Podcast: Ranking the Albums of Katy Perry

May 16, 2022 by Leave a Comment

katy-perry-press-2013

There was a moment in time, not so long ago, when Katy Perry was not only the biggest pop star on the planet, but one of the biggest pop stars of all time. Kiel Hauck is joined by Nadia Alves as they look back on the illustrious and unexpected career of Katy Perry – from unknown Christian artist to everyone’s favorite “bad” girl. The duo discuss the impact of Teenage Dream on pop music at large and debate whether the album is actually her best (spoiler alert: it’s not). They also rank every Katy Perry studio album and list their top 10 Katy Perry songs. Listen in!

Subscribe to our Podcast on Apple or Spotify

Posted by Kiel Hauck

Filed Under: News, Podcast Tagged With: , , , , , ,

Queue It Up: May 2, 2022

May 2, 2022 by Leave a Comment

The-Wonder-Years-2018

It has been a heck of a week for music fans. After Hayley Williams wowed us at Coachella with Billie Eilish, she announced a new podcast in partnership with BBC called Everything Is Emo. Lil Nas X announced a headlining tour. The B-52s are heading out on their last tour. And of course, we received the whole tracklist for the new Harry Styles album Harry’s House. Let’s talk a bit about some tracks that were released to lead us into late spring.

Harry Styles – “As It Was”

I would be remiss if I didn’t mention Harry’s new single “As It Was”. Somehow I already know all the words, despite hearing it on the radio maybe twice, and not going out of my way to listen to it on Spotify (I’ve been in a hardcore mood lately). But the whistles and literal bells keep calling out to me, because every time I hear this song in a TikTok I think to myself, “What a jam.” If the album keeps going with this sleek pop vibe he offers us here, I’ll play it all summer. He debuted it at Coachella Weekend 1, which also featured cameos from Shania Twain and Lizzo, because why not. His new album releases May 20th.

The Wonder Years – “Oldest Daughter”

My most re-played song this past week is definitely “Oldest Daughter” by The Wonder Years. I heard the premiere when they first played it on Alt 104.5 in Philly, because of course Philly gets the first taste of all the new TWY tracks – the guys are nothing if not loyal. This is the first single from their latest album, which Dan Campbell has said is finished and in the final stages of production and artistry. He seems to be more excited about this album than I’ve seen him be about a TWY album in past years, so we know it’s bound to be good.

Tiny Moving Parts – “North Shore”

My favorite math rock band is back with a new single, “North Shore”. Since seeing Tiny Moving Parts open for The Wonder Years, I can’t stay away from playing through their discography at least once a month. I love their melodies and their lyricism. I’m psyched for this single because not only is it great, but it most likely means a new album. And everyone knows that melodic hardcore is the best spring and summer genre. No other announcement accompanied the single, so it’s based purely on hope, but the guys are going on tour with This Wild Life and In Her Own Words this summer, so do with that what you will. New single + headlining tour = big things coming from the TMP camp. Simple math.

by Nadia Alves

kiel_hauckNadia Alves has been a music enthusiast since she can remember. Going to shows is her main pastime. The other is being upset when she can’t go to shows. This is her first official venture into writing about music. You can follow her on Twitter.

Filed Under: News Tagged With: , , , , ,

Hayley Williams and Billie Eilish Steal the Show at Coachella

April 29, 2022 by Leave a Comment

Hayley-Williams-2021

If you had told me a year or so ago that Hayley Williams would be performing alongside Billie Eilish, one side of my mouth would say, “No way”, and the other side would say “Makes sense”.

“No way”, because, what a pairing. “Makes sense”, because, what a pairing. Two of the top women in alt music on stage together is nothing short of exciting. And it’s a hell of a way for Hayley to make her first Coachella appearance. But of course, as we’ve come to know, Hayley is always one for surprises.

The afternoon of Coachella Weekend 2, I saw a tweet that said something to the effect of, “Billie is bringing Hayley on stage tonight.” I didn’t think anything of it, not being a particularly heavy Coachella follower, and knowing the Paramore rumor mill has been positively swirling with P6 news. An early morning (or I suppose a late night, depending on your relationship with sleep) for myself was punctuated by the news that Billie in fact did bring Hayley onstage. The rumor was real. I woke Jeremiah up I was so excited. I said “Oh my gosh Billie Eilish brought Hayley on stage and she sang ‘Misery Business.’” It didn’t receive the reaction I expected, being 4 a.m., but any hope of getting back to sleep that night for me was gone.

