Editors’ Picks: What We’ve Been Listening to This Week (Fang Island, Hunx & His Punx, Volary, Tall Sheep)
Anna: Everything from Fang Island is undeniably catchy, but there's something extra special about "Victorinian." My inability to take this song off repeat has single-handedly planted 2012's Major quite firmly in the top of my Rdio heavy rotation statistics. The piano truly drives "Victorinian" from start to finish, interplaying perfectly with the buoyant vocals and, in the last third of the song, weaving in enough searing guitar to create a wonderfully multilayered treat for the ears. Ben: I'm still wrapping my head around the new Hunx & His Punx album, Street Punk, which initially feels like a pretty radical [...]
Review & Videos: Fang Island @ Great American Music Hall, 8/7/12
Many Bay Area music fans may not yet be familiar with Brooklyn prog-rockers Fang Island, being that the trio made just its second San Francisco stopover, Tuesday at the Great American Music Hall, since releasing a debut album in 2010. But anyone looking for a happier, less paranoid take on Muse should give a listen to Fang Island’s sophomore album Major. Like Muse, Fang Island specialize in grand, over-the-top music statements – from anthemic guitars, neoclassical piano flourishes and sing-alongs to lyrics not yet widely known. Additionally, there are some Afropop influences, and while the vocals of singer-guitarists Jason Bartell [...]