Phoenix dropped new album, “Alpha Zulu”

It is impossible to talk about Phoenix as a group without mentioning their catalogue of influential Indie music that remains a staple within the genre throughout their more than 20 year history. Cementing themselves as masters of hook-writing and lush synth melodies, they approached  a difficult paradox that many veteran groups have to face–how do […]

Top Shelf Music Weekly Roundup: November 20th, 2022

Welcome to the Top Shelf Weekly Music Roundup, where we showcase some of our favorite new music video releases! If you are interested in having your upcoming music considered for a feature, send an email in the form of a press release to Derek Jones. For fans of EDM, Pop & R&B Thai-Chilean, NYC native, multi-hyphenate […]

HIRIE energizes Jannus Live in St. Petersburg, FL

After three weeks on the road, HIRIE finally came stomping the stage at St. Petersburg’s famed venue, Jannus Live, as part of their Mood Swing Tour. Ballyhoo! and Surfer Girl were also along for the ride. All three bands filled the night with tones that reverberated against the surrounding buildings and absorbed into the lively […]

Drowning Pool drops electrifying ‘Strike A Nerve’ album

Drowning Pool is back after what seemed to be an indefinite hiatus. The band’s new album, Strike A Nerve, officially dropped on September 30th, 2022, so let’s dive in! The album’s intro track, “Doing Time In Hell”, is only a minute long and screams, “Get ready, you are in for a ride!” And, what a ride […]

FORMAT Festival 2022: Day 1 – Arkansas’ newest hidden gem

In the heart of lakes country in Northwestern Arkansas sits a city by the name of Bentonville. A relatively small town, notable mostly for being the birthplace and headquarters of the world’s largest retailer, Walmart. Recently, however, Bentonville has another burgeoning claim to fame in hosting the nation’s newest up-and-coming music and arts celebration. Deep […]

Dirty Heads’ eighth studio album ‘Midnight Control’ slaps

One thing I love about Dirty Heads is while they have an extremely signature sound, it’s still nearly impossible to put your finger on exactly what makes Dirty Heads the Dirty Heads. I opened the listening link for Midnight Control, the Huntington Beach five-piece’s eighth studio album, a couple weeks ago. I had no idea […]

Five Finger Death Punch unleashes unequivocal ‘AfterLife’ album

Metal heavyweight Five Finger Death Punch is back with their highly anticipated ninth studio album AfterLife… so, let’s dig in. The first song, “Welcome To The Circus”, opens with a bang. I love the joker laugh that Ivan Moody planted in here! This was the third single previously released leading up to the full-length drop […]

Bumpin Uglies goes big with new ‘Mid-Atlantic Dub’ album

I’ll be honest: I freaked out a bit when Brandon Hardesty messaged me the other week, asking if I wanted to listen to their new album and write a review. I knew it would be amazing, but how the hell was I supposed to put their genre-defyingly awesome music into words that could actually do […]

Flogging Molly drops ‘Anthem’ of the year

The last several years have been incredibly challenging and painful for damn near everyone around the world. COVID changed everything overnight; it stripped away so many dreams and promises, ended careers, financially harmed countless and it took away far too many loved ones. What it could not take away were those things that bind so […]

Stick Figure drops much-needed ‘Wisdom’

It’s been no secret these past few months that the symbol for American reggae, Stick Figure, was coming out with a new album. Even though I covered a few of the singles myself, what I honestly wasn’t expecting was for this full feature-length masterpiece to absolutely blow me away. The 14-song album titled Wisdom — […]

Triple Thread debuts with fun-filled ‘Feels Like Home’ LP

Musical genres are a thing of the past. If you don’t believe me, Triple Thread‘s first full-length album, Feels Like Home is all the proof you’ll need. The Orange County-based five-piece band successfully combined the musical stylings of popular genres, including reggae, rock, ska, pop and punk. The results of such unique combinations means there’s […]

Krooked Treez brings island vibes with ‘You Better Belize It’

It’s the return of Krooked Treez! These native Californians are dropping it hot with their sound that will leave you feeling so damn happy and inspired at the same time. It’s a multi-plexity of an old roots style with a mix of hip hop and reggae dub thrown in there with a huge smile.  The […]

The Black Seeds unleash ample ‘Love & Fire’ in new LP

Summertime, feeling fine. Love& Fire, The Black Seeds’ seventh full-length studio album, is a sunny and bright collection of 10 easy-listening, dubby tracks with ‘beach day’ written all over them. The New Zealand eight-piece dropped the record June 17th via Proville Records/Kartel Music Group in Europe and New York-based reggae label Easy Star Records in North […]