One thing modern heavy metal can be hopelessly devoid of? Fun. It’s all gloomy doom rituals or shredding as fast as you can in as many time signatures as possible…. But sometimes girls/boys/all genders of people just want to have fun. Mangata and Covet are two fun bands I’ve come across on my quarantined April… Continue reading Sometimes It’s Fun to Have Fun: MANGATA and COVET
Tag: pop
Indie Pop That’s Truly International: An Interview with Alya
Alternative Control focuses mainly on metal music, but every once in awhile we come across an artist from another genre that’s too perplexing to ignore. Alya is one such act. The indie pop/folk musician Alya released her debut album Ten Years of Solitude in January and has been making waves on Youtube and Spotify —… Continue reading Indie Pop That’s Truly International: An Interview with Alya
Alya’s Ten Years of Solitude
Russian-born journalist Alya has switched gears to a more artistic medium: indie pop music. Her new album Ten Years of Solitude has been making waves around the world — “Puppet Strings” has charted in Europe and “Animals” won Best Music Video in the California Women’s Film Festival and Los Angeles Cinema Festival of Hollywood, in addition to getting… Continue reading Alya’s Ten Years of Solitude
Album Review: Elza’s Nothing’s Wrong
Vancouver singer/songwriter Elza has been hard at work on her debut full-length Nothing’s Wrong, coming out November 2nd, 2018. The follow-up to her 2014 EP Glories, Nothing’s Wrong is a laid-back, artsy pop offering that is sure to make its way onto many “chill” playlists. I wasn’t sold on the single “Swayed,” and there were… Continue reading Album Review: Elza’s Nothing’s Wrong
Album Review: Psychocide’s Alcohol & Bad Decisions
The March 2017 album from Canadian rockers Psychocide, aptly titled Alcohol & Bad Decisions, is surprisingly catchy for being named after a cliche of everyone’s early twenties. (Or mid… Or late… Or early thirties…) But there’s truth in cliche — in “Temporary Friends,” Goldwyn Thandrayen croons, “Seems I could never get this right.” Haven’t we all… Continue reading Album Review: Psychocide’s Alcohol & Bad Decisions
Album Review: Freddie Nelson’s Shake The Cage
The new album from Pittsburgh rocker Freddie Nelson conjures up melancholy of 90s alternative ballads, with a dash of 70s and 80s hard rock guitar leads and vocal stylings. Shake The Cage was released on July 7th, 2017. “The record is called Shake The Cage,” says Nelson, “because I feel that a lot of music… Continue reading Album Review: Freddie Nelson’s Shake The Cage
Baldwin’s Choice: Kate Bush
What happened to the intellectual angle in pop music? There was always a need for accessibility – bright melodies, danceable rhythms, relatable lyrics. But when did it become a genre bent on laziness? It’s all about appeasing the casual listener now with the least amount of effort. Recycled beats, auto tuned vocals and lyrics that… Continue reading Baldwin’s Choice: Kate Bush