I'll just leave this here.

'White Hot Moon' is Pity Sex's second full length album and shows expanding versatility and tons of musical growth. I'm a pretty big Pity Sex fan, and I love the album. Standout tracks are 'A Satisfactory World For Reasonable People,' 'What Might Soothe You,' and 'Dandelion.' 
​Stream below via Bandcamp. 

The 4th annual Willistock, hosted by the ECSU Radio Club featured Dagwood, SLOOF, oldsoul, and The Merks. Photos below.
​Dagwood:

SLOOF:

oldsoul (a new favorite):

I've been dying to see Spit-Take, and I finally caught them at Willimantic Records on 4/2.
Check out photos below:

Perennial:

The New & Very Welcome:

Deft Hand:

'It Kindly Stopped For Me' is finally available and is just as good in it's entirety. Cameron Boucher's softer touch really makes the EP. 'Either Way' and 'XC' are still my favorites, but 'A Will' really is a lovely song when the intensity builds. Stream below via Bandcamp

Here's the new video for Sorority Noise's 'Nolsey.' 

'Shade,' the new Reduction Plan album is out tomorrow, 4/29. Stream below 'Light of Life' today and the rest of the album tomorrow. Reduction Plan is the still relatively new project by Dan Manning (of Cop) which I've been pretty into since I first saw them at Hardcore Sweet. 

Kali Uchis just released a new song, “Only Girl,” with rappers Steve Lacy and Vince Staples. “Only Girl” is slow, smooth, and catchy. It’s an easy listen regardless of what you have going on in your life. Kali Uchis is relatively new to the music scene, but she’s quickly gaining momentum (she recently featured on Tyler, The Creator’s track “Perfect”).

You can listen to “Only Girl” below, or here. You can also see the music video here.

I've always been a fairly hardcore Lumineers fan, and their self titled first album was something I jammed to for ages, and sometimes even now, four years later, I still add the songs to playlists. 'Morning Song' and 'Flowers in Your Hair' still definitely resonate with me, and in all honesty when I name those titles, I feel bad for all the rest of the songs on that album that I love and am not mentioning. Maybe I'm just a sentimental asshole but the lyricism has always cut deep. 

I hadn't been keeping up with The Lumineers and had no idea a new album was on its way until the single 'Ophelia' was released, and let me tell you, it was a *very* pleasant surprise. 'Ophelia was catchy and deep in all the right ways, and was stuck in my head, and my playlists, for weeks. 'Cleopatra' and 'Angela" dropped next and I was still very much on board for the new album. I'm pretty sure that the name titles are a nod to the deluxe songs from the self-titled album, 'Elouise' and 'Darlene.'

'Cleopatra' is out today and has surpasses every single one of my expectations. First, let me recommend the deluxe version, because the 'bonus' tracks are just as good, if not better, than the rest.  

First is 'Sleep On The Floor,' which is a breathtaking ode to wanderlust. This is for everyone feeling trapped and helpless. With resounding lyrics pointing out the fallacies in religion and the thought process of someone who needs to get away, 'Sleep On The Floor is a resounding opening to a killer album. 'Ophelia' follows with the same feel as all their old songs, the same well-defined beat and head-nodding feel with killer lyrics.

Next is 'Cleopatra' and with lyrics like 'but I was late for this/late for that/late for the love of my life/and when I die alone/when I die alone/when I die I'll be on time' it's hard not to feel the vibes. Again, distrust in religion is a pretty strong theme here, and it only adds the the depth and reliability. 'Gun Song' is a nod to 'Big Parade' and definitely 'Charlie Boy' off their self-titled, and brings back the military references in a not-so-subtle way. The song seems to be an analysis of a father-son relationship with the less than sweet realization that that relationship is awfully damaged. 'The things I knew when I was young/some were true and some were wrong/And one day I pray I'll be more than my father's son/but I don't own a single gun.'

'Angela' follows and in all honesty I didn't love it initially, but it's really grown on me. It feels a little weird singing along when I don't know an Angela and it sucks a little bit of the universality out of it, but the catchiness outweighs that (I suppose.) 'In The Light' details how difficult it is to let some things go. Every word thus far seems so deliberate and purposeful, I'm starting to see why this album took four years, 'Gale Song' is a little boring, when compared next to the rest of the album, but it feels like it was a personal song that needed to be written. 'Long Way From Home' feels like a weary traveller's anthem, and though short, I kind of love it. The lyrics 'sleep like a stone' feel very characteristic to The Lumineers and there are more hospital references, bringing continuity to the album. 

Next is 'Sick In The Head,' another short song with deep resonance. I'm almost surprised The Lumineers took on mental illness, but also not. I think the song is an honest portrayal and neither tries to hard nor overreaches. The Lumineers take was careful yet still poignant. 'My Eyes' is interesting and unclear 'too young to know/too old to admit' and I'd love more background on the song and the personal context it holds. The last song in the album, save for the four deluxe songs is 'Patience' which is one of my favorites. 'Patience' is short and instrumental but beautiful nonetheless. 

Moving on the the deluxe tracks, 'Where The Skies Are Blue' is a little more joyful and feels like 'Flowers in Your Hair.' The playfulness of the track really complements the instrumental that it followed. Next is 'Everyone Requires A Plan' and to be thoroughly honest, I have no idea what this song means. It's beautiful and has the same sound as everything else The Lumineers have done, but the lyrics are very unclear. 'White Lie' has to be my favorite song off the album. I love the sound and the lyrics are incredible. The haunting piano melody is guaranteed to echo through your head forever and if I could live in this song, I would. I would argue that this should have been on the actual album, if not the first single, it's that good. The album closes with an acoustic demo of 'Cleopatra' which I understand, and I liked, but in all honesty, I would have probably preferred another full track, but I'm selfish and I see the artistic merit of what they did. I really like the little dialog before the song, but I won't spoil it, you'll have to listen for yourself. The acoustic demo itself is arguably just as good as the normal version and adds something interesting to the tone.

​Stream the deluxe version below via Spotify and look for (a lot) of these songs on upcoming Bruised Knuckles playlists (for probably the next four years.)

 It pains me to acknowledge that Kanye West’s long awaited album 'The Life of Pablo' does not appear to have been worth the anticipation. I will admit that I approached this album with a bit of a bitterness for the entire Title issue, as a broke college student who is in a healthy relationship with Spotify. I waited until 'The Life of Pablo' was available to all to give my opinions, just out of principle, and I hope you understand.

I am not sure if Kanye is trying to be unique and resist definition or just “hip and relatable” but the execution lacks his traditional flow and catchiness that we all know and love. Yes, Kanye is Kanye, and we have learned to tolerate that love/hate relationship, but this album overall is disappointingly lackluster. He recognizes our feelings in “I Love Kanye” and regardless of whether this is a joke track, I do miss the only Kanye, and I cannot be the alone in this. One aspect of this album that I cannot even formulate an excuse for is the lack of feature credits. While listening I heard many beloved artists’ work, but did not see any credit given, and I can only wonder why.

Despite this, I was able to find some redeeming songs, specifically 'Pt.2, Waves,' and 'No More Parties in LA.' So be sure to check those out! Stream below via Spotify (finally.)