Someone on TikTok joked that Hayley sang “Misery Business” because MGK’s cover was so terrible. Having not played the track since 2018, I think we can all agree it was a shocker. But I think it’s not only because Hayley is ready to move past these last few years and get back to the crux of Paramore that she brought it back around. I think she chose it specifically to perform with Billie. From what I can see she has taken Billie under her wing in a sense, and I think it’s because Hayley can see her younger self in Billie. She was 14 when she first started Paramore and Billie was 13 when she recorded “Ocean Eyes”. In these later Paramore years, Hayley has been brutally honest about her relationship to fame, and quite honestly her disdain for it, and I think this was her way of letting people know not to mess with Billie.

Whatever the motivation behind it, it was an incredible ending to Billie’s first headlining Coachella set, and an incredible beginning to Hayley and Paramore’s walk back into the public sphere.

by Nadia Alves

kiel_hauckNadia Alves has been a music enthusiast since she can remember. Going to shows is her main pastime. The other is being upset when she can’t go to shows. This is her first official venture into writing about music. You can follow her on Twitter.

Filed Under: News Tagged With: , , , , , , ,

Podcast: “If we’re gonna date, you have to listen to my seven favorite albums”

April 18, 2022 by Leave a Comment

scott-pilgrim-main

Remember that time where Scott Pilgrim wanted to date Ramona Flowers, but first he had to defeat her seven deadly exes? Wild stuff. Anyway, we decided to come up with the seven albums you would have to listen to in order to date us. Kiel Hauck is joined by Kyle Schultz and Nadia Alves as they list the seven albums that define their journey, showcase their taste, and tell their story. It’s an admittedly weird exercise, but it sure was fun! Listen in.

Special thanks to alissaaamay for the inspiration!

Subscribe to our Podcast on Apple or Spotify

Posted by Kiel Hauck

Filed Under: News, Podcast Tagged With: , , ,

A Night with Semler and Relient K

March 31, 2022 by Leave a Comment

RK4

I’ve very much enjoyed getting back into the swing of live music. Freshly boosted and ready for a taste of the good old days, Jeremiah and I dropped by Paradise Rock Club in Boston to see Relient K. It is a fact universally acknowledged that Jeremiah’s favorite band is Relient K, and I get tickets every time they come around because one day, I know they won’t come around anymore. And I feel as though that day is closer than we all may realize, so I don’t want him to miss a chance to see them.

This is Relient K’s first tour since 2017, when they toured with Switchfoot as every 90s youth kid’s dream lineup. A killer show, one I will always viscerally remember. At that point, I don’t think I was writing for the site, or else you definitely would’ve heard me gush about it. But before that, I saw Relient K for the first time in the same room I saw them in just last week, for the Mmhmm 10th Anniversary Tour in 2014. Jeremiah and I weren’t together yet, so I lured a friend who could drive to take me under the guise of “You’ll get to relive your youth group days.” It all feels very full-circle.

Opening that first night was From Indian Lakes, one of my all time favorites. Opening this past show was Semler, a queer Christian artist. I won’t lie, one of the reasons I got tickets to this Relient K show was to see Semler, who I have followed on social media for a little while now. Something about a person who goes against every religious norm we were raised with, who can still sing truthfully, drew me in. When Relient K announced that Semler would be the opener, the comments on their socials were honestly awful, and I wasn’t sure how it would play out. But the night of the show, there were just as many Semler fans as Relient K fans. I bought a t-shirt, obviously.

Generally the opener is supposed to get you pumped for the main event, but by the time her set was over, there wasn’t a dry eye in the crowd. You could feel the church hurt palpably. It was like a therapy session. I fell in love.

Relient K came on not much later, opening with “Who I Am Hates Who I’ve Been”. They played an energetic, career-spanning set. Obviously, we couldn’t get enough. One of the things that made the show even more fun than it could have already been (if that was possible) was the audience. It really was just a bunch of us having a great time vibing and remembering how it used to be. We met up with a couple of friends and just generally danced all night. The band has as much energy as ever, and Matt Thiessen somehow hasn’t aged a day.

