Thirty seconds into “Flesh and Bone,” the opener on The Killers’ new album, “Battle Born,” it is easy to believe the band has not changed in eight years — the pop synths, edgy guitar chords and Brandon Flowers’ raspy vocals are reminiscent of their first studio production, “Hot Fuss.” Nonetheless, “Runaways,” undeniably the strongest track on "Battle Born," features high–soaring vocals and riveting drumbeats that showcase the group’s distinctive Springsteen and 80s rock influences in a completely new way.
With the release of their newest album, "Electric and Benevolent," Philly’s own indie quintet The Extraordinaires seems poised to chisel out their own niche in the brimming East Coast indie scene.
Indie bigwigs Grizzly Bear, St. Vincent (and David Byrne) and The xx all released new albums this week. Never heard of them? Allow us to break it down for you.
The first trailer for the movie adaptation of Jack Kerouac’s timeless novel premiered this summer, and it’s chock–full of cars, sex, drugs and Kristen Stewart.
Name and Year: Lorena Nicol, 2013
Hometown: New York, New York
Major: Psychology
Tumblr: http://www.la-musemalade.tumblr.com/
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It didn’t seem possible for The xx to become more minimalist, but they may have succeeded in doing just that on their sophomore album, “Coexist.” The vocals of Oliver Sim and Romy Madley Croft have not lost their smooth and dreamy qualities, but instead of each song packing its own unique punch as they did on “xx,” the songs run in a nearly unchanging stream, both lyrically and musically, the sounds melting together in an indiscernible mix.