{"id":31310,"date":"2026-06-22T05:30:32","date_gmt":"2026-06-22T09:30:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.musoscribe.com\/?p=31310"},"modified":"2026-04-08T09:30:56","modified_gmt":"2026-04-08T13:30:56","slug":"music-blurbs-vol-22","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.musoscribe.com\/index.php\/2026\/06\/22\/music-blurbs-vol-22\/","title":{"rendered":"Music Blurbs, Vol. 22"},"content":{"rendered":"

Lamb of God<\/b>
\nFormed in Richmond, Virginia, heavy metal band Lamb of God is most certainly not a religiously-themed group. Instead, the group fronted by vocalist Randy Blythe trades in a hard-charging brand of music that draws from groove and thrash sub-styles. Coming to the forefront of metal\u2019s early 2000s resurgence, Lamb of God earned their first Gold record with 2004\u2019s Ashes of the Wake<\/i>. The group has racked up numerous accolades for their work, including recognition by the Metal Hammer<\/i> Golden Gods Awards, the Metalstorm Awards, Revolver<\/i> Magazine Awards, and no less than five Grammy nominations. Over the decades, Lamb of God has maintained a stable lineup: Blythe, lead guitarist Mark Morton, rhythm guitarist Willie Adler and bassist John Campbell have all been with the group since 2001, drummer Art Cruz joined in 2020. The group was the subject of a well-received 2014 documentary film, As the Palaces Burn<\/i>. Lamb of God released their 10th<\/sup> studio album, Into Oblivion<\/i> in March 2026.<\/p>\n

DEVO<\/b>
\nDEVO are that rarest of creatures: pop music artists who are also culture jammers. Look beyond the surface of the band\u2019s sound and visuals, and discover an off-kilter and ironic perspective informed by serious art, social change and political unrest. So while DEVO scored hit singles with \u201cWhip It\u201d (No. 14 in 1980) and a cover of Lee Dorsey\u2019s \u201cWorking in the Coal Mine\u201d (charting in four countries) plus a succession of popular videos on MTV, there\u2019s much, much more to the group from Akron, Ohio. DEVO was formed in 1973 by brothers Mark and Bob Mothersbaugh plus brothers Gerald (Jerry) and Bob Casale along with Alan Myers. From the start, the surreal troupe were pioneers, both in music and in the field of music video years before MTV began. The band\u2019s wickedly deconstructed cover of the Rolling Stones\u2019 \u201c(I Can\u2019t Get No) Satisfaction\u201d unleashed their deliberate madness upon an unsuspecting world. Nearly 60 years later, DEVO are most definitely not \u2013 as one of their best songs suggests \u2013 through being cool.<\/p>\n

The Mother Hips<\/b>
\nFormed in 1990 in Chico, California, The Mother Hips have resolutely charted their own unique musical path. Early releases showcased an indie-rock take on psychedelia, emphasizing a laid-back vibe that delivered rich emotional texture in a seemingly effortless, unhurried manner. Critics sometimes compared the band to overrated acts (Grateful Dead) and criminally underrated ones (Moby Grape). The truth lies somewhere in the middle, as The Mother Hips don\u2019t draw overtly from the sound or character of any specific musical forebears. Shades of everything from rockabilly to funk to blues to power pop \u2013 all delivered with a Bay Area jam band aesthetic \u2013 show up in their original music. The band has been as prolific as it is eclectic, releasing more than a dozen studio albums and four live sets. The latest from The Mother Hips, 2024\u2019s California Current<\/i> simultaneously leans into a rootsy Americana vibe and an improvisational approach; those twin values provide an idea canvas for the band\u2019s upbeat, sunny-disposition tunes.<\/p>\n

Los Tigres Del Norte<\/b>
\nSan Jose, California-based Los Tigres del Norte are a major force in the Spanish-speaking musical world. Seven-time Grammy (and 12-time Latin Grammy) Award winners, the group has built and cultivated a loyal following. From a 1965 beginning in Sinaloa, where Jorge Hern\u00e1ndez founded the group, Los Tigres del Norte has combined traditional Mexican musical textures with relatable and modern lyrics. The band\u2019s distinctive corridos<\/i> (narrative ballads) and romantic tales are showcased throughout its deep catalog, numbering more than 50 albums. The band\u2019s lyrics don\u2019t shy away from controversy: narcocorridos<\/i> about the lives and exploits of figures like Pablo \u201cEl Jefe\u201d Escobar have set the group apart from other modern-day norte\u00f1o artists. And in 2024 the group\u2019s members signed an open letter titled \u201cEnough is Enough.\u201d That letter \u2013 signed also by Paquita la del Barrio, Alejandro Fern\u00e1ndez, Man\u00e1, Chiquis Rivera and 20-plus other Latin artists \u2013 took a strong stand against then-presidential candidate Donald Trump\u2019s stridently anti-immigrant rhetoric. The prolific and beloved group\u2019s latest release is a 2024 EP, Aqu\u00ed Mando Yo<\/i>.<\/p>\n

The New Pornographers<\/b>
\nWhile it\u2019s quite common for jazz players to assemble in ad hoc ensembles, the concept of a supergroup is largely unique to the rock world. And while the most acclaimed supergroups \u2013 lineups featuring members who have already established their reputations elsewhere \u2013 Cream, CSN&Y, Led Zeppelin, ELP, Eagles, Asia \u2013 had their heydays decades ago, today\u2019s musical landscape feature the New Pornographers. An assemblages of top singer-songwriters, the Canadian group boasts Neko Case, Carl (A.C.) Newman, Todd Fancey, Kathryn Calder and John Collins; each made their name as a soloist or key player in another indie rock band. Even the three auxiliary touring members (Nora O\u2019Connor, Adam Schatz, Josh Wells) bring impressive pedigrees to the band. Right out of the gate with their 200 debut Mass Romantic<\/i>, the band became a critics\u2019 favorite with their brand of power pop-inflected tuneful rock. The New Pornographers released their tenth and latest album, The Former Site Of<\/i> at the end of March.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Lamb of God Formed in Richmond, Virginia, heavy metal band Lamb of God is most certainly not a religiously-themed group. Instead, the group fronted by vocalist Randy Blythe trades in […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":28414,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_exactmetrics_skip_tracking":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[27],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-31310","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-essay","cat-27-id","has_thumb"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.musoscribe.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/31310","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.musoscribe.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.musoscribe.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.musoscribe.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.musoscribe.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=31310"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/blog.musoscribe.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/31310\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":31311,"href":"https:\/\/blog.musoscribe.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/31310\/revisions\/31311"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.musoscribe.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/28414"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.musoscribe.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=31310"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.musoscribe.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=31310"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.musoscribe.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=31310"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}