Noticeably (or not noticeably) missing were any tracks from Collapsible Lung, but there was a great rep from Forget and Not Slow Down, one of my top Relient K albums. They obviously played all the popular tracks and saved “Be My Escape” for last. When I first saw them, I captioned my instagram post, “It’s funny how you find you enjoy your life / When you’re happy to be alive” and it still rings true. I don’t know if I’ll have another chance to see Relient K before they finally hang it up for good, but what I do know is that they made me who I am today, and it’s always a joy to be in a room where we all have that in common.

Relient K
Relient K
Relient K and Semler
Semler
Semler
Relient K
Relient K

by Nadia Alves

kiel_hauckNadia Alves has been a music enthusiast since she can remember. Going to shows is her main pastime. The other is being upset when she can’t go to shows. This is her first official venture into writing about music. You can follow her on Twitter.

Filed Under: Events Tagged With: , , , , , , ,

Review: Wallows – Tell Me That It’s Over

March 29, 2022 by Leave a Comment

wallows-2022

Wallows is back with their sophomore offering, Tell Me That It’s Over. They dove even deeper into the stoner rock/Britpop mix that made me fall in love with them a couple of years ago, but for me, this newer album seems to be a step backward rather than a leap ahead.

Tell-Me-That-Its-Over-Album-Cover-Art

You can buy or stream “Tell Me That It’s Over” on Apple Music

It starts off promisingly with “Hard to Believe” and first single “I Don’t Want to Talk”. This is the Wallows we know and love; energetic, youthful tracks. The album as a whole though sounds like a continuation of Nothing Happens, while losing the punch some of those past songs packed. I feel like they definitely put their best foot forward with the singles they released, as opposed to how those play out across the album as a whole.

I think the problem I have here is not that I don’t like this album, but I just like Nothing Happens so much more. Even though a lot of the vibes and lyricism here are similar, it’s lacking a certain something. I think it feels more like a predecessor to the perfection that their last album was, and so it feels a little bit out of order to me. The sounds here are mellower and laid back, and that’s a weird shift from the harder hitting stuff I’m used to.

Of course, this isn’t to say that Tell Me That It’s Over is bad, it’s just a different direction. I appreciate some of the more 80s-esque synths and one of my all-time favorite tracks from the band, “At the End of the Day” is from this album. I feel like this could be their Pinkerton, where they really decided to go with what they felt like writing rather than continuing in the vein that brought them the majority of their popularity. Tracks like “Marvelous” are just kind of a step away from what I’ve come to expect. They do have a knack for writing a closing track, and “Guitar Romantic Search Adventure” is a heck of a closer. “My life’s going by / But it’s just begun” is one of those lines that sticks with you for a long time.

This album is definitely built for a live show experience, and I’m bummed that I still haven’t been able to catch them live. The pandemic forced a refund of my tickets last time, and this tour has sold out so quickly I never even got a chance to look at tickets. And this is to their credit –  they’re a talented group of guys who have a tight sound and know what they want from their art.

I am always partial to a band’s previous releases until their newest has a chance to grow on me, and that’s no different here. Tell Me That It’s Over is a bouncy, colorful album, but for me it lacks a lot of the body that Nothing Happens had.

3.5/5

by Nadia Alves

kiel_hauckNadia Alves has been a music enthusiast since she can remember. Going to shows is her main pastime. The other is being upset when she can’t go to shows. This is her first official venture into writing about music. You can follow her on Twitter.

Filed Under: Reviews Tagged With: , , , , ,

Underoath Hits the Road with Spiritbox, Bad Omens, and Stray from the Path

March 28, 2022 by Leave a Comment

underoath-cincy-splash

Near the end of their set at The Andrew J. Brady Music Center in downtown Cincinnati last week, Stray from the Path vocalist Andrew Dijorio shared a personal and moving story about his struggle as an isolated artist during the pandemic. Dijorio described being unable to take the stage and perform as resulting in a feeling of having lost his purpose. It’s a sentiment that resonates for all of us in one way or another. But here we were, together again in the kind of setting that can melt those feelings away.

stray-from-the-path-cincy-1

Stray from the Path

It had been over two years since I last attended an indoor concert like this, and I got the feeling that it was the same case for many others in attendance. It led to an elevated kind of energy that you could feel throughout the night. I actually had butterflies in the photo pit before shooting the sets – something that was a relatively mundane event prior to the pandemic. 

