• Review: "No Wave," a Video Game Based on '80s NYC Punk

    Over the last ten years, I've totally fallen out of touch with video games. I don't dislike them by any means, but while I was a rabid player as a pre-teen and closely followed video game news and trends, I have no idea what video games are supposed to be like any more, especially indie games. With that in mind, I decided to check out No Wave, an online game (which you can play here) based on the no wave punk scene in New York during the '80s. Much like no wave music, the game is more of a gritty, raw, and cerebral experience than a traditionally enjoyable one.
  • Junk Mail: Coldplay's 'Ghost Stories' Reviewed Via Email

    Music Times writers share an office area of roughly 45 sq. ft, which makes having face-to-face conversations totally impossible. Junk Mail is these millennials attempt to discuss and review the week's hottest album releases... without needing to look at each other. This week: Ryan Book, Caitlin Carter, Joey DeGroot, and Carolyn Menyes e-mail back and forth about Coldplay's Ghost Stories.
  • Highlights from 2014 Hangout Music Festival Day 3

    Hangout Music Festival came to a close Sunday in Gulf Shores, Alabama. Sundays at music festivals always have a bit of a different vibe than the other days. It can really polarize the audience between the lame-os and the coolest people on the planet. Some people are passed out in the middle of the field from the fatigue brought on by the weekend, while others are still going 110 percent to get the most out of their weekend. The conversations overheard in the crowd are always the most interesting on Sundays, and the community between different groups of friends can spawn some interesting stories.
  • Highlights from 2014 Hangout Music Festival Day 2

    Hangout Music Festival in Gulf Shores, Alabama was in full swing yesterday for Day 2. We saw Diarrhea Planet, Trombone Shorty, and Fitz and the Tantrums at the Palladia stage; Tegan & Sara, Matt and Kim, and The Flaming Lips at the Chevrolet Stage; Moon Taxi at the Red Bull Stage; Pretty Lights in the Boom Boom Tent and finally Needtobreathe, Modest Mouse, and the Killers at the Hangout Stage. See the highlights below, and check back tomorrow for our favorite things from Day 3.
  • Highlights from 2014 Hangout Music Festival Day 1

    The 2014 Hangout Music Festival kicked off Friday in Gulf Shores, Alabama. We posted yesterday about our favorite things from the festival pre-party, and today we bring you the highlights of Day 1. We saw Allen Stone and Ingrid Michaelson at the Chevrolet Stage, The 1975 at the Palladia Stage, Childish Gambino and STS9 at the Boom Boom Tent, and finally Dawes and The Black Keys at the Hangout Stage. Check back tomorrow for our Day 2 highlights!
  • 'American Idol' Season 13 Recap: Top 3 Go Home

    Somehow, it's already May 14. And somehow, American Idol has whittled its competitors down to three: Caleb Johnson, Alex Preston and Jena Irene. This week, the top 3 performed a pick by Randy Jackson, a pick by the three judges and a pick from their previously performed songs chosen by their hometown.
  • Junk Mail: The Black Keys' 'Turn Blue' Reviewed Via Email

    Music Times writers share an office area of roughly 45 sq. ft, which makes having face-to-face conversations totally impossible. Junk Mail is these millenials attempt to discuss and review the week's hottest album releases... without needing to look at each other. This week: Ryan Book, Caitlin Carter, Joey DeGroot, and Carolyn Menyes email back and forth about the Black Keys' "Turn Blue."
  • Junk Mail: Emailing About Lily Allen's New Album 'Sheezus'

    Music Times writers share an office area of roughly 45 sq. ft, which makes having face-to-face conversations totally impossible. Junk Mail is these millenials attempt to discuss and review the week's hottest album releases... without needing to look at each other. This week: Ryan Book, Caitlin Carter and Carolyn Menyes email back and forth about Lily Allen's "Sheezus."
  • Concert Review: Slint at the Bowery Ballroom

    Nobody checked my ticket last night at the Bowery Ballroom. I held mine out at the front entrance, but the people there were just checking IDs and giving out 21+ wristbands. At the entrance to the bar, where the tickets were actually being scanned, I simply walked right in without anyone seeing me or telling me what to do. So even though I had a ticket, I could have easily snuck into the Bowery Ballroom last night to see Slint.
  • Review: Usher Shows Inconsistencies on 'Good Kisser'

    Usher's last album, 2012's Looking 4 Myself, found the music industry veteran mixing his signature brand of R&B with electronic house music, EDM and a more generalized version of pop. While the album received generally favorable reviews from critics, fans largely rejected the album and it sold a mere 128,000 copies in its first week. Today (May 5), Usher released the first new single from his upcoming eighth studio album "Good Kisser," and possibly in a response to the so-so performance of his last record, he's returning to some good ol' R&B roots.
  • Concert Review: Cat Circus in Bloomfield, NJ, 5/2/14

    Like a great number of "venues" in New Jersey, the Cat Circus is just the basement of a house rented out by college students, but it's definitely the cleanest, most organized college house I've ever set foot in. The original bill for this show/birthday party/vegan BBQ consisted of eight acts, which is three or four more than is usually recommended for a house show, but two of the acts ended up not playing, which I'm sure the neighbors were quite thankful for.
  • JJ Heller's "I Dream Of You" Awakens the Child in You

    JJ Heller's newest project, "I Dream of You," a companion to her and hubby David's children's book, "The Golden Feather" is low-key and soft, but don't think that means it's fluff. Quite the contrary, "I Dream of You" is as powerful as it is beautiful.
Real Time Analytics