Spotlighting Twin Cities' Music from the Basement Up.
Right off the bat this album starts out full of emphatic energy. I was having a particularly lazy rainy day until I put This Life album on. Then I started organizing my closet which then led me to mop my floors (a well overdue task). The energy is infectious.
Read MoreDo you ever get the feeling that you should just hop into your car, turn your phone off and start driving with no GPS, just your intuition leading the way. You grab your favorite snacks (pizza flavored Combos and cool ranch Doritos obviously), fill the gas tank up and go. The only real question is what do you play on the radio. This is where Amanda Grace should come into play. When I played her first song “Give Me Away” I was instantly transported to my car with the windows down on I-94 or maybe it was 35W. Pushing the gas pedal a little too angsty while the Twin City skyline fades into the rearview mirror.
Read More2024 is here and I am ready for another year of original music from Minnesota. Luckily, I was able to find some more Hip-Hop, rock, our first repeat artist, and more. Honestly there’s plenty out there as long as you’re willing to dig, which I have no issue with.
Read MoreA double album with 22 fantastic tracks, Annie and the Bang Bang’s “Radio Baby” offers variety in just about every aspect that an album can. The title track states, “I am an FM radio baby raised in the back of a car,” and like an FM radio on a long road trip, the album switches tones and genres often. Its lyrics also give the listener opportunities to imagine music videos or feature-length films, the perfect thing to do on a long road trip. As songwriter and lead singer Annie Enneking puts it, the songs on Radio Baby are “drive-in movies you can dance to.
Read MoreThe cold December weather is here along with our collective groan of it arriving. We really should be used to this by now since many of us have lived here for a while. However, to brighten your mood I’ve found even more artists who will at least be able to warm your soul.
Read MoreWitnessing Mae Simpson and her band live has been on my bucket list for a while. Their debut full length Chandelier & Bloom is a killer album showcasing their musicianship, chemistry, and endless positive vibes.
Read MoreWith 2023 coming to an end, it’s time to look back and all the albums and EPs that have come out of Minnesota this year. This list is all of the albums and EPs that I could find that were released by someone who is from Minnesota. If your project is on this list it is up for consideration when we write our “Favorite Album and EPs of 2023” article in January.
Read MoreIt’s November and time for some more original Minnesota music. As we get used to fluctuating weather that will supposedly be more consistently cold, I was able to find 10 more original songs from our great Northern land of artists.
Read MoreA completely instrumental album and Marshall’s first solo effort, Octocopter might be described as an organ-powered, rollicking blend of funk, rock, jazz fusion, and psychedelics, but then you’d have no idea what it sounds like. Simply put, Octocopter is a display, a demonstration both of Toby Lee Marshall’s mastery of his instrument and of the range and sheer ability of a Harmon organ.
Read MoreThe Del-Viles’ latest EP, Daydreamer, condenses rock music down to the essentials - and does so extremely well. Self-described as “skeleton dance lessons from French pirates,” the three-piece garage band’s catchy guitar riffs are infectious, and the gravely vocals bring an edgy twist. As the band’s bassist, Gabs Semansky says, “I like to think of the three of us as some silly guys out at sea dancing along to some bluesy shanties. Sloppy bluesy shanties.”
Read More