HST Mixtape: Playlist for 2011

Every year, I usually post my favorite songs of 2011 playlist to my Facebook page. Now that I am a writer for HST, I decided to make it a bit more public.

Review of Gorillaz’s “The Singles Collection: 2001-2011”

Even as I’m typing this out, I still can’t believe that Gorillaz, one of the most influential alternative acts today, is ten years old. Fronted by Damon Albarn (aka the former lead singer of Blur), the band catapulted themselves to mainstream stardom, thanks in part to the hypnotic beats and creative animated style of the […]

Music Review: Gym Class Heroes “The Papercut Chronicles II”

Remember last year, when Travie McCoy broke off from his friends in Gym Class Heroes to release his first solo album Lazarus? If you don’t, then you must remember his first single “Billionaire (feat. Bruno Mars)” at least. That song became a theme for 2010, as almost every sort of radio station just put that […]

Music Review: Childish Gambino’s “Camp”

If you don’t know who Donald Glover is, let me give you a small history lesson. He’s an EMMY winning writer, stand-up comedian, and plays Troy on NBC’s critically acclaimed comedy, Community. Before all of that, you might know him from the Derrick comedy sketches, including Bro Rape and Spelling Bee (some of my favorites). […]

Music Review: La Dispute’s “Wildlife”

Word of mouth is what seems to be the driving force in the music industry today. I’ve even reviewed some music that a friend has passed on to me, simply because they think it is something that needs to be listened to (including Foster the People, Big Sean, and AWOLNATION, just to name a few). […]

Review of Four Year Strong’s “In Some Way, Shape, or Form”

For some reason, one of which I cannot truly wrap my head around, is how the post-hardcore scene is now starting to blossom. Acts like Florida-based standout A Day To Remember are now starting to climb the U.S. mainstream charts, while also dominating sales and selling out concerts. Recently, I was reminded about how popular […]

Music Review: Angels and Airwaves’ “LOVE: Part Two”

Tom DeLonge has become an incredibly busy musician these days. He has been on tour for most of the year with Blink-182 (alongside My Chemical Romance and Manchester Orchestra), and helped his original band come back with their highly anticipated new album, Neighborhoods. And when he is not reuniting with his kinfolk, he is continuing […]

Music Review: I Fight Dragons’ “Kaboom!”

Some of the most iconic music of this generation comes out of video games. Almost everyone can hum the Super Mario music, The Legend of Zelda tunes, and that little chime that gets played when you win a fight in Final Fantasy. Those iconic 8-bit notes have stuck their place in popular culture as songs […]

Review of Patrick Stump’s “Soul Punk”

Alright, confession time. From time to time, I still listen to the Chicago-based emo pop-punk band Fall Out Boy. Whenever their break-out song “Sugar, We’re Going Down” comes up on my iPod, I never skip it, but sing along to the incredibly catchy chorus instead. Ever since then, Fall Out Boy became headliners, performing for […]

Music Review: IAMDYNAMITE’s “Supermegafantastic”

Alternative rock duos have been on the rise ever since one of the best of all time called it quits (I’m of course talking about the White Stripes). From Panic! at the Disco and Middle Class Rut, to Sleigh Bells and Cults, these duos have stepped up and made some beautiful noise in popular music […]