break it Yourself. In the four years between… Read More

The downside to college is that there no rummaging around your candy bag in post Halloween sugar cravings. You may think that sneaking a couple pieces from the kids you babysit for is going to suffice, but at the end of the day you didn’t get the candy yourself and it just doesn’t taste the… Read More

We, the human race, should be admired for our willingness to persist in our constant struggle against the realities of mortal existence. We’re highly practiced in fighting these realities, and yet we seem to perpetually lack any effective means of suppressing our fear of our own rapidly approaching demise, let alone digesting the idea that… Read More

Lianne La Havas recently put out her second album, Blood, on July 31st. If you have yet to listen to her before now, not only is a little self reflection necessary, but so is a repeated listen of this album. She has returned from her previous work, Is Your Love Big Enough, in 2012 to present a much more… Read More

If you’re still wondering what the song of the summer is, you probably should just come to terms with it not existing or understand that it already exists and you just don’t like it as much as the other participants of summer. If you have chosen to come to terms with the nonexistence and need… Read More

  Album: Waxahatchee– Ivy Tripp (2015) Label: Merge // Genre: Rock/Folk // RIYL: ​PS Eliot, Sharon van Etten, Girlpool // Best Tracks: 2, 8, 11, 12  // Grade: A-   When “Air” was released back in January, it seemed to pick up right where Cerulean Salt left off: leading with a simple melody on electric guitar, Katie Crutchfield’s unmistakable voice, and captivating lyrics- vulnerable and… Read More

Consistency is key, says the new indie-n proverb I decided was true for the sake of this write up. A well-crafted, unique sound is any musician’s best friend; experimentation is the double-edged résumé-stuffer that critics crave (nay, demand!)  but only when done right. Change too little and you’ll become boring and cantankerous. Change too much… Read More