diSKOAver weekly last updated: 5/03/2023
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diSKOAver weekly last updated: 5/03/2023 ✅
[SKOA Exclusive Album Review] Gabriel Stark - 'GATSBY'
It has been almost exactly one year since I first met Gabriel Stark in person, the fresh-faced Bronx native with an eager attitude and subtle humbleness. We met in John Paul Jones Park in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn during CMJ Music Marathon, a calm day that perfectly emulated Stark’s relaxed demeanor, the same demeanor he carries through to his music. It was this first meeting that clarified how I would translate Stark’s music, as I fully understood the mentality of him as a musician, his striving passion to push forward without losing humility. He never misses an opportunity to progress, consistently experimenting and releasing new material, even recently wrapping up his first headlining tour throughout the East Coast of the States. Stark brings this passion and drive to his latest album, GATSBY, his second album of the year following January’s Starky F. Kennedy. The 10 tracks he delivers here draw from throughout hip-hop’s existence, blending old styles and new, nostalgic cuts followed by more electronic-focused tracks; Stark manages to juxtapose varying styles through consistent, socially conscious lyrics and top-notch production.
[SKOA Premiere] Birds & Batteries - "Be My Girl" (NSFW) (Official Video)
Earlier this month Bay area experimental indie-pop outfit Birds & Batteries released their fourth full-length, Stray Light, out on Eightmaps. If you're into shiny synths, buzzing bass and vocals that are a little reminiscent of Peter Gabriel, these guys are about to win you over in a big way, especially with their powerful video for their latest single, "Be My Girl". Talk about feeling the weight of the world on your shoulders! The video, which was directed by James Sharpe depicts a nude Earth/Mother Nature examining herself as she slowly transforms, sprouting trees and then buildings, right before our eyes. As she continues to evolve you can see it start to take a toll on her. As Sharpe explains, "Using the human body as a canvas I wanted to create a beautiful and haunting visual narrative portraying a conflict between nature, architecture and the body, ultimately representing love and acceptance, whatever the imperfections."
[Outside Lands 2012] Our Most Aniticipated Artist of the Festival
Today marks the beginning of this year's Outside Lands Festival in San Francisco, the fifth edition of the cultural highlight. SKOA will be attending the festival this year, and each day leading up to the festival we will be dishing out a feature focused on the bands set to appear at Outside Lands. Today, the final day of our preview coverage, we look to answer one important question: who is our most anticipated artist of the festival?
With such an incredible and diverse lineup, Outside Lands offers something for everyone. Stevie Wonder, Neil Young and Crazy Horse, Metallica, Foo Fighers, Sigur Rós, Jack White, Beck, The Kills, Bloc Party, Franz Ferdinand, Passion Pit, Santigold, MSTRKRFT, The Walkmen, YACHT, Andrew Bird, you name it, there is a band for each and every attendee to get excited about. For us, though, there is one band that sticks out at the forefront, and that is Australian psych rock outfit Tame Impala.
[Outside Lands 2012] Top Five Songs We Can't Wait to Hear Live
This Friday marks the beginning of this year's Outside Lands Festival in San Francisco, the fifth edition of the cultural highlight. SKOA will be attending the festival this year, and each day leading up to the festival we will be dishing out a feature focused on the bands set to appear at Outside Lands. Today, our spotlight is focused on the top five songs we cannot wait to hear live at the festival.
No matter how good a band's repertoire is, there is always one song that stands out, one song that automatically comes to mind whenever you think about said band. That recollection is even more potent when you go to see them live in concert, bringing the immediate hope that they will play that song live and it will be even better than the studio quality version. Of all the bands playing at Outside Lands this year, there are five that have songs so damn good that we're shaking with excitement to hear them live. Now, keep in mind all of these songs are relatively new, having been released at various times over the past year or so, but that doesn't mean they aren't highlights in the catalogues of these artists. Rather, it's the opposite. These songs are gems in the handfuls of songs these bands have given us over the course of their long, or short, careers, and they are sure to be as good if not better live in concert. Check out our top five picks after the jump.
[Outside Lands 2012] Top Five High Energy Shows to Dance at Till You Drop
This Friday marks the beginning of this year's Outside Lands Festival in San Francisco, the fifth edition of the cultural highlight. SKOA will be attending the festival this year, and each day leading up to the festival we will be dishing out a feature focused on the bands set to appear at Outside Lands. Today, our spotlight is focused on the top five high energy shows to dance at till your knees are trembling.
If you're willing to put the time, effort, and money into going to a show, then it is immediately worth it. One aspect that makes a show much more worth it, though, is if you show up and you're dancing from start to finish. When a band has a stage presence that is so energetic, and when the music is paced perfectly so that you don't stop moving for the entire set, that is when you know it was a good show. Take a look at the top five picks for the most danceable acts at this year's Outside Lands after the jump.
[SKOA Premiere & Interview] Bedroom Debuts a Stream of His New Album 'Vivid' and Talks Instrumentation, His New Akai MPD26, and Favorite Movies
Bedroom, aka Noah Kittinger, has been a SKOA favorite since we premiered his Toys EP back in February, and since then our musician/blogger bond has grown much stronger. That isn't the only thing that has grown, as Kittinger's talent and abilities have come a long way over the course of five months. He has been experimenting in his bedroom, taking the sounds he established with his debut EP and tinkering with them, expanding them. The result is Vivid, the debut LP from Kittinger, who is now signed on Furious Hooves Records. The LP sees him exploring darker territory, delving into a myriad of instrumentation that evokes a sense of addictive tension. As a whole, the album is a captivating piece of work, one that finds thoughtful provocation in its simplicity, and we here at SKOA are pleased to premiere the debut stream of Bedroom's Vivid. Listen to the album in its entirety below, and make sure to head over to Bedroom's Bandcamp in a few hours to download it for yourself.
Along with the premiere stream of his new album, I took the opportunity to interview Kittinger, asking him a number of questions that have been on my mind these past few months. In the interview, he and I discuss his song-making process, the progression from his EP to his LP, the possibilities of live performances, as well as which movie in The Mummy trilogy is best. Read the interview in full after the jump.