Greg Laswell is playing at the Rock & Roll Hotel in DC on May 24 on his first full band headlining tour. We have TWO free tickets to give away to a lucky winner — Email us at knoxroadblog@gmail.com and title your subject “Greg Laswell Ticket Participant: [your name]”. We will choose the winner at… Continue reading Ticket giveaway and interview with Greg Laswell
Category: New Albums
The New Pornographers please with well-crafted pop tunes on Together
The New Pornographers don’t have a lot to prove. The powerhouse indie veterans have been around since 1997 and boast a catalogue of four previous albums that (aside from the most recent, Challengers) have been hailed by critics and gobbled up by indie fans everywhere. It’s with this cool confidence that the band struts into… Continue reading The New Pornographers please with well-crafted pop tunes on Together
Broken Social Scene is mostly triumphant on Forgiveness Rock Record
The ever-changing Broken Social Scene collective has provided listeners with a variety of different sounds throughout its career, which has now spanned nine years. Unconventional, atmospheric pop rock is the specialty of Kevin Drew, Brendan Canning and friends, and they get back to that foundation pretty well on their newest LP, Forgiveness Rock Record. The… Continue reading Broken Social Scene is mostly triumphant on Forgiveness Rock Record
The Hold Steady gives us a solid but minor effort with Heaven is Whenever
Oh Franz Nicolay, how I miss you. Through all of The Hold Steady’s raucous bar rock, you were the calming influence, often breaking in with your keyboard halfway through songs to take down the intensity, if only for a few moments. And now we have Heaven is Whenever, the band’s first album without your influence.… Continue reading The Hold Steady gives us a solid but minor effort with Heaven is Whenever
Palmyra
Palmyra: straight up grunge/jazz gold! Huh? Yeah, they’re a complete mesh of the two genres, and it’s pretty impressive. The five members from Brooklyn (In the future, we won’t list location if the band is from Brooklyn. It should just be the expected place unless we say otherwise. Only half-kidding.) mix up raw female vocals… Continue reading Palmyra
The Golden Filter’s Voluspa is eerily tranquil, mostly promising
In the Norse poem Völuspá, which tells the creation and destruction of the world, the story says: “Now do I see / the earth anew / Rise all green / from the waves again; The cataracts fall, / and the eagle flies, And fish he catches / beneath the cliffs.” Poets, right? But the feeling of beauty in… Continue reading The Golden Filter’s Voluspa is eerily tranquil, mostly promising
Notable Album Release: School of Seven Bells – Disconnect From Desire
School of Seven Bells announced that they will be releasing their next LP, Disconnect From Desire, July 13 on Vagrant/Ghostly International. Their debut album, Alpinisms, received some strong listening among the crew here at Knox Road so we’re receiving this news with great excitement and salivation. (Seriously, though. If you saw one of us drooling… Continue reading Notable Album Release: School of Seven Bells – Disconnect From Desire
Chromatic Flights releases mind-numbingly chill (and free) Too Beautiful For Smiles EP
The folks over at One Thirty BPM just released the latest EP from musician Kyle Wyss’ project Chromatic Flights and it’s just great. Because what we want on this dreary, rainy day (at least here in D.C.) is more deeply chilled-out music to sink into our chairs with. The album is being released “Radiohead style”… Continue reading Chromatic Flights releases mind-numbingly chill (and free) Too Beautiful For Smiles EP
The Radio Dept. is fuzzy but exquisite on Clinging to a Scheme
In a shocking turn of events, this review is heading to… SWEDEN! Okay fine, we (I) may overdo the Swedish stuff a bit on Knox Road (I know, impossible), but the music is so damn good. The Radio Dept. mostly affirms that on Clinging to a Scheme, only their third full-length despite originally forming in… Continue reading The Radio Dept. is fuzzy but exquisite on Clinging to a Scheme
The Scarlet Ending releases forceful new LP, Ghosts
It’s finally that time, folks. The Scarlet Ending, a much-talked about act here on Knox Road, fronted by everyone’s favorite twin sisters, Kaleena and Kayleigh Goldsworthy, released their sophomore full-length, Ghosts, a couple weeks ago. Ever since my first encounter with the sisters, they have been incredibly warm and outgoing, leading to a friendship beyond… Continue reading The Scarlet Ending releases forceful new LP, Ghosts