Music - The Eastern Echo

Detroit rapper Rizzy fails to impress

By Joe Israel · Wednesday, Oct. 23, 2013

Rizzy is an upstart, an enterprising rapper who hails from Detroit. He writes, sings, raps and produces. I won’t lie – he has skills, but if he’s looking to get a deal based off of the strength of these particular songs, it might be time to find another line of work.

Hip-hop moved north

By Joe Israel · Wednesday, Oct. 9, 2013

When the culture of hip-hop music was birthed 35 years ago, many individuals had mixed emotions about this new trend. Let’s be honest – the DJs plugging their Technic 1200s and their mixers into the lamp post for power was incepted just to become a hobby. It was meant to diverge from the harsh realities of urban decay that were impossible to ignore in New York City in the late 1970s.

Local band Truman releases ‘Ever Changing’ album

By Jannell Whitted · Sunday, Oct. 6, 2013

Four friends came together, drank beer and made good music. That band, Ypsilanti-based Truman, released its second album, “Ever Changing,” in September, and are giving it away for free on truman3.bandcamp.com

Teng’s new album carries a different style

By Anna Hinkley · Wednesday, Oct. 2, 2013

Vienna Teng’s recording career has been on hiatus for four long years. Her new album, “Aims,” is her first studio album since Inland Territory, released in 2009. Less piano-focused than past albums, it is effervescent in its execution, drawing from an incredible array of inspirations.

Matt On Music: Is There Still Hope For Eminem?

By Matt Rice · Wednesday, Sept. 25, 2013

When did Eminem just lose it? Music critics mostly said that 2004’s “Encore,” which I personally loved, had a significant drop in quality that has continued well into his comeback.

Matt on Music: Janelle Monáe

By Matt Rice · Sunday, Sept. 15, 2013

Jody Rosen, pop music critic of New York Magazine, recently wrote, “The only people who like a black bohemian more than fellow black bohemians are white rock critics.” This was from his article about Janelle Monáe, whose new release, “The Electric Lady,” has been one of the most anticipated albums of 2013.

RiffTrax rips on films

By Taylor Pinson · Sunday, Sept. 15, 2013

Mike Nelson, Kevin Murphy and Bill Corbett, the stars of the later years of “Mystery Science Theater 3000,” completely eviscerated Paul Verhouven’s 1997 film “Starship Troopers,” making the RiffTrax live show one of their best shows yet.

Kanye raps in Mich.

By Andre J. Ellington · Sunday, Sept. 15, 2013

Controversial rapper Kanye West, who has won 21 Grammy awards for his work, is bringing his anticipated “The Yeezus Tour” on Sunday, Nov. 10 at 7 p.m. to The Palace of Aurburn Hills in Auburn Hills, Mich.

Matt on Music: End of summer music guide, part 2

By Matt Rice · Thursday, Aug. 29, 2013

Because of less time, part two of my Summer Music Guide has fewer albums. In part one, I reviewed 25 albums.

Matt on Music: Comeback albums

By Matt Rice · Monday, June 17, 2013

ith a new My Bloody Valentine album, a new Replacements EP and a new David Bowie album, it became clear early on in 2013 that this was going to be a year full of comebacks.

The Maine’s “Forever Halloween” is a solid release

By Jess Salisbury · Monday, June 17, 2013

When Arizona-based band The Maine dropped their most recent album “Forever Halloween” on June 4, my initial feelings were mixed.

ONLINE EXCLUSIVE: Matt on Music: The Uncluded Concert Review

By Matt Rice · Monday, June 10, 2013

Comprised of anti-folk singer-songwriter Kimya Dawson and indie rapper Aesop Rock, The Uncluded have been my favorite new band of 2013 since I first heard their album, “Hokey Fright.” So when I heard they were performing in Detroit on June 5, I had to go. While driving to and from the show, I listened to the album a total of three times.

Matt on Music: The National

By Matt Rice · Monday, June 3, 2013

Cincinnati indie band The National may have seemed a bit ordinary on their 2001 self-titled debut.

Matt on More Music: Kimya Dawson

By Matt Rice · Tuesday, May 21, 2013

Kimya Dawson gained mainstream attention when many of her songs appeared in the 2007 film “Juno.” Still, she had a following in the indie scene years before that.

Matt on More Music: Rilo Kiley

By Matt Rice · Tuesday, May 21, 2013

When Rilo Kiley announced via Facebook that they were working on a news album, fans became ecstatic (after all, the band had announced their breakup less than two years earlier). As somebody who considers them one of the greatest bands of all time, I was one of those fans. Then, everyone realized it was just a rarities album.

Matt on Music: Vampire Weekend

By Matt Rice · Monday, May 13, 2013

Vampire Weekend’s second album, “Contra,” opened with “Horchata,” a calypso-influenced ditty that stated, “Winter’s cold is too much to handle.” “Modern Vampires of the City,” the band’s new album, shows them at long last forced to face the cold up close.

Matt on Music: "Wussy Duo"

By Matt Rice · Monday, May 6, 2013

This year, Record Store Day fell on April 20th, which meant that the day meant a lot to more than just one group of people. It was also on this day that Cincinnati band Wussy released their second Record Store Day release, “Duo.”

Grand Rapids band creates unique sound

By Carmen Bojanowski · Monday, May 6, 2013

“Everything from Bach to rock,” is cited as an influence on Grand Rapids band The Outer Vibe’s Facebook page.

Matt on Music: Brad Paisley

By Matt Rice · Sunday, April 21, 2013

Here is the new format for Matt on Music. Rather than just reviewing one new album, I’ll review several older albums with a connection to a new release and then finish with a review of said new release. This may manifest itself in partial discography reviews, or just a series of reviews of albums in similar genres. (My reviews already feature so much exposition, so I might as well use it to comment on more than one album.)

‘Encore’ shows Eminem at his most humble.

Matt on Music: Eminem

By Matt Rice · Wednesday, April 17, 2013

Eminem, Marshall Mathers, Slim Shady—whatever you want to call him, the man is a genius and one of the most important artists in the history of American popular music (at least before his lame last couple albums). Here is a list of his 15 best songs.