MUSIPLUG

Mark Dylan Music has a killer new album out. Entertain your ears with The Album 2022, and check out Benji Katz's review!

https://www.musiplug.com/blank-2/the-year-in-your-ears-a-review-of-the-album-2022-by-mark-dylan

The Year in Your Ears: A Review of The Album 2022 by Mark Dylan If chameleons could sing, they’d sound a lot like Mark Dylan. His full-length debut, The Album 2022, glides from pop-punk anthems and dad-rock riffs to pantie-dropping R&B slow jams without ever losing track of the task at hand—making us tap our feet. This eclectic collection of songs maintains ...

Another review, this time for and their new album Yonderings. Check it out at the link in bio ->

Go support Joe's Truck Stop latest album!
https://www.musiplug.com/blank-2/yonderings-by-joes-truck-stop

A Song for the Ride: A Review of Yonderings by Joe’s Truck Stop Timeless tunes that refuse to sit still. Yonderings, the third studio album by Joe’s Truck Stop, is comprised of broad-sweeping folk songs that prove the pulse of traditional music is pounding as powerfully as ever. From blistering bluegrass boot-stompers to crooning country waltzes, songwriter Jo...

Check out Benji Katz's review of the new Curse Jar (Kinahora) album!

https://www.musiplug.com/blank-2/review-of-crescent-moons-windows-curse-jar-kinahora

Shoegazing at the Moon: A Review of Crescent Moons & Windows by Curse Jar (Kinahora) Being caught off guard has never felt so good. Curse Jar (Kinahora)’s debut album, Crescent Moons & Windows, is highlighted by a vocal delivery reminiscent of an extraterrestrial child and a lo-fi atmospheric soundscape. These two ear-catching elements coalesce into a record that’s every bit as ...

Mark Dylan Music has a tasty new video out today! Check out Cookin in the Kitchen!

https://www.musiplug.com/blank-2/mark-dylan-cookin-in-the-kitchen

Mark Dylan: Cookin in the Kitchen Brooklyn, New York's Mark Dylan is back with a funky new pop song from the kitchen to your ears. Charming and catchy, Dylan's latest single, "Cookin in the Kitchen," is out everywhere now. Get your first taste of this new jam by watching the succulent and sweet music video filmed and edited by Genev...

Benji Katz reviewed the new Tyler Key album, Wild Azaleas and Other Tall Tales!

https://www.musiplug.com/blank-2/review-wild-azaleas-and-other-tall-tales

Something Big is Blooming: A Review of Wild Azaleas and Other Tall Tales One spin through the record felt like meeting a group of old friends for the first time. With his latest album, Wild Azaleas and Other Tall Tales, Tyler Key has crafted a collection of story songs steeped in tradition and marching steadfastly forward. Fresh yet familiar. Comforting yet surprising. T...

Playlists as...Stories! Love the concept that Austin Amadio describes in his latest piece for the Plug!

https://www.musiplug.com/blank-2/playlists-as-stories

Playlists as...Stories! Which of your playlists means the most to you? Which of your friends’ playlists mean the most to you? Do any playlists curated by strangers ever mean anything to you? In my last MusiPlug piece, I shared my absolute favorite playlist of all time – one I have been working on for years. The True Us...

Live music is finally returning across the US. Check out our latest post in which Benji Katz basks in the nuances of being a member of the crowd in a small bar.

https://www.musiplug.com/blank-2/doors-at-8-music-at-9-tinnitus-is-forever

Doors at 8. Music at 9. Tinnitus is Forever. I didn’t realize how much I’d missed the ringing in my ears until the smell of stale Pabst welcomed me into Smith’s Olde Bar. I hadn’t gone to a show in over a year. It wasn’t the lineup of local bands that drew me out of my studio apartment. It was everything orbiting the stage. The chatt...

