Every week in this column, WTSR staff member Chris Kubak will examine another relatively forgotten artist and/or album from the WTSR Back Library

When A.A Bondy’s most recent album Believers hit store shelves a few months back, the first thing I wanted to see was if Bondy’s prevalance for firearms was still alive and kicking. As it would turn out, compared to his prior releases I was left a bit disappointed by the result. I know that this is probably not what you thought I might say, but there is a method to my madness. You see, several years ago I wrote out a few segments for an essay I had planned that I was going to call “A.A. Bondy’s Firearm Couture.” I never ended up finishing it, nor am I going to regurgitate the entire thing here, but it’s premise bears mention in this piece. Getting back to the point at hand, just about every musical creation that Bondy has had his hand in has included copious references to firearms and their function in life. Examine if you will a few of these song titles: “Baby Got Shot” “I, Pistol” “Bang Bang” “Killing Floor (Get Down On It)”.

Even while I’m writing this, I can sense the confused looks on your faces. What on earth are you talking about, Chris? Those aren’t any songs from his three solo albums. And you would be correct in pointing that out, but at the same time these are all indeed songs of his. To better understand this and him as a songwriter, we have to go back in time a bit, to a different chapter in Bondy’s past. (continue reading…)

M.I.A. has just dropped a (kind of) new track. “Bad Girls”, a demo version of which appeared on M.I.A.’s Vicki Leekx mixtape, is the first single from her fourth full-length, which is rumored to be released this summer.

Water Knot is an unsigned alternative/pop/rock band that followed me on Twitter, so I checked out their Facebook and downloaded their free new track, Big Brother. Something about them reminded me of Muse, which is a good thing in my opinion. Give the song a listen and check them out!

- Rachel Chlebowski, Website Staff

Web Director James Rettig had the opportunity to talk with the up and coming mash-up DJ duo The Jane Doze. They talk about the impact of social media, their personal favorite mash-ups, and the future of the duo.

Their new mixtape, GIRLS TALK, should be out within the next few weeks and they just released an awesome remix called Born to Feel Beef featuring Lana Del Rey, Calvin Harris, and Afrojack.

Lana Del Rey
Born to Die
Release Number: Debut
Hailing From: New York City
Genre: Pop
Label: Interscope

I’m going to refrain from mentioning any of the extraneous information about Lana Del Rey (real name: Lizzy Grant). I’m going to try to ignore the months of hype leading up to Born to Die’s release, the awkward Saturday Night Live performance, and the bizarre interviews, which could be seen as either endearing or cringe-worthy. I’m going to ignore all of this because almost every review of Del Rey’s debut I’ve read so far has been populated by discussion of all these things without putting much focus on the actual music.

And the music is pretty much what all I could ask for. With expectations set so high, Del Rey was bound to disappoint somewhat, but this is still a solid pop album. This isn’t the second coming. Del Rey has the potential to be a pop star, but I’m not sure this debut album will put her over the edge into mainstream consciousness. The album is likable enough, but it still feels as though many of the songs are inaccessible – the lyrics seem to be from the fictional Del Rey persona, not necessarily Lizzy Grant. This may be because of the team of songwriters on the album or interference from the major label or a variety of other reasons. Born to Die is a very produced album, but not a bad one.

(continue reading…)