The Seven Best Albums of 2021

The Seven Best Albums of 2021

Presented in alphabetical order. 3 -- Envy on the Coast After the birth of Violent Joy, I thought Envy on the Coast was dead. Apparently, I was wrong. 3 is what it promises: a brief, three-song return, but that's enough. "FLASH BANG" is onomatopoeic, all big punches and explosive bombast; "GHOST" is lead-single material, hook-driven [...]

If I Could Do It All Again

If I Could Do It All Again

It’s fitting that Gates was the first band I saw in concert after the pandemic began. I’ve joked that they’re my musical spirit animal and it’s been so long since they passed The Dear Hunter to become the band I’ve seen the most that I can’t recall how long ago that shift happened or how [...]

Fire and Fury: 7 Kick-Ass Songs About the Business of Music

Fire and Fury: 7 Kick-Ass Songs About the Business of Music

If you've ever found yourself wishing that your favorite bands had written more songs about the infuriating, restrictive bureaucracy of the music industry then ... well, there might be something wrong with you. But in spite of the fact that business is usually, at best, a necessary evil for most musicians, it does occasionally inspire [...]

The Best Albums of 2016

The Best Albums of 2016

This post was originally included in a group discussion at Type In Stereo. 5. Letters to Lost Loves by Tyson Motsenbocker. There were a handful of albums contending for this final spot, from PUP’s rambunctious The Dream Is Over to Panic! At the Disco’s surprisingly enjoyable Death of A Bachelor but I’m going to go with a more subdued choice in Letters to [...]

Parallel Lives

Parallel Lives

Two of my best friends are brothers; one is a comic artist and the other a musician. We used to play in a band together. Bands, actually. The most successful was probably our high school band, a pop-punk/screamo outfit that consistently covered both Finch's 'Letters to You' and the Limp Bizkit version of George Michael's [...]

2014: What I Heard

I'm not above embracing the year-end review trend here at BQDC, so using a series of nonsensical superlatives, let's take a look at the discussion-worthy music that I listened to this year. Without further ado, here's what I heard in 2014. (Note that this list reflects which albums I listened to in 2014, not necessarily which albums were [...]

It’s Easy

A long time ago my musician father taught me that there are two kinds of great bands: great live bands and great studio bands. Being one doesn't necessarily imply or prohibit the other. But when a band is both, it's worth celebrating. Sometimes it's that easy. So when BQDC's spirit-animal-turned-band Gates came through Detroit on Friday, [...]