It had actually been so long since this tour was announced that one of the original bands on the lineup no longer exists (R.I.P. Every Time I Die). Nevertheless, the night is a celebration of Underoath’s new album, Voyeurist, along with being a showcase for a few bands on the rise. 

After Stray from the Path, it was Bad Omens turn to take the stage. The band has made a name for themselves in recent years by threading the needle between metalcore and hard rock, concocting something melodic enough for radio but heavy enough to get the pit moving. Vocalist Noah Sebastian is a true showman in the best way. His confidence on stage was a sight to behold, but his vocal performance is what stole the show, especially when the band plays “Never Know” and “Limits” – two tracks that highlight the band’s stellar songwriting and Sebastian’s soaring vocals.

spiritbox-cincy-3

Spiritbox

Speaking of bands on the rise, in the time since the tour’s announcement, Spiritbox have simply exploded onto the metal scene thanks to the success of their debut, Eternal Blue. No longer the opener, the band could likely be their own headliner very soon. Given that this is their first long trek on the road as a unit, it’s amazing how tight their set is. If you didn’t know any better, you’d think they were a veteran band (vocalist Courtney LaPlante and guitarist Michael Stringer previously toured with iwrestledabearonce). 

LaPlante dominated the night with her powerful vocal performance, rising to the occasion with massive screams on tracks like “Holly Roller” and “Hurt You” while delivering powerhouse cleans on “Blessed Be” and “Constance”. With a setlist only seven tracks deep, it wasn’t hard to be left wanting more. On the band’s final song of the night, “Eternal Blue”, Stringer’s haunting guitar solo at the end of the track capped off a perfect set. 

The night would mark my 10th time seeing Underoath live. What’s left to say at this point? I’ve stated for years that Underoath is one of the best live bands on the planet, and the Voyeurist Tour only adds to the legacy. The band’s catalog is deeper than ever at this point, even with the continued admission of tracks from 2010’s Ø (Disambiguation). Somewhat surprisingly, though, the band’s 15-song set only includes four tracks from the new album. However, Voyeurist opening track “Damn Excuses” allows the band to explode onto the stage, followed by regular show-opener “Breathing in a New Mentality”.

underoath-cincy-3

Underoath

The night is a solid mix of new tracks, fan favorites, and a few rarely performed songs like “A Fault Line, A Fault of Mine” from Lost in the Sound of Separation and “There Could Be Nothing After This” from Define the Great Line. In the end, it’s hits like “Reinventing Your Exit” and “Writing on the Walls” that get the crowd going, even if the band’s performance of Voyeurist-closer “Pneumonia” is utterly jaw-dropping to experience in person.

By the time you’re reading this, the tour will be completed with two final shows in Underoath’s hometown of Tampa, Florida. In the end, one thing is for certain: both bands and fans felt overjoyed to be back in this setting. The promise of more to come from all involved instills a kind of hope that we can all cling to.

Bad Omens
Stray from the Path
Spiritbox
Underoath
Spiritbox
Spiritbox
Underoath
Spiritbox
Spiritbox
Stray from the Path
Spiritbox
Underoath
Bad Omens
Underoath
Spiritbox
Bad Omens
Underoath

by Kiel Hauck

kiel_hauckKiel Hauck is the editor in chief at It’s All Dead. Over the past decade, he has been a contributor for multiple online and print publications and was most recently an editor at PopMatters. Kiel currently resides in Indianapolis, IN with his wife and their imaginary pet, Hand Dog. You can follow him on Twitter.

Filed Under: Events, News Tagged With: , , , , , , , ,

Podcast: Our Favorite Springtime Music

March 21, 2022 by Leave a Comment

the-ataris-2003

Ah yes. The sun is shining. The flowers are blooming. The birds are chirping. Time to roll down the windows and blast some of our favorite music to celebrate the season. On this episode of Long Live the Music, Kiel Hauck is joined by Kyle Schultz and Nadia Alves to discuss the traits that make for the perfect spring album. They then break down their favorite albums to celebrate springtime and talk about why those albums resonate so well this time of year. They also discuss some great new releases, including the new album from Dashboard Confessional. Listen in!

