Under the Gun Review

MOVIE REVIEW: ‘The Nice Guys’ is a loopy, drunk masterpiece

May 20th, 2016 Sam Cohen

the nice guys

Film: The Nice Guys
Directed by: Shane Black
Starring: Russell Crowe, Ryan Gosling, Margaret Qualley

Every Spring/Summer there seems to be a big studio movie that everyone exclaims is a masterpiece. Last year was Mad Max: Fury Road and that ended up being my favorite film of 2015. This year is The Nice Guys, a movie that has almost universal acclaim for being the funniest and most thrilling movie of the year. Well, listen to the hype. The Nice Guys is an immaculately crafted trip into ’80s noir (even though it’s set in 1977) that sideshows as proof that most people making movies today are just doing it wrong. It has the makings of a disaster with an overloaded plot and cavalcade of jokes, but director/writer Shane Black and writer Anthony Bagarozzi are so obsessed with detail that everything has its deserved place. Read more »

LIVE REVIEW: Middle Of The Map Fest (05/04/16-05/07/16)

May 20th, 2016 Corey From

middle of the map

Almost annually, Under The Gun has had the opportunity to cover the yearly club festival in Kansas City called Middle Of The Map Fest. This festival has grown substantially over its five years of existence and brought names like Fun., Grizzly Bear, Of Montreal, and Two Door Cinema Club, as well as showcased some great local acts that have seen various amounts of success like The Get Up Kids, The Appleseed Cast, Reggie & the Full Effect and The Casket Lottery, to name a few. Read more »

UTG PREMIERE: Vulture Whale – ‘Aluminium’

May 20th, 2016 Kyle Florence

Vulture Whale

We had the privilege of working with Vulture Whale a few weeks back, and were so enamored with the Birmingham outfit’s rollicking brand of indie rock that we couldn’t pass up the chance to do so again today. Stream the group’s killer new LP, Aluminium, below, and check out a brief Q&A with vocalist Wes McDonald after the break.

If you dig Vulture Whale’s latest, you can snag a copy for yourself here. Read more »

REVIEW: DONOTS stay consistent with ‘CARAJO!’

May 20th, 2016 Bianca Silva

donots review

Artist: DONOTS
Album: CARAJO!
Genre: Punk, Pop-Punk
Label: OK! Good Records

With ten albums under their belt throughout the last two decades, it’s pretty safe to say that DONOTS is one of Germany’s premier punk acts. They have served as support for several bands in the punk sub-genres, including Green Day, Midtown, and Rancid. They even featured Frank Turner on their 2012 album Wake The Dogs. Read more »

UTG PREMIERE: Reckless Serenade – “Fool’s Gold”

May 20th, 2016 Brian Leak

Reckless Serenade

New York rock five-piece Reckless Serenade have partnered with UTG today to share “Fool’s Gold” from their upcoming EP, Strange Soul. Fans of bands like The Spill Canvas and The Audition should find themselves continuously hitting replay on the new single as they await the band’s EP arriving next month.

Talking to UTG about the themes within the new song, RS vocalist Cory Brent explains, “‘Fool’s Gold’ is a song that deals with self awareness. You look around these days and all you see is this strange perceived perfection—models, pop stars, these picture perfect lifestyles. It’s nearly impossible to not feel self-conscious as soon as you step out the door in the morning. Read more »

Dance and drone out to Teknofonic Recordings’ ‘Essentials Vol. 1’

May 20th, 2016 Brian Leak

Composer and producer Adam Reifsteck, maybe known more by his studio name Sonic Fear, started NYC label Teknofonic Recordings last year to provide a homebase for forward-thinking electronic music artists. As one of the label’s earliest undertakings, they’ve released Teknofonic Essentials Vol. 1, “a massive collection that truly has something for everyone.”

Featuring 20 different artists, including label founder Sonic Fear himself to open the compilation, Teknofonic Essentials Vol. 1 offers a diverse array of electronic dance music that truly contains something of interest for any and all who enjoy the genre.

The entire 20-cut compilation can be streamed in full below. If you’re looking to dance it out or just need some upbeat background noise, this is the playlist for you. Featuring Upper Regions, 3logit, Acid Daze, Elastic Plastic Generation, and so many more, Teknofonic Essentials Vol. 1 is evident of a label on the right track with a huge roster of varying talents. Read more »

Charlie Funk lives up to his name on debut, ‘Give Me A Groove’

May 20th, 2016 Brian Leak

Brooklyn artist Charlie Funk has been a longtime writer at Tomás Doncker’s True Groove Records, an NYC “global soul” label that features a hefty roster of like-minded musicians who often collaborate on one another’s projects. Funk is the newest to hit the True Groove studio and release a record of his own.

