Frank & Beats: Zomby — Dedication | July 20, 2011 |
Despite the Walking Dead, Aaron Frank continues to endorse Zombies. Calling Zomby’s new album his best seems slightly inaccurate. By now, it’s clear that every release is more warped and innovative than its predecessor. Oddly enough, it doesn’t feel as if Zomby is “progressing,” as much as uncovering another place within himself. In years past, […]
Frank & Beats: Bjork’s “Crystalline” | June 29, 2011 |
Aaron Frank can see clearly now, the rave is gone. After a first listen through the spastic, skittering melodies of Bjork’s new single “Crystalline”, it would almost appear that the reclusive Icelandic queen of electronic had been hanging out in British dance clubs like FWD and Plastic People for the past several years, soaking in […]
Frank N’ Beats: Holy Are You | June 27, 2011 |
Aaron Frank still doesn’t like witch house. Alongside Bristol and the Seattle, over the last several decades, Manchester has made a name for itself churning out perpetually gloom and doom artists like Joy Division and The Smiths. Understandably, there’s something intensely mystifying and gloomy about Holy Other’s With U EP. Add that to the fact […]
Frank & Beats: Radiohead Climb the Staircase | June 23, 2011 |
Aaron Frank has his own website. You should read it. When the most common complaint about an album is that “it’s too short”, it’s difficult to deny its artistic merit. After all, if you’re left wanting more, then it must have made an impact. Somehow these laws don’t apply to Radiohead, a band whose critics […]
Aaron Frank reps Louisville like DeJuan Wheat. It’s easy to look at the artwork and promotion leading up to Circuital and guess that My Morning Jacket’s sixth album is heavily conceptual. It’s not — even though the Louisville quintet’s last two albums attempted something similar. Instead, Circuital comes off like it’s trying to articulate a […]
Question in the Form of an Answer: Charles Bradley | May 17, 2011 |
In hindsight, it would’ve been tragic if Dap King and Daptone co-owner Gabe Roth hadn’t approached soul singer Charles Bradley in a small New York club nearly a decade ago. The payoff came on the 62 year-old’s debut, this spring’s No Time For Dreaming, a record that initiated a wider audience to his James Brown […]
Aaron Frank recommends playing this at a high volume near a residential reservoir. Less than a year ago, XLR8R’s podcast series peeled the curtain back on Leaving Records and its mysterious proprietor, Matthewdavid, a Florida transplant to LA making woozy, ambient beat music that providd a perfect soundtrack to Southern California’s scorching summers. Prior to […]
Question in the Form of an Answer: Mary Anne Hobbs | April 20, 2011 |
Mary Anne Hobbs isn’t a Radio DJ. She’s an international ambassador for bass. Beginning as a roadie for a British rock band, and transitioning to a print journalist for NME and Sounds Magazine, Hobbs will tell you first-hand what an uphill claw it’s been to get to her current station. At the same time, she […]
Question in the Form of an Answer: Egyptrixx | March 30, 2011 |
Releasing a successful album can be a double-edged sword, especially for new artists or someone that’s never been in the spotlight. Touring and publicity can become a poisonous combination for those lacking a relatively well-adjusted background, and for some they may just feel like an unnecessary bore. Luckily, Egyptrixx (real name David Psutka), has found […]
Question in the Form of an Answer: Take | March 29, 2011 |
At the forefront of instrumental hip-hop and modern electronic music, Take has spent years helping forge a strong scene within his native Los Angeles, but also constantly evolving to avoid stasis. Before critics got misty-eyed over James Blake’s sweater set this winter, Take had already covered similar territory, manipulating and stretching his own vocals over […]