Latest Posts

Column 20: Hunger Games – Inspiration for Rebellion and our Youth

While it might be tempting to ignore or write-off the soundtracks for recent mega-blockbuster young adult franchises, the last five years has made this increasingly hard to do. In an effort to both create a sonic landscape for their films and create brand identity, studios have been turning to the world of indie rock. It’s hardly a new idea, going back to the 90s it’s easy to forget that films like Romeo & Juliet and Great Expectations featured original music by bands like Radiohead and Pulp. It almost is a bit heartening listening to these soundtracks and imaging the pre-teens hearing many of these great artists for the first time to find an alternative to what the radio has fed them. That said, Lionsgate deserves special credit for handing the reigns of their entire soundtrack for their biggest franchise over to Lorde. The 18-year old artist is right in the[...]

CHVRCHES – “Dead Air”

Glasgow electronica wunderkinds, CHVRCHES, continue their rapid conquest of Planet Earth with the release of “Dead Air,” their contribution to the penultimate Hunger Games movie soundtrack. With the have-nots gearing up for war with the fascistic haves of our dystopian future, who better to give voice in song to revolutionary Joan of Arc figure Katniss Everdeen than Lauren Mayberry? The answer is nobody as Lauren Mayberry is clearly growing into the role of feminist icon, giving CHVRCHES a vital edge and value that is definitely on display on this potent single. The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 1 soundtrack arrives in stores November 17th, while the movie hits theaters on November 21st.

Column 16: BBC’s Drive Experiment Crashes & Burns

When I was a kid, I remember trying to explore everything my computer could do. A personal computer was still an exciting new technology and I had so many fresh tools at my disposal. But of all these tools I had to use, I enjoyed messing with none more than Windows Movie Maker. I still have fond memories of taking popular shows or movies I watched and crudely mashing them up with some of my favorite songs. I share this not to revel in nostalgia, but because that’s what BBC’s latest experiment reminded me of. In the last week, famous BBC radio DJ, Zane Lowe, premiered his rescored version of Nicolas Winding Refn’s 2009 film, Drive. The project overseen by Lowe earned the blessing of the film’s director and collected some of the UK’s biggest indie & electronic acts to create original music for the film. The original was already[...]

CHVRCHES/Interpol/Lykke Li @ Oakland’s Fox Theater (9/18/14-9/20/14)

Our former contributing photographer, Sean Mikula, sadly left town a couple years ago. After a stop in Chicago, he eventually settled in the Bay Area in California. While we won’t be seeing him shooting at the Ballroom any time soon, we are happy to have him back, submitting some great shots from his concert travels on the west coast. He recently shot a triple feature over a September weekend of CHVRCHES, Interpol, and Lykke Li at Oakland’s Fox Theater, and we are happy to share some of his pictures. Keep an eye out for future photo spreads from Sean. To check out some of additional work, visit his website here. Photo Credit – Sean Mikula