Jacob Testa, Author at Mind Equals Blown - Page 3 of 4Mind Equals Blown

Jacob Testa

Old guy, lurker, best beard on staff. Graduate of Washington & Jefferson College and William & Mary Law School. I work at Bard College and spend most of my free time either listening to or making music. When I'm not doing that, I read things, watch things, and go on reasonably long walks. I like everything from Sufjan Stevens to Every Time I Die, but Modest Mouse is the best.

Browsing All Posts By Jacob Testa

Album Reviews 4
Emmure: Slave to the Game

Emmure is one of those bands that will always be met with a barrage of hate. At this point in the band’s career, you’ve most likely already decided ...
On April 27, 2012 / By Jacob Testa
3 Of The Week 2
3 Of The Week: (4/24/12)

It’s been a few weeks since we’ve posted a 3 Of The Week article, so I thought it’d be appropriate to bring the column back with a post ...
On April 24, 2012 / By Jacob Testa
Album Reviews 0
The Composure: Stay The Course EP

Stay The Course, The Composure‘s follow-up to their debut Strings Attached, is twenty-one minutes flat of great songwriting in pop-rock form. Full of interesting textures, fun riffs and ...
On April 13, 2012 / By Jacob Testa
Album Reviews 1
Hands Like Houses: Ground Dweller

I first heard of Canberra, Australia’s Hands Like Houses through a random chain of links on iTunes that led me from some album I already liked to another ...
On March 29, 2012 / By Jacob Testa
Album Reviews 1
I Call Fives: Someone That’s Not You EP

I Call Fives has been steadily growing