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The Reviews Are In! What Are Critics Saying About Jack White's Blunderbuss

Posted 4/27/12 12:32 pm EST by in Music, reviews

Jack White

By Zachary Swickey

There are extremely few artists in the music industry that can be considered living legends at the spry young age of only 36, but Jack White has easily earned such distinction with his guitar prowess and impressive catalog of music with the White Stripes, the Raconteurs, the Dead Weather and now his own solo career.

>> Jack White Teases Gary Oldman-Directed Live Stream Concert

White’s solo debut, Blunderbuss, came out earlier this week and is positioned to take the #1 spot on the Billboard charts when the numbers are tallied next week. Clearly, the public is a fan of White’s first offering out on his own, but what have the critics got to say about the album? We rounded up some major reviews of the disc and it appears that White has (unsurprisingly) won the hearts of critics as well. (Billboard and Rolling Stone basically consider it a modern classic.)

>> Jack White Makes Live Solo Debut On 'SNL'

Read on for the reviews! Read More...

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Review: Crosses Live Debut

Posted 2/1/12 6:00 pm EST by in Bands We Like, Concerts, reviews

By Zachary Swickey

Pomona, California - Before Crosses took the stage at Pomona’s famous Glass House music venue – the air was already thick with anticipation and the crowd’s energy was wildly high well before the show even began. As the six band members slowly crept onstage with three illuminated Crosses as their backdrop, Chino Moreno, lead singer of the Deftones, grabbed the mic – rockin’ a black leather jacket with hood draped – the crowed went hysterical. (At this point, Moreno is essentially a legend in the California music scene and very well-respected by his musical peers).

The crowd certainly wasn't complaining when the band kicked things off with the subdued, dreamy “Thholyghost.” Fans hung on Moreno's every word – singing along with him (something that continued for the majority of the show). Next up was “This Is A Trick,” which is without a doubt one of Crosses strongest songs. Moreno showed signs of his Deftones alter-ego with his primal scream as he “sang” the song’s chorus. Lopez’s excellent production work and digital additions on the track were spot-on in a live setting, sounding like a maniacal emergency siren of the future.

When the band began playing a track off their second EP, Frontiers, Moreno hopped on the guard rail, which he is notoriously known for doing (and something fans adore him for). He draped his body over the clamoring fans as he sang, “I can take you even further,” as hands reached out – hoping to merely touch the icon. During “Telepathy” the three backdrop Crosses even began glowing a deep purple (eventually they covered every color in the spectrum). It was at this point that I realized how crazy talented bassist Chuck Doom is – his finger pluckin’ precision is right up there with RHCP’s Flea. Read More...

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The Black Keys El Camino Review Roundup

Posted 12/8/11 1:41 pm EST by in Music, reviews

By Zachary Swickey

Few bands have ascended the rock and roll ranks as swiftly as The Black Keys have managed to do over the last year. Sure, the band has been around since their '02 debut, but it wasn’t until their Danger Mouse-produced record – 2008’s Attack & Release – that the group finally started getting the attention they deserved. Consequentially, they went from playing bars and clubs to mid-size theatres, and early next year the band will be embarking on their first-ever arena tour (including a date at NYC’s iconic Madison Square Garden) – a rather magnificent feat for any band let alone a small-scale bluesy duo.

If the reviews pouring in on their latest effort, El Camino, are any indication, they won’t have any problems selling tickets. Here’s what the critics have had to say about the Black Keys’ seventh album: Read More...

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Anne Hathaway, Gary Oldman Rally Around Joseph Gordon-Levitt's Passion Project

Posted 10/11/11 8:56 pm EST by in art, Concerts, Miscellaneous, Photos, reviews, Video

For those who only know Joseph Gordon-Levitt from his excellent work in television and film over the past 20 years or so, do yourself a favor and expand your fandom by heading over to hitRECord.org, Gordon-Levitt's collaborative production company/community and passion project. On Monday night, the roughly seven-year-old operation celebrated its creative success with the 2011 Fall Formal, a live performance event at which Gordon-Levitt served as emcee and performer, along with guest appearances by supporters and friends Anne Hathaway, Neil Patrick Harris, Gary Oldman and Sia, along with an audience full of hitRECord members and enthusiasts.

The spirit of the evening was lighthearted and welcoming, with a vaudeville-esque lineup of readings, short films and musical numbers. Also, everyone in attendance was encouraged to record however much of the show they wanted. The video below, which features Gordon-Levitt, hitRECord artist the Metafictionis and Hathaway, will give you an idea of what I'm talking about.

Admittedly, I expected to be further charmed by Gordon-Levitt. He is just so darn talented and passionate and genuine, it's irresistible and inspiring watching him move smoothly from narrating to dancing, to singing, to drumming to improv'ing. He's an artist in every sense of the word, and while his name is attached to hitRECord and he emceed the program, it is obvious that Gordon-Levitt truly enjoys creating art that comes from a collaboration and collection of other equally talented individuals.

Also, when you get Oldman, Hathaway, Harris and Sia to come in and play with you during their time off, you know you are loved.

It was hard to pick a favorite moment, but when Oldman got up onstage to read a "Tiny Story" called "The Man With a Turnip for a Head," written by hitRECord artist Metaphorest, he brought down the house.

"It's going to be hard to top that," Gordon-Levitt told the crowd as Oldman left the stage. Yet somehow, I'm sure he will figure out a way to do just that for next year's event.

What do you think of Gordon-Levitt's passion project, hitRECord? Tell us in the comments!

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What We've Learned From 'Rockville, CA'

Posted 3/18/09 6:55 pm EST by in reviews, web series

By Matt Elias

Yesterday, we brought you a clip from the new Web series "Rockville, CA." After watching the first four "Rockville" shows — er, "webisodes" — here's what we've learned about life in an indie-rock club:

» Any media type that's on the guest list will breeze through the front door, while paying fans have to wait in line. (This is pretty true, for the most part.)

» While a band is playing onstage, you can have a normal conversation without having to shout into someone's ear.

» All concertgoers speak in a witty, "Dawson's Creek"-type style, and their vocabularies know no limits.

» Drinking water at the bar is lame.

» Every club has a resident mute, who speaks only through her photography.

So maybe this show isn't really a gritty exposé on the indie-rock world; it's more what someone thinks it's like to live and breath the indie life. And maybe I'm out of the target demographic (although I listen to the bands featured on the show), but the characters seem over-exaggerated — like they're, well, TV characters.

While these episodes featured indie faves like the Duke Spirit and the Kooks, the music didn't have the same draw I was hoping for. What made the music so captivating in other shows from this creative team was that it lifted key scenes. Snow Patrol's "Chasing Cars" was as integral a part of the "Grey's Anatomy" season-one finale as the dialogue. But I guess we were much more invested in the "Grey's" characters at that point, and music brought the emotions to a whole other level. In "Rockville," the band onstage just serves as a backdrop to the action. Yes, the music plays underneath the scene, but it's not really driving an emotional moment.

We'll have to see what's next for "Rockville" and whether it really can become the next indie-rock launching pad.

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