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If you see yourself as a trendsetter…a new-music guru…the one who’s always the first to discover the next big band…then This Is Next was created with you in mind. Instead of an album full of the greatest hits right now, this new compilation series features the best indie and/or alternative acts—in other words, the stuff you should be listening to…or the stuff you probably will be listening to six months or so from now.
Volume 1 in the series introduces listeners to 15 mostly-new tracks by 15 mostly-new artists. I say mostly because one of the tracks, “Do You Believe in Rapture?” is by a band called Sonic Youth—a band that I was listening to more than a decade ago. But they’re still alternative—and they’re still relatively indie. So I’ll give them that much.
The rest of the album, however, is filled with songs that I’ve either never heard (many of them by artists I’ve never heard of) or that I’ve been regularly enjoying on my local alternative station. Some are still indie. Some are just coming into the spotlight. Some are just making their way across the pond.
There’s a pretty good chance you’ve heard of artists like Neko Case and The Shins (not to mention Sonic Youth). And you may have heard one of my new favorites, the dark, catchy “The Prayer” by Bloc Party. Or the retro, almost Billy Joel-like “Underdog” by Spoon. Or “Hang Me Up to Dry” by Cold War Kids. Or “Cheated Hearts” by the Yeah Yeah Yeahs. But there’s a lot of stuff on this album that I’d dare to bet you haven’t heard before. And I’m sure you’ll be as pleasantly surprised as I was.
Often, with compilations, there are a couple of good songs that get you to buy the album—and then there’s just a whole bunch of filler. But This Is Next: Volume 1 is actually filled with good stuff. From gritty to peppy, from retro to electronic, from smoky to punky, the majority of the tracks are well worth checking out. And even the few tracks that I didn’t love still aren’t all that bad. And I have a feeling that you’ll be hearing more from several of the artists on this album. So I recommend heading out and picking up a copy—before someone else in your neighborhood or at the office discovers the next big band before you do.
Kristin Dreyer Kramer has been writing in some form or another (usually when she was supposed to be doing something else) since the ripe old age of ten—when she, her cousin, and their two Cabbage Patch Dolls formed the Poo Authors’ Club. After a short career in advertising, Kristin got sick of always saying nice things about stuff that didn’t deserve it—so now she spends her days criticizing things, and she’s much happier for it.
Since creating NightsAndWeekends.com in February of 2002, Kristin has spent her life surrounded by piles and piles of books and movies—so many that her office has become a kind of entertainment obstacle course.
As if her writing and editing responsibilities for N&W.com weren’t enough to keep her out of trouble, Kristin also hosts a number of weekly radio shows: Reel Discovery, Shelf Discovery, and On the Marquee. She’s also a proud member of the Broadcast Film Critics Association (CriticsChoice.com), the Central Ohio Film Critics Association (COFCA.org), the Online Film Critics Society (OFCS.org), and the Women Film Critics Circle (WFCC.Wordpress.com).
Kristin lives in Columbus, Ohio, with her husband, Paul, and their daughter, Anna. She welcomes questions, comments, and fan mail at kdk@nightsandweekends.com.
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Kristin Dreyer Kramer has been writing in some form or another (usually when she was supposed to be doing something else) since the ripe old age of ten—when she, her cousin, and their two Cabbage Patch Dolls formed the Poo Authors’ Club. After a short career in advertising, Kristin got sick of always saying nice things about stuff that didn’t deserve it—so now she spends her days criticizing things, and she’s much happier for it.
Since creating NightsAndWeekends.com in February of 2002, Kristin has spent her life surrounded by piles and piles of books and movies—so many that her office has become a kind of entertainment obstacle course.
As if her writing and editing responsibilities for N&W.com weren’t enough to keep her out of trouble, Kristin also hosts a number of weekly radio shows: Reel Discovery, Shelf Discovery, and On the Marquee. She’s also a proud member of the Broadcast Film Critics Association (CriticsChoice.com), the Central Ohio Film Critics Association (COFCA.org), the Online Film Critics Society (OFCS.org), and the Women Film Critics Circle (WFCC.Wordpress.com).
Kristin lives in Columbus, Ohio, with her husband, Paul, and their daughter, Anna. She welcomes questions, comments, and fan mail at kdk@nightsandweekends.com.
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