Living our best lives at MusiPlug this summer. Check out Connor's Summer Drives playlist for a healthy dose of good vibes.

https://www.musiplug.com/blank-2/summer-drives-playlist

Summer Drives Playlist From what I remember, as a kid, I hated being in the car with the windows down. Even on the most pleasant of summer days, I'd prefer the AC. Because, when you're in the backseat of a minivan, having the windows open isn't all that exciting. You can't hang your arm out in a vain attempt to look cool....

Making music is more accessible than ever before. While some may scoff at bedroom artists, in his latest piece, Benji Katz argues that accessibility acts as a continuation of music's DIY tradition.

https://www.musiplug.com/blank-2/bedroom-pop-fits-the-diy-tradition

Seizing the Means of Production: How Bedroom Pop Fits Into the DIY Tradition It takes one confident kid to hear the finger-defying intro of “Eruption” and think, That’s what I’m going to do when I grow up. Luckily for those of us less dexterous than the late great Eddie Van Halen, there’s plenty of real estate on the spectrum of musicality to lay claim to. Garage a...

Bijan Beej Saboori shared some great words about the legacy and impact of legendary electronic duo Daft Punk.

https://www.musiplug.com/blank-2/melodious-automatons-a-tribute-to-daft-punk

Melodious Automatons: A Tribute to Daft Punk It was December 31st, 2005 when I first heard Daft Punk. Though I was only eight years old, I remember it almost as if it were yesterday. We were visiting my uncle Donnie and auntie Bebe to celebrate New Year’s Eve. A trip to visit them and their two daughters, Morgan and Taylor, was something I w...

New Vinyl post from Connor!

https://www.musiplug.com/blank-2/turning-on-cloud-nothings

Turning On - Cloud Nothings Over the years, I've come to enjoy listening to music on vinyl. I'm a big fan of the collection aspect behind the whole thing. Trying to be one of the first to snag a limited edition pressing, or reading the album's liner notes and learning more about the band. It adds another level to the listening...

Another insightful and incredibly well-written piece from Cass! Check out "The Songs of Few Words" on MusiPlug!

https://www.musiplug.com/blank-2/the-songs-of-few-words

The Songs of Few Words On a routine weeknight at work after close, while most of the crew gathered into an aisle to stock, the buzz of huddled conversation battled the repetitive music coming over the speakers. It’s usually at this point of the night where I’m zoned out into another dimension on a spaceship fueled by ...

Check out the special edition of Is the Is Are from DIIV

https://www.musiplug.com/blank-2/vinyl-feature-is-the-is-are-diiv

Vinyl Feature: Is the Is Are - DIIV Over the years, I've come to enjoy listening to music on vinyl. I'm a big fan of the collection aspect behind the whole thing. Trying to be one of the first to snag a limited edition pressing, or reading the album's liner notes and learning more about the band. It adds another level to the listening...

Benji Katz reflects on the importance of music in our lives and its key differences from other forms of art in his latest piece, The Earworms Will Eat Us All.

https://www.musiplug.com/blank-2/the-earworms-will-eat-us-all

The Earworms Will Eat Us All How many movie monologues can you quote from start to finish? How often are you compelled to pull up a picture of your favorite painting when you’re having a tough time? Because of both their brevity and emotional precision, our favorite songs play a uniquely prominent role in our everyday lives. ...

Thought provoking new piece from Cass!

https://www.musiplug.com/blank-2/letter-to-user129600530

Letter to user129600530 One morning, a couple months ago when the air was wringing its hands with the remains of January’s brine, I took to my standard routine of stretching before heading out on a walk. After rolling my yoga mat onto the floor and pushing up my blinds to flood my bedroom with the ever elusive Cleveland ...

Check out our review of Jay Willa's single, "Look"

https://www.musiplug.com/blank-2/look-jay-willa

"Look" Jay Willa x Dame-O "Look," a single off of Jay Willa's recent EP, "What a Year," is a loud and heavy banger. A healthy dose of 808s is the perfect base for Brooklyn rapper Jay Willa to build off with his fast and steady bars. For fans of J. Cole and Meek Mill, "Look" is a locker room anthem. It's a song I could pictur...