Funk’s name paired with the title of his debut, Give Me A Groove, should offer some kind of idea of what to expect from the effort, and if it’s groovy funk you’re looking for, Charlie and his collaborators are delivering it in spades. Produced by the aforementioned Doncker, who also plays on the album, Give Me A Groove also features several other True Groove All-Stars and former Parliament-Funkadelic all-stars as well, including Michael “Kidd Funkadelic” Hampton and Amp Fiddler.

You can stream Funk’s grooving debut EP in its six-track entirety below. Keep up with the True Groove family through their website. Read more »

Stream The Hotelier’s brilliant new record, ‘Goodness’

May 19th, 2016 John Bazley

The Hotelier captivated the emo, pop-punk, and indie rock worlds in 2014 with their tidal wave of a sophomore record, Home Like Noplace Is There, and they’ve finally returned with the long-awaited follow-up. Listen to Goodness in full via Stereogum and make sure you read their full interview which is massive, worth your time, and features photos from UTG alum Nina Corcoran.

It’s hard to imagine The Hotelier topping the acclaim and deeply personal connection so many hold with Home, Like Noplace Is There. Thus, Goodness doesn’t necessarily try to top it. It’s a love record, wide-open and airy, as optimistic as Home is tragic. It’s a different beast entirely, and for the most part, it succeeds. We’ll have a full review of the record up next week.

Listen to Goodness at Stereogum, and watch the music video for “Piano Player” below. Read more »

Members of Rage Against The Machine, Public Enemy, and Cypress Hill are forming a supergroup

May 18th, 2016 Gabe Aikins

Well, that mystery didn’t last long. That Rage Against The Machine/Public Enemy countdown we covered? Turns out it is indeed a supergroup composed of members from RATM, Public Enemy, and Cypress Hill.

Billboard was the first to break the story, citing sources that say Tom Morello, Tim Commerford and Brad Wilk of RATM, Chuck D of Public Enemy, and B-Real of Cypress Hill will compose the group, named Prophets of Rage. Billboard‘s report goes on to say that the band will first play a June 3 show at the Hollywood Palladium and that the setlist will consist of songs from each of the contributing acts’ catalogues. A summer tour is reportedly not out of the question. Noticeably absent from the equation is RATM frontman Zack de la Rocha.

California friends, is this a show you’ll be lining up to see? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.

Two Friends mix it up again on “Bright Side” remix

May 18th, 2016 Mike Giegerich

Two Friends showed a wealth of versatility on their remix of Audien and Lady Antebellum’s “Something Better,” so it’s no surprise the group’s newest remix is yet another audible success with major festival potential.

Taking on Vicetone and Cosmos & Creature’s “Bright Side,” the duo turns the violin-driven track into a light, summery house cut with just the right amount of deep kicks that will have crowds moving their feet all night long.

It’s a track worth hearing more than once, so peep Two Friends’ remix of “Bright Side” after the jump and follow UTG on Twitter for more music news.

Read more »

Rage Against The Machine launch mysterious countdown referencing Public Enemy

May 18th, 2016 Gabe Aikins

Rage Against The Machine are up to something. While the band haven’t released a studio album since 2000’s Renegades and stopped performing live in 2011, we got a rather cryptic clue today in the form of prophetsofrage.com

NOTE: The Prophets of Rage website has been going down frequently as of the writing of this story.

The website contains a countdown clock that is set to hit 0 on June 1, plus a decidedly RATM symbol of people in revolt. The phrases “Prophets of Rage” and “#takethepowerback” also appear. There is also a field for an email to be input; once an email is entered, the user is sent a flyer, which we’ve included an image of below. For those who aren’t hip-hop heads, “Clear the way for the prophets of rage,” is a line from Public Enemy’s “Prophets of Rage.” Read more »

Midoca goes solo on “Everything I Need”

May 17th, 2016 Mike Giegerich

While Midoca has proven himself a skilled producer on collaborations with vocalists such as CYN and Dark Waves, the Los Angeles artist has stepped behind the microphone on “Everything I Need” to audibly inspiring results. As layers of synths slowly pulsate and triggered percussion methodically clatters onward, he delivers what just might be one of 2016’s most powerful performances; one can feel the tug-of-war between certainty and doubt in his voice when he looks to assert, “I have everything I need.”

When asked about the meaning behind the track, Midoca stated, “The lyrics are about having someone close to you badly needing help but still refusing to be helped. At a certain point you have to let go even though it really fucking hurts.”

Prepare to hit the replay button more than once and check out “Everything I Need” after the jump. Read more »

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