Album Spotlight

Black 47 - Bankers and Gangters

2010-03-16T18:18:04Z

As tomorrow is St. Patrick's Day, we here at KRCX have decided to give some lovin' to a great Celtic rock band.

Black 47 hails from the Bronx in good ol' New York City. While often being described as solely Celt-rock, they also include a fusion of reggae, hip-hop, and jazz among other things. Additionally, Black 47 is known for their powerful political views expressed through their music.

Bankers and Gangsters is another notch in the belt of a great career for Black 47. The album is incredibly diverse within both its sound and content.

Cruise on over to their myspace to hear some of the new jams or click below and watch a classic video from Black 47.

Mumford and Sons - Sign No More

2010-02-23T20:42:34Z

Mumford and Sons are a indie-folk band from the England who have just released their debut album. Gaining popularity fast, Mumford and Sons are selling out venues all over Europe even playing on David Letterman. They will be stopping at major festivals like Bonaroo and Sasquatch in the upcoming summer.

Local Natives - Gorilla Manor

2010-02-08T21:58:44Z

Los Angeles band Local Natives first starting receiving attention after 2009's SXSW Festival where they soon had the internet abuzz. Their SXSW show paid off with their sights now set on the UK music industry, in which they first released Gorilla Manor last fall. They will debut the album on Frenchkiss Records stateside on February 16.

Local Natives' debut album (under the current name) is enjoyable from beginning to end. Their first single from Gorilla Manor is "Sun Hands" starts out with quiet, sweet sounding harmonies and builds until it explodes into raw emotion. Similar to the rest of the album, "Sun Hands" is just too easy to get stuck in your head.

Check out the video for Airplanes below.

Beach House - Teen Dream

2010-02-03T18:20:32Z

Beach House's newest album, Teen Dream, dropped officially on January 26th but suffered a very early leak in November. Regardless, the album (which was their first released with Sub Pop) has lived up to the hype of the blogosphere. The dreamy pop of Teen Dream returns with what has been described as "60's style songcraft and 80's style synths."

Check out the Pitchfork performance of "Norway" below.

zoos of berlin: taxis

2009-11-10T20:25:03Z

Hailing from Detroit, Zoos of Berlin are a band that appropriately represents their home town. As a band manifestation of their own local music scene, Zoos of Berlin incorporate vastly diverse sounds. A mixture of punk, pop, experimental, afrobeat, and jazz, Taxis offers a very pleasing ride through spacey, atmospheric soundscapes.

Get a taste with their video for the single Black in the Sun Room

Julian Casablancas: Phrazes for the Young

2009-11-05T22:48:07Z

"Phrazes for the Young" is the debut album from the Strokes' lead singer, Julian Casablancas. And because it's a solo album, it should be listened to without any prejudices. If you try to compare it with the raw sound of the Strokes, you will disappointed. This new album has some pretty downbeat themes with some upbeat tempos. Think of it less as an album about rebellion and more as a collection of songs to boogie down to.

Listen to the first single "11th Dimension" below.

twilight soundtrack

2009-10-28T21:17:50Z

Everyone is sick of vampires. The Twilight has moved from a cultural phenomenon to a silly irritation. But perhaps this album will allow the fad to live for a couple more months.

The album tracklist includes many indie rock heavy hitters including Death Cab, Thom Yorke, Sea Wolf, and Grizzly Bear. This has subsequently led to the album reaching number one on Billboards Top 200, selling 153,000 copies in its first full week of release.

Check out the video for "Meet Me on The Equinox" by Death Cab below.

flaming lips: embryonic

2009-10-14T19:52:44Z

Staples in indie rock music scene, The Flaming Lips have gifted us with yet another great album (and this one is a double album!). "Embyronic" was released just yesterday and is already receiving the highest of praise from all corners of music.

"Embryonic" sticks with The Flaming Lips' psychedelic/indie rock sound with some more experimental themes. Don't miss the great collaborations on the second disc. Karen O appears in "I Can Be A Frog" and "Watching the Planets" and MGMT in "Worm Mountain".

You can get a taste of the album over on their myspace page before you decide that you must get this album.

I Can Be A Frog - The Flaming Lips

sole & the skyrider band: plastique

2009-10-06T17:56:36Z

Sole and the Skyrider Band are a group with something to say. MC Sole leads the pack of three in this rap/indie rock group. The new album "Plastique" touches on social issues inspired by a Walden-esque retreat to a cabin in Coconio National Forest. From race issues to nature to the media, Sole and the Skyride Band address it on the new album

Officially, the album drops on the 13th of this month. If social hip-hop is something you enjoy, give it a listen.

"Sole's most cohesive, dynamic, listenable and interesting record to date."

Get a taste of what's to come with this single from the previous album.

rubik: dada bandits

2009-09-30T19:11:29Z

Arvi Hasu, Samuli Poyhonen, Artturi Taira, Sampsa Vaatainen, and Lauri Hiekkala are Rubik. The six-piece (and often more) hails from Finland where in recent years a single or two has made it to the top ten on Finnish charts (which are usually dominated by heavy metal). After touring for about a year after their first album, Rubik went back to the studio in June 2008 to start work on their sophomore album. Dada Bandits was released on April 1st of this year in Finland and just earlier this month in the U.S.

Dada Bandits is a great indie pop/rock album that is all over the place and that's a good thing. With the new album, Rubik has garnered comparisons to Animal Collective, Mew, Radiohead, and other more technical centric bands.

Great album, give it a listen.

Rubik - Wasteland