“Alex, how do you feel about ‘Giant Steps’?” “Fuck that shit. Everyone’s played it. It’s fifty years old, it sounds like crap, write a new song, and stop playing that goddamn song” Now you might want to attribute that quote to some Jazz haters. But in reality it belongs to BADBADNOTGOOD, a three piece post-bop/jazz…

Tame Impala’s new single, “Feels Like We Only Go Backwards,” from their 2012 album Lonerisms, is a full-bodied exploration of psychedelic strains found in their earlier work. In 2010, the Australian band released Innerspeaker to critical acclaim, including Pitchfork’s sought-after ‘Best New Music’ label. The 13-track album combined expansively dreamy melodies with ambiguously subdued lyrics.…

I will admit that I was late to hop on the Azealia Banks hype train, but there was no going back once I heard her breakout single from last year, “212.” The infectious yet nongeneric beat, her slick and aggressive delivery, and most importantly, the blunt, guiltily quotable lyrics made her one to watch –…

  It’s 2012 and we’ve wholeheartedly entered the Internet Age.  Virtual methods of music-making have become more common.  “Laptop” producers splice together collected or artificial sounds to access new musical textures or mimic old ones via electronic intermediaries.  No longer do all band members have to be in the same room, plucking away at strings.…

  If you don’t know what low class America (or low class Amerika) sounds like, Minneapolis-based MC I Self Devine (aka Chaka Mkali) defines it for you on his charged 2012 album. The Sound of Low Class Amerika, out on Rhymesayers (the label founded and made famous by Midwest rappers Atmosphere and Musab) addresses issues…