Need some new music suggestions? Check out some of Connor's favorite recent releases.

https://www.musiplug.com/blank-2/new-music-to-check-out-3-31-21

New Music to Check Out 3/31/21 Not long ago I was in a listening rut. I was having the hardest time finding new tunes. Yearning for something fresh. Then I heard all the music you'll find below. Hiatus Kaiyote - Get Sun (ft. Arthur Verocai) Neo-Soul juggernaut Hiatus Kaiyote just dropped the first single off their long-awaited th...

Connor’s take on pandemic songwriting

https://www.musiplug.com/blank-2/songwriting-in-a-pandemic

Songwriting in a Pandemic Up until 2018, I had never written a song. There were, however, several attempts. Promising melodies I would blow on my trumpet, or catchy riffs I would strum over and over on my guitar until they were muscle memory. In high school, my neighbor and I would take turns freestyling to Odd Future instru...

Alex Stanilla wrote a charming new piece reflecting on Dance Gavin Dance's Downtown Battle Mountain II!

https://www.musiplug.com/blank-2/dgd-downtown-battle-mountain-ii

Reflecting on Dance Gavin Dance's Downtown Battle Mountain II At what point do we become too “cool” to admit our interests? It was March 2011, my first college spring break. I went into my freshman year of college at The University of the Arts In Philadelphia with my skinny jeans, long hair, vans, v-necks and blasting Selfish Machines by Pierce The Veil. W...

Another fantastic piece from Benji Katz explores the long-idolized narrative of the tortured artist.

https://www.musiplug.com/blank-2/posthumous-justin-townes-earle

A Posthumous 1st Impression of Justin Townes Earle Photo: Justin Townes Earle's Instagram Anyone listening closely could’ve heard this coming. I’ve only ever known him as a precautionary tale. Justin Townes Earle passed away on August 20th, 2020 of an apparent overdose. He’s survived by a father whose footsteps he followed with a wabbly gate t...

Check out Bijan's first piece for MusiPlug!

https://www.musiplug.com/blank-2/favorite-song

My Favorite Song Three Years Later Three years ago, I started listening to a band called Together Pangea. Over those three years, Together Pangea has taken hold of my heart, mind, and ears. Their Killer Dreams EP (when people knew them only as Pangea) is eleven minutes and thirty-one seconds of pure bliss. The second song off of the....

Happy 5th birthday to this album!

https://www.musiplug.com/blank-2/untitled-unmastered

untitled unmastered. Part 1 by Connor Today, we look back and celebrate the 5th birthday of an album that might not have been. In early 2016, Kendrick Lamar was the pinnacle of the rap game following the release of one of the most critically acclaimed albums of all time, 2015's 'To Pimp a Butterfly.' You might remember....

The Music Our Exes Gave Us

Another incredibly insightful and relatable piece from Cass. What music have you gotten from an ex?

https://www.musiplug.com/blank-2/music-exes

Music Our Exes Gave Us Way before we had apartments, we had cars. As teenagers, cars forged a loophole against strict parents and coffee shops, bookstores, diners, and supermarkets across the city that felt we were too loud, too green, too unhinged, too much of anything but not enough of an adult to warrant loitering and....

Our friends in Tree No Leaves have released another album today! Check out our review and listen to the studio and live versions below ->

https://www.musiplug.com/blank-2/tree-no-leaves-the-eyes-of-xylem

Tree No Leaves: The Eyes of Xylem Storied Bowling Green, OH psychedelic rock band, Tree No Leaves, is back with another LP. Recorded while the band was hunkered down at home during the pandemic, The Eyes of Xylem is full of different sounds and textures from start to finish. It's a great "close your eyes and vibe" type listen. Begin...