Category: Band/Artist Profile

Bomb the Music Industry! (BtMI!) was a ska punk band based in New York that was active for a decade from 2004 to 2014. The band’s most well-known member was songwriter and producer Jeff Rosenstock, who has put out a bunch of phenomenal solo albums recently. Bomb the Music Industry! had a very fitting name as the band held heavy belief in DIY ethics. They released 6 albums for free online, gave fans free stencils and paints to make their own t-shirts, priced tickets below $10, and have even offered fans the chance to play on stage if they had an instrument and knew a song.

**fun fact: ska punk is sometimes teasingly (yet lovingly) called ‘skunk’ **

BtMI!’s music features fast, upbeat tunes with heavy emphasis on brass and twinkling,  toy-like electric sound effects, accompanied by hard-hitting, cynical lyrics. Jeff Rosenstock has a gift for writing lyrics that capture the depressing, pathetic parts of life in the most raw and honest way possible. Listening to some BtMI! lyrics might not cheer you up. In fact, they will probably make you feel like you feel pretty bleak, but they sure will make you feel like someone understands you and your terrible degenerate life. Bomb the Music Industry! isn’t all hopelessness and feeling worthless, though. Some songs remind you that life isn’t all bad, like their song Sort of Like Being Pumped from the album SCRAMBLES, which is about seeing a sunset.

I can’t choose any one BtMI! Album so I’m just going to talk about my top five favorite BtMI! songs.

1. Syke! Life is Awesome

A cheerful number about how life can get ya down but it’s funny how things always work out in the end. So don’t give up!

1. Side Projects Are Never Successful

Jeff Rosenstock was inspired to write this song after he had a panic attack and then got a speeding ticket, so he starts wistfully dreaming about how great it would be if the entire world was going to end. This song is also a jab at big corporations. How very punk.

1. Congratulations, John, On Joining Every Time I Die

Under the mask of teasing to hide mushy emotions, this song is actually a very sweet congratulations and bittersweet goodbye to a band member that was able to sign onto a more successful band. (** fun fact: the deal fell through by a chance of circumstance to John never actually did join Every Time I Die.)

1. Unlimited Breadsticks, Soup and Salad Days

This song is twinkling and energetic, but I think about it differently every time I listen to it depending on my mood. I’ll let you decide for yourself what this song is about.

1. I Don’t Love You Anymore

A song about finally being free from a drag of a relationship.

Honorable mention: 493 Ruth

Moss Icon was an emo/ post-hardcore band from Maryland that existed from 1986 to 1991. Though they are often credited with being one of the forerunners to the ‘emo’ genre, they were more involved with the hardcore punk scene, playing shows with Fugazi, Nation of Ulysses, etc.

What sets Moss Icon apart from their contemporaries is their spectacular ability to transition seamlessly from loud, fast-paced, spastic moments to quieter, wispier bits. The build and intensity created by these alternations in pace, intertwined with lead singer Jonathan Vance’s alternations between full-throated screaming and sleeptalk-like, politically-charged rambling makes for a unique listening experience. Another notable characteristic of Moss Icon are the strong, deep bass riffs that provide backbone to the songs. In the midst of the chaotic drumming and unhinged shouting, the melodic bass riffs serve as a beautiful counter and balance.

In 2012, Moss Icon released a formal, nineteen-song  ‘complete discography’ though it is missing a lot of songs. In this post I will be focusing on a four of my favorites from these 19 songs.

1. I’m Back Sleeping, or *******, or Something

This might be my favorite Moss Icon song. The intermittent feedback and trilling percussion almost sound like strange frogs and birds deep in an eerie jungle. This song is a perfect example of the band’s soft-loud-soft dynamic, which many following bands would come to use in the future. The song builds up to a booming, cathartic climax and then cools back down again at least 4 times in the course of the 3 minute song.  

1. Divinity Cove

This song might fool you in the beginning because it opens with a cute, beachy little guitar line, but right as you’re caught off guard, that heavy, powerful bass kicks in to knock you off your feet. This song showcases the true limits of Vance’s voice, as he screams “I thought it meant divided, I know it does” into the mic. What does this line mean? Don’t ask me.

1. Locket

The grooviness of the 80s really shines through in this song’s guitar. Locket is a real foot-tapper. But the lyrics send a chill down my spine, with talk of burning houses, ghosts, and feet creeping up creaking stairs.

1. Moth

When this song opens with a twangy guitar, you might brace yourself for the bass to kick in, thinking that you won’t be fooled again like Divinity Cove. When the twangy guitar doesn’t stop, you might relax thinking that this song will be a beachy tune after all. But you would be wrong! Moss Icon isn’t all screaming and fuzzy bass; they can wind it down too, but towards the middle, the song starts building up again into the noisy, intense Moss Icon we’ve always known. I guess they just couldn’t resist.

It’s time for another Soundcloud Artist Highlight! Today, it’s Andrew Applepie. I discovered this artist through a YouTube channel I watch and I’ve noticed in the comments that his music seems to be featured in some other YouTube channels as well. So it’s possible you’ve already heard some of his stuff!

Andrew Applepie comes from Germany, as it says in his profile, and his style is Indie Electronic. Or Electronic Indie. Honestly, both descriptions are accurate so whichever floats your boat.

I love this artist because I find his tracks to be very inspirational. While listening, I find myself wanting to work on things I’m passionate about because I can just feel the passion he has for music. It’s like when you get a cookie from the vending machine but it doesn’t taste as good as when your mom makes cookies because it just doesn’t have the love in it. Or it could just be that the cookie is from the vending machine and has probably been sitting there for a while. Hopefully you get my point.

I think this music is great to play while hanging out with friends or even just spending some alone time, doing some of your hobbies. I definitely listen when I’m feeling creative and working on some sketching or writing.

You can find Andrew Applepie on Spotify and Bandcamp if you prefer those sites over Soundcloud. However, I’ve noticed that some of his songs on Bandcamp aren’t on Spotify or vice versa. I’m not sure what that’s about, but I’ll give you the links to three of my favorite songs of his below. 

Here’s his Soundcloud link first – https://soundcloud.com/andrewapplepie

Rapture Snow (only on Bandcamp from what I’ve seen) – https://andrewapplepie.bandcamp.com/track/rapture-snow

Feel It In my Face – https://soundcloud.com/andrewapplepie/feel-it-in-my-face

I’ve Been Lonely – https://open.spotify.com/track/5SU9pASq4zBz3LjebVVQeM

If you don’t already know and love Soundcloud, I’ll give you the details. Soundcloud is a glorious online platform for brilliant small artists to share the original music they create. You can also find bigger artists on the website, but usually the extent of the free stuff only goes up to remixes of their songs, which is fine by me. Sometimes those are better than the originals!

Anyway, I would like to share some of the Soundcloud artists that I have found over the six years I’ve been a part of the site – one article per artist.  I’ve already done an article on pools, who is still my all-time favorite Soundcloud artist. Here’s his account link – soundcloud.com/iampools.  Today, let’s meet an artist by the name of [neonpajamas] Records.

[neonpajamas] Records is the artist you listen to if you’re looking for some peaceful, relaxing, dreamy music. If you find yourself unable to fall asleep sometime, I suggest that you try listening to some of this artist’s music. It definitely has the ability to take you away to another location or tell a story or make you feel like you’re floating on a cloud, getting ready to fall asleep for a few months. If only…

Below, I have some recommendations for you to get a feel for the sound. I picked one from each of the popular series’, which are the Sleep Series, the 10:00 Series and the Neon Broadcasts. Obviously, the Sleep Series is for falling asleep. The 10:00 Series is a collection of 10 minute songs that tell a story and are really cool to listen to. The Neon Broadcasts are location themed, so the music is meant to take you to different places and according to the artist, “are meant to assist you with your dreams”.

10:00 Series – Late June’s 10:00 [EP] by [neonpajamas] Records

Sleep Series – Sleep Vol. 2 [tracklist in description] by [neonpajamas] Records

Neon Broadcasts – Neon Broadcast 010 // Another Bubble Ridge by [neonpajamas] Records

I hope you’ve discovered a new artist to listen to. If not, there will be many more to come.  And if so, sweet dreams!

[neonpajamas] Records

Written by Angela Fluett

IMAGE COURTESY OF BET

Big K.R.I.T. should be so prominent that an artist spotlight on him would be unnecessary. He should be an artist with the same reach as artists like Kendrick Lamar and J. Cole. Poor management by his former label stunted the growth of the Big K.R.I.T. brand, and left him in a weird gray area in regards to his relevancy. K.R.I.T. has a large fanbase and is far above the underground artist status, but he lacked the overall pull that some of his peers have. With the release of his double album, 4eva Is a Mighty Long Time, Big K.R.I.T. has put hip-hop fans on notice and shows everyone he deserves to be considered a top tier hip-hop artist.

Big K.R.I.T gained momentum through the release of various mixtapes, and it became very clear that he was a special talent. However, his debut album left a lot to be desired and his other album releases were good but not great. K.R.I.T.’s inability to connect on his albums could be linked to his label at the time, Def Jam Recordings. K.R.I.T. had everything you wanted in a hip-hop artist from versatility to style, but it seemed it all never came together on an album. Freeing himself from Def Jam seemed to be the answer as this latest release showcases all the the skills in Big K.R.I.T.’s catalogue.

K.R.I.T. embraces his southern roots from the accent in his voice as he raps to the production he puts together for his songs. He uses his ability to produce, rap, and sing to create a variety of songs. From southern bangers to reflections on him and his career to church-inspired tracks, K.R.I.T. provides the variety necessary to make sure things never get dull. He always makes for an interesting listen and can give you a lot of substance, whether that be commentary on others or himself. 4eva Is a Mighty Long Time is a double album that highlights all of the things that make K.R.I.T. great, but that greatness can be seen in a lot of his mixtapes and in flashes on some of his albums. It might have taken a might long time, but it is safe to say Big K.R.I.T. has arrived, not just as the “King of the South” but possibly as the “King of Hip-Hop”.