New Music Adds 9/27/24
written by Amir Lahoud on
Is that. . . New Music I smell! I hope you're as excited as I am for our new music selection this week. See you next time!
Knitting - Some Kind of Heaven
Label: Mint
Genre: Indie / Slacker Rock
Reviewed by: Edison Lee
For Fans Of: Sonic Youth, Ride, Feeble Little Horse, Sebadoh, Pixies, Pavement
Knitting’s sophomore album blends dreamy indie rock atmospheres with noisy slacker rock guitar work to create a pleasant, albeit monotonous, album. Nothing is revolutionary about any of these songs, but much like other noisy pieces of indie rock tinged with dream-pop/shoegaze elements, they get the job done. The guitars are generally thin and bouncy, contrasted with thick and noisy effects. This, along with dreamy vocals, makes for a slightly shoegaze feel reminiscent of bands like Ride, Lush, and Slowdive, but the songs aren't fuzzy/dreamy enough to be considered shoegaze or dream pop. I would compare them to more traditional indie rock acts like Pavement and Pixies. The songs are solid and dynamic, but they tend to bleed into one another. While it's nothing groundbreaking, there's enough fun indie rock antics and hazy guitar noise to keep it interesting throughout its half-hour runtime.
In 1976, a young Junior Murvin wrote and auditioned just a single song for famous reggae producer Lee “Scratch” Perry’s iconic Black Ark Studio. The song, being about police brutality and gang wars in 1970s Jamaica, immediately caught the producer’s attention. Perry found the song to be so moving that he would record it the same day. That powerful song would be known as Police & Thieves, and it would quickly become a major hit in not just Jamaica, but the US and especially the UK as well. Abroad, it became an anthem against the police and famously caught the attention of famous punk rock band, the Clash, who later famously released a cover of the song (which sparked an interesting chain of events on its own). A year later, Junior Murvin would work with Perry to release an album of the same name, which would see some success too. Junior Murvin would release more music, but nothing would ever come close to matching his initial success with that one hit single. Nowadays, he’s best known for it and his later single, Cool Out Son, which famously appeared in the popular 2010s skateboarding game Skate 3. Knowing this, is there a reason that not many people talk about his other work- particularly his first album?
Rich of beauty and tradition, Floyd, Virginia serves as a cultural hub for music within the
state. For decades, The Floyd Country Store has hosted a multitude of talented
bluegrass and old-time artists during their Friday Night Jamborees. If you have yet to
stop by for one of their festive gatherings, mark your calendar. Located just south of
Blacksburg, Downtown Floyd is a mere 40 minute drive from Virginia Tech. Not only is it
a perfect day trip, but a visit to Floyd provides a wonderful opportunity to discover new
music by exploring the greater New River Valley community.