Kelly Tunney

The Hum

The Agenda Festival

Kinlaw: Gut Check

The Agenda Festival

BEST OF 2014: 10 Musicians Killing the Fashion Game This Year

Let’s admit it: 2014 has been a rough year for news. Missing planes, police killings and various states’ decisions to limit women’s access to health care (all together now, deep breaths) are just a few things that happened. So, to brighten things up, I’ve rounded up my favorite style icons from the...

BEST OF 2014 Albums: Kelly's Picks

1. Lana Del Rey – Ultraviolence I’ve been on the Lana Del Rey bandwagon ever since I heard “Dark Paradise” (we’re all just pretending that her second album, Paradise, never happened, right?). Lana delivers all of the slow-burn goodness found in Born to Die and that fans expect from a follow up. She...

CMJ 2014 IN Review: Bands to Watch

Attending a weeklong music festival featuring more than 1,000 bands can be intimidating. Sometimes you’re torn between going to see artists you’re familiar with and the ones you have yet to discover. Going to a show of a band you’ve seen before is a safe bet, but venturing out to see someone new is...

What to Wear to CMJ 2014

It's that time of year again: CMJ Music Marathon is upon us. One crazy awesome week of running around Manhattan and Brooklyn to see the newest, coolest emerging faces in music. The one problem? New York in October. It's getting cold, it's rainy, and you have to make it from Webster Hall to Brooklyn...

Sam Amidon at Mhow

I didn’t find out that Sam Amidon’s music wasn’t wholly his own until after the show. He takes folk standards to remaster them and create something new. Normally, learning something like this changes my opinion of an artist, as it doesn’t really feel like they should get all of the attention and credit for their music. Not that I completely write them off, but it’s definitely a let down. But I didn’t feel disappointed when I realized that the performance I had just experienced was in part dependent on old folk standards. Somehow, the origin of the lyrics Amidon and his band sang didn’t quite matter as much as how they sang them.

Charli XCX

Every Thursday, AF profiles a style icon from the music world. This week, we're gushing over Charli XCX's gothic wardrobe. There's tons of black and velvet and we can't get enough. Charli XCX has the ability to pull off cropped tees, netted shirts and even the 90s-redux plaid skirt. She's a tough...

M.i.a.

Every Thursday, AF profiles a style icon from the music world. This week's icon is M.I.A., whose bright, crazy patterns have mesmerized us since the beginning of her career. The controversial pop icon M.I.A. never disappoints us with her crazy stunts and her awesome outfits in equal measure. She's...

YEAR END List: Top 10 Unexplainable Kanye Moments

It's been a weird year for Kanye West; although really, with Kanye, what year isn't weird? He's become renowned for his crazy shenanigans, which most of us are now familiar with. From his "George Bush doesn't care about black people" slip in 2005 to his infamous "I'ma let you finish" bluster at the...

Track of the Week 12/16: "Flawless"

Last week, Beyonce did what only Beyonce could do. She released a new album, unannounced, accompanied by music videos for each song. In an interview explaining her creative process, she stated that when she listens to music, she naturally sees its intended vision. For her, music and vision are one,...

Cults

Every Thursday, AF profiles a style icon from the music world. This week, we're highlighting Madeline Follin and Brian Oblivion of Cults. Piles of black clothing compliment the duo's haunting sound. Madeline Follin and Brian Oblivion tend to have slight variations of the same outfits almost every...

Empress Of

Every Thursday, AF profiles a style icon from the music world. This week's icon is Lorely Rodriguez, the Brooklynite better known as Empress Of. She made her rounds at CMJ 2013 and stole our hearts with her dreamy pop and feminine menswear. Though relatively new to the music scene, Empress Of is...

Sleigh Bells

Every Thursday, AF profiles a style icon from the music world. This week our icon is Alexis Krauss, whose band Sleigh Bells is currently on tour in support of their latest record, Bitter Rivals. They land in NYC Friday and Saturday for two back-to-back shows at Terminal 5. A symphony of shredding...

