Articles By: Brian Benton 
Brian Benton is a student at Washington University in St. Louis, born and raised in the Bay Area. He likes writing, photography, biking, Andrew Jackson Jihad and Childish Gambino.
The Wilderness of Manitoba – Island of Echoes album review
There is a rare mix of childhood and maturity when the Wilderness of Manitoba sing. Their voices are sweet, soft and innocent like a child’s but the laying, harmonizing and detail they put in each song is something that could come only with experience. The band sounds like what you would expect a band called the Wilderness of Manitoba to sound like – breezy, outdoorsy and natural, singing about love and the outdoors and their love for the outdoors. It’s [...]
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Hundred Waters – Hundred Waters LP album review
When it comes to bizarre opener/headliner combinations, Hundred Waters and Skrillex are near the top. Hundred Waters are an electronic-folk hybrid from Gainesville, Florida who make soft, almost glistening songs with synths, guitars and an occasional trumpet. Skrillex, well I think you know what he sounds like. Maybe the idea was to have the two acts balance each other out. Or maybe, Skrillex just has good taste in music. On Sept. 25, the five-piece released Hundred Waters, a reworking of songs [...]
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Mumford and Sons – Babel album review
Mumford and Son’s Babel was one of the most anticipated albums of the year, so naturally, it didn’t live up to expectations. How could it have? We wanted a ten, so even a seven or an eight would be a disappointment. And, the album is a seven or eight and because of that we’re all disappointed but once you get over the fact that Sigh No More was an impeccable debut and realize that an eight really isn’t that bad, [...]
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Band of Horses – Mirage Rock album review
Band of Horses are a very organic band. There is a sense of carelessness in their songs – not craziness or wildness but a feeling of nonconformity and freedom. It seems as if Band of Horses are making music purely for themselves without a buyer in mind, and that’s great. But sometimes, that lack of intention can turn into a lack of direction. Mirage Rock lacks direction. Band of Horses sounds lost. What probably led to this confusion was the [...]
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The Raveonettes – Observator album review
The best song on the Raveonette’s Observator is the very last. That song, “Till the End,” is the only one on the album that has a solid sound all of it’s own. The songs before have a clear style and succeed at what they are doing, but “Till the End” soars. “Till the End” takes the dark and gloomy sounds the album has been playing on and helps them grow. It should be the single. That out of the way, there [...]
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The Vaccines – Come of Age album review
“Come of age” is defined as reaching a certain point that marks a transition to maturity. So, when a band chooses to call an album Come of Age, it puts quite a bit of pressure on them. They have to grow. They have to progress. They have to mature. The Vaccine’s do all of that. The Vaccine’s new album Come of Age is defined by stomping guitars, strong vocals and a clear progression from their first album, What Did You Expect from the Vaccines. The [...]
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Bells – Our Forest, Our Empire album review
Don’t get me wrong, there is bliss in background music. Sometimes, you just want to sit back and think but you don’t want to do it in silence. But even the best background music can get dull at times (that’s why you leave it to the background) and unfortunately, Bells fall in to that dull category. When I listen to an album, I look for growth and progression. Where does the album start and where does it finish? I want [...]
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Andrew WK – Mother of Mankind re-release album review
Right now, I’m sitting on a couch in my dorm room listening to Andrew WK. I’m three weeks into my first year of college, with a mini-fridge stocked with only Gatorade and milk to my left and a desk covered with textbooks and dirty clothes to my right. And because of where I am right now, I love Andrew WK. Because of college, the re-release of his 2010 album Mother of Mankind sounds better than ever. You have to be in a [...]
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Teengirl Fantasy – Tracer album review
When MGMT first started gaining publicity, the cool thing to say was that you saw them at Wesleyan, where the band was formed, or at Vassar or at Columbia or at any other college that the two floppy-haired pyschadelic-rockers played in their early days. The same applies to Vampire Weekend (who formed at Columbia), Passion Pit (Emerson College) and Ra Ra Riot (Syracuse). Now, it’s cool to say that you saw them at Lollapalooza, or at Coachella or at Outside Lands, [...]
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The Darkness – Hot Cakes album review
On the front cover of Hot Cakes, the new album by the Darkness, are three scantily clad women sitting atop stacks of pancakes. The women are smothered in what appears to be maple syrup and the whole situation looks like something only a real rock star would ever experience. The scene seems like an imaginary fantasy, but you never know with the Darkness. As bizarre and and odd as the band is, something tells me they live the real rockstar life. [...]
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