Subscribe to our Podcast on Apple or Spotify

Posted by Kiel Hauck

Filed Under: News, Podcast Tagged With: , , , , , , , , ,

Queue It Up: March 10, 2022

March 10, 2022 by Leave a Comment

Regina-Spektor-2022

Well, well, well. Here we are again. Bringing back Queue It Up. For me, Queue It Up feels like slipping into some sweatpants when you get home from work. It’s a way to take a quick peek at current pop culture without having to commit to too much. We have a buy-three-get-one-free deal running today, so let’s dive in.

Regina Spektor – “Becoming All Alone”

After what seems like an eternity, Regina Spektor has returned. She always seems to come back right when we need her most, like flowers peeking through the pavement after it’s been freezing for what feels like forever. With her newest single “Becoming All Alone”, she provides her ever-timeless perspective on religion. It feels almost eerie, that she should provide such a take, at a time where the part of the world she comes from is in such unrest. As someone who is from that area myself, I feel an intense heartbreak right now, and Regina has been so healing to me lately. It’s only fitting that she alone has found the words that explain exactly how I feel: “Stop the meter, Sir / You have a heart / Why don’t you use it”. This is the first track, and the first taste of, her new album being released on June 24th, and it is aptly titled Home, before and after.

Florence + The Machine – “Heaven is Here”

Florence Welch, the Bog Queen to Hozier’s Bog King, is back. She returns with the triumphant “King”, a portrait of womanhood that is as powerful as it is tragic. Florence laments the fact that she can’t truly have it all: “I am no mother / I am no bride / I am King”. It’s hard out here for us gals, truly. This is the first of two singles we have received from her new album, yet to be titled and given a release date, but what we do know is it seems to be very conceptual, even more so than her past projects. She has sent cards out to fans and updated her website in a cryptic way, with 15 “cards” being the main page. Two of them are flipped, with the names of the two singles with corresponding artwork, and the other 13 are yet to be uncovered. She has a penchant for lengthy albums so there’s a good chance this is her track listing. And our Queue It Up special comes today, when she released “Heaven Is Here”, a short but weighty track that is a companion piece to “King” both lyrically and visually. It seems as though Florence is continuing the vein she opened with her last album High as Hope, a deep dive into the personal side.

Wallows – “At the End of the Day”

And another Queue It Up comes to an end with the last single from Wallows’ upcoming album Tell Me That It’s Over, to be released later this month on the 25th. “At the End of the Day” is my favorite of the three singles they’ve released so far. It sounds like classic Wallows to me, in the way the other singles didn’t. I think Wallows is at their best when they pull out their shoegaze side, but maybe I’m just biased because I love shoegaze. Either way, this single brings me high hopes that this next album from the band will be a perfect follow-up to what was one of my favorite albums of 2019, Nothing Happens. Wallows has a knack for creating perfect spring and summer music, and I’m ready to add this track to my Car Jamz™.

by Nadia Alves

kiel_hauckNadia Alves has been a music enthusiast since she can remember. Going to shows is her main pastime. The other is being upset when she can’t go to shows. This is her first official venture into writing about music. You can follow her on Twitter.

Filed Under: News Tagged With: , , , , ,

Podcast: Sam Manzella on the 10th Anniversary of Fun’s “Some Nights”

February 28, 2022 by Leave a Comment

fun

It’s been 10 years since fun. released Some Nights, which vaulted the band into stardom when hit single “We Are Young” took over the charts in 2012. On this episode of Long Live the Music, Kiel Hauck is joined by MTV News writer Sam Manzella to look back on the album, the impact it made during a transitional moment in popular music, and the quasi-fallout of the band that resulted in very divergent paths for both Jack Antonoff and Nate Ruess. The two also discuss Antonoff’s impact on pop music in the years since the album’s release and the chances of a fun. reunion ever taking place. Take a listen!

You can read Sam’s MTV News retrospective on Some Nights here.

Subscribe to our Podcast on Apple or Spotify

Posted by Kiel Hauck

Filed Under: News, Podcast Tagged With: , , , , , , , , ,
Next Page»