Top 4 of March 16-22, 2014

By: Sam Boyer, Blogs Editor

1. La Dispute - Rooms of the House 

By Megan Fair

I honestly cannot express how impressed I am with this record. There is something so very entrancing about the intricate story lines and imagery that make me feel vast sorrow and nostalgia for memories that don't even belong to me. The more I hear it, the more I notice all the modest sonic touches and intricate musicianship behind every emotionally delivered track. There's something to be said for a group of artists who aren't afraid to wear their hearts on their sleeves, especially when these hearts are battered and bursting with rich experiences. La Dispute naysayers will have a pretty difficult time denying this album of merit, especially because the vocals have way more control than ever before, supplying the perfect amount of emotion and tact. Just listen to Rooms of the House and let yourself disappear into the nooks and crannies of every scene described; you won’t regret it. 

2. Nine Inch Nails and Soundgarden Summer Tour

After an incredible co-headlining tour with Queens of theStone Age, Trent Reznor and company decided to team up with grunge heavyweight Soundgarden for yet another co-headlining tour. This should be good. I’ve seen Soundgarden before, but I haven’t had the pleasure of witnessing the magic of NIN, so I’m curious how these bands will vibe off each other. And adding Death Grips to the bill was a fascinating choice. Though the tour isn’t coming anywhere near Ohio this summer, I have a feeling we’ll be seeing these guys sometime in the fall.

3. Kurt Cobain Death Case Reopened…And Closed Again

Okay, so let’s clear this up. Seattle police did not really reopen the Kurt Cobain case. A cold case detective went through all the details of Cobain’s death because of the 20^th anniversary coming up next week and found some undeveloped rolls of film. A photo of Cobain’s heroin kit made its way on to the Internet a few days ago, but the case is, and has always remained, a suicide. When I first heard about the case being “reopened,” I could already sense the conspiracy theorists crawling out of their parents’ basements, poised at their keyboards for a good old fashioned “I told you so” blog-apocalypse. Sorry, guys, but Courtney Love didn’t kill Kurt.

4. The Black Keys Announce New Album

Akron homeboys The Black Keys revealed the release date for their new album, Turn Blue. Well, technically Mike Tyson revealed it through Twitter. No joke. The whole promotional campaign for this album is bizarre and I love it. Check out the “Turn Blue” YouTube account for some creepy promo videos. The album’s first single, “Fever,” drops on Monday the 24^th. Turn Blue comes out on May 13.

November 26 Releases, 2013

By: Megan Fair, Copy Editor

The dreary drudge of sludge and sleet has thrust itself upon us, leaving a desire for homemade food and endless naps. Likewise, this week did not offer many big releases in the industry, so bear with me as I scrounge up my very scattered thoughts about this week’s big releases. What can I say? My brain is craving tryptophan, so if it’s not turkey, my brain doesn’t care.

First up to bat is the The Hunger Games: Catching Fire Soundtrack. The last Hunger Games Soundtrack featured artists such as Arcade Fire, Taylor Swift and the Civil Wars. This soundtrack is stacked with even more big name, exciting artists expressing their take on feelings and scenes from the blockbuster. This team has heavy hitters all around ranging from Ellie Goulding to Coldplay to the Lumineers.

Patti Smith’s soulful “Capitol Letter” has a Johnny Cash-does-“Hurt” vibe, which is pretty cool. “Devil May Cry” is The Weeknd’s smooth track. The floating falsetto vocals are pretty rad, and The Weeknd’s signature sound is ever present. Santigold’s contribution, “Shooting Arrows at the Sky,” is spunky and cool, and “Atlas” is a Coldplay track that doesn’t do anything crazy, but it is Coldplay, so... 

Possibly the coolest track on this soundtrack is Lorde’s eerie cover of Tears for Fears’ “Everybody Wants to Rule the World.” The youngster’s caramelized voice drips over martial pounding and ambient background music until a blasting build at the end. 

Closing out this week’s Drop It Like It’s Hot is One Direction. Oh, those cheeky boys with such charming accents. From what I hear, everyone’s still creamin’, especially with the tracks on Midnight Memories. As much as one may be inclined to hate, the boys do have great pipes, and their music is intended to be very fun. This album is definitely edgier, but it continually expresses their fun side while emphasizing the fact that they don’t take themselves too seriously. Also, you can’t deny that you definitely sing “Best Song Ever” when you’re alone in your car. 

In a slow sea of mostly nobodies, these are the albums that stuck out this week. I couldn’t even tell you one artist who dropped an album today that more than 50 people care about. At least you can rest easy knowing that those food comas aren’t keeping you from missing any important album releases.