REVIEW: Crafted Sounds Special 2/20 @ Cousin Danny’s

REVIEW: Crafted Sounds Special 2/20 @ Cousin Danny’s

The portal to the Crafted Sounds Special was the scariest door of all time. A cigarette smoking musician had to point it out to us. It was snowing and the gray graffitied door with a lock didn’t seem right, for a second we thought the gig was gonna be in the side yard of the house because of the huge “COUSIN DANNY’S” poster hanging outside. 
REVIEW: Molchat Doma @ The Anthem, 2/11

REVIEW: Molchat Doma @ The Anthem, 2/11

Starting out in 2017, Belarusian post-punk band, Молчат Дома (Molchat Doma), immediately brought something new to the table. Although heavily inspired by acts like The Cure, Siouxsie and the Banshees, Joy Division, and Soviet-era band Kino, they marked a new era in modern post-punk as a whole. The lead singer’s deep monotone voice, the heavy bass, 80s sounding synths, and already signature drum machine have created an easily-recognizable “Molchat Doma” sound. This is all evident in their massive hit, “Судно (Борис Рыжий)” from their 2018 sophomore album, Etazhi, that exploded their sound into international acclaim. Currently on the North American leg of their ongoing world tour, the trio made a stop in D.C. on a snowy Tuesday, February 11th for a highly anticipated show at The Anthem.
It’s Alright, Ma (I’m Only Blogging)

It’s Alright, Ma (I’m Only Blogging)

Everybody, even the people who hate him, pretty much agrees that Bob Dylan is the greatest songwriter of all time. Some will attach asterisks to the moniker (*living/rock/American/white/male) but it’s a waste of time. Fundamentally, Dylan expanded the scope of what a pop song could be, demolished cutesy lyrical boundaries, pioneered genre bending sounds and changed the way record companies thought about artists to the point where his impact is so ubiquitous it’s hard to separate him from the evolution of music. And he did it all in like three years. Dylan’s catalogue isn’t only winners, in fact lots of it is bad, but his best work is so monumental, and driven by an irrepressible fuck-you-attitude, that it makes most other music feel small by comparison.