"Don't Tell the Driver"

With a symphony of indigenous sounding instruments and several tracks that surpass the eight-minute mark, Mick Turner's Don't Tell the Driver certainly isn't for everyone. His experimental concept album is largely instrumental, unsurprisingly, as he's served as the guitarist for Dirty Three as well...

Built to Spill 11/07

As a music reviewer, when you get the chance to attend a concert for well known rockers at a legendary rock venue, you don't exactly turn down the opportunity. And I'm so glad I said yes to seeing Built to Spill play Irving Plaza last Thursday. While the band isn't one that I follow particularly...

"The Big Come Up"

Ending your band's debut album with a 23-minute hidden track is a bold move, but then again, The Black Keys have always been pretty bold in their bluegrass/garage rock. Years before they were selling out tours throughout the country, Akron, Ohio natives Dan Auerbach (guitar/vocals) and Patrick...

Kings of Leon "Youth and Young Manhood"

Anthony Caleb Followill, Ivan Nathan Followill and Michael Jared Followill — who go by their middle names — spent their childhood traveling the southern states while their father, Ivan Leon Followill, delivered sermons as an United Pentecostal Church pastor. As detailed in the Kings of Leon's...

Mutual Benefit "Love's Crushing Diamond"

Toro Y Moi @ Terminal 5

Toro y Moi Typically, listening to music is a personal experience. Many of us walk around with our headphones in our ears, allowing our music of choice to affect us personally, whether we use it to transport ourselves into a safety zone while riding the subway or to pump us up as a soundtrack for...

A Decade of Arcade Fire

On the cusp of Arcade Fire’s fourth — and likely most evolved — full-album release, it’s the perfect time to take a look back at how the band has grown over the years. Throughout the band’s development, countless cracks have been made about their numerous band members, but considering the...

Balcony TV + Time Out New York Showcase @ the Studio at Webster Hall

The first day of the CMJ Music Marathon serves as a kicking-off of a week packed with artists from all over the world, brought together to one city to do what they love. This excitement and nervousness was palpable at the Balcony TV + Time Out New York showcase Tuesday, which featured several...

Cults @ Brooklyn Bowl

Cults If someone had predicted Madeline Follin and Brian Oblivion of Cults were a one-hit-wonder, or perhaps a one-album-wonder, then the pair's second album disproves this prediction. Cults is back, and I have to say they're even better than before. The sophomore album, Static, released Oct. 15,...

AF Exclusive: Empty Chairs Video "Gtmo"

Brooklyn natives Empty Chairs are continuing on their wave of rhythmic harmonies toward the release of their first full-length album with a video for their single "GTMO." The album, Caveat Emptor, drops on November 5, but for now, you can check out the exclusive premiere of the video here on...

Radical Face at Le Poisson Rouge

Radical Face at Le Poisson Rouge on Oct. 11. "Our tours are cursed," Radical Face frontman Ben Cooper explained from his position seated in a chair onstage. Elaborating, he detailed a series of misfortunes including surgery on his head and a recent chiropractor visit for his injured back as an...

Breathe Owl Breathe "Passage of Pegasus"

A forrest gives way to a wide, open river where the air is warming up with the dawning of the sun. The smell of trees and ground colliding with the freshness of the clear water. The only sounds heard are crickets chirping and the water splashing gently against a canoe — a quiet place before the...

Volcano Choir @ Webster Hall

Rumors of Justin Vernon forgoing Grammy-winning Bon Iver for other projects have been spreading for months. Vernon himself has fed these rumors, confessing in a recent Reddit Ask Me Anything session along with other members of Volcano Choir that, as far as Bon Iver goes, he has “no plans, not sure...

New Politicians Showcase Dreamy Rock in Second EP

New Politicians capture the angsty, stick-it-to-the-man mentality that defines the guitar and synth-heavy post-punk genre in their second EP, Drag a City. The quartet of New Jersey natives harness a strong voice in the form of vocalist Renal Anthony and provide a background of significantly...