Robin Hilton

Question Of The Week: What Veteran Band Should Have A Comeback?

Robin Hilton — Tue, 18 Jun 2013 14:27:00 +0000

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7FNCvALdHoY

First Watch: Low, 'Plastic Cup'

Robin Hilton — Thu, 13 Jun 2013 13:04:00 +0000

"Plastic Cup," the moody opening cut to Low's latest album, The Invisible Way, recalls a friend's substance abuse, a lifetime of dependence on others and a soul-crushing future of pointless drug tests. But in a strange new video for the song, director Ryley Fogg takes those themes in a dark and curious direction. Creepy, hooded figures intercut with black-and-white images of the band performing in period costumes.

It takes a while to realize that the alien creatures seen in the video are actually massive giants.

Question Of The Week: What's Your Favorite Song Of 2013 (So Far)?

Robin Hilton — Mon, 10 Jun 2013 19:11:00 +0000

Earlier this week, while we were prepping our list of favorite songs and albums of 2013 (so far), we asked you to tell us your own No. 1 track for the first half of the year.

First Watch: Young Galaxy, 'New Summer'

Robin Hilton — Mon, 10 Jun 2013 17:03:00 +0000

The latest video for the Canadian electro-pop band Young Galaxy is a study in stark, disturbing contrasts. "Here it comes again, the beautiful, warm weather," sings frontwoman Catherine McCandless, just as all hell breaks loose.

McCandless says the seemingly big-budget spectacle is meant to ask fans to rethink the meaning of the song. "The video for 'New Summer' came out of many wine-fueled, philosophical discussions about the nature of videos and their role, and how a lot of modern videos miss the mark by failing to add anything of substance to the song," says McCandless in an email.

First Watch: Grant Olney, 'Not From Body'

Robin Hilton — Wed, 05 Jun 2013 19:03:00 +0000

When singer-songwriter Grant Olney started working on his latest album, Hypnosis For Happiness, he never imagined it'd take six years to finish. But after laying down the first tracks in 2006, Olney left for the U.K. and the Netherlands to pursue a Ph.D. in mathematics. After finishing a 300-page dissertation on something called "high dimensional geometry," Olney returned to music and found himself reflecting on identity, friendship and what it means to really know someone.

What Does It Mean To Listen?

Robin Hilton — Fri, 24 May 2013 17:51:00 +0000

We got a lot of thoughtful comments and replies from readers this week when we asked whether they really listen to full albums from start to finish. Much of the discussion focused on the ways we listen and what constitutes actually engaging with an entire album in a full-on listening, as opposed to merely having it on.

Most people said they listen to full albums, but many aren't giving them their undivided attention.

Do You Really Listen To Full Albums?

Robin Hilton — Mon, 20 May 2013 17:08:00 +0000

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kxyUl3DrOLE

First Watch: Sam Amidon, 'As I Roved'

Robin Hilton — Wed, 15 May 2013 18:34:00 +0000

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KCHcH2xCBlE

First Watch: Exitmusic, 'White Noise'

Robin Hilton — Tue, 14 May 2013 19:09:00 +0000

Exitmusic's Passages was one of 2012's darkest and most arresting ambient rock albums. Now, the band returns with an equally transfixing new video for one of the album's standout tracks, "White Noise."

The Gothic, gorgeously shot video shows Exitmusic's Aleksa Palladino and Devon Church as they slowly drift and turn in a dark pool of water. "'White Noise' is such a visual song," Palladino and Church write via email.

First Watch: Telekinesis, 'Empathetic People'

Robin Hilton — Wed, 08 May 2013 19:29:00 +0000

In the latest video from Seattle-based pop masters Telekinesis, for the song "Empathetic People," frontman Michael Benjamin Lerner ambles into an abandoned record-pressing factory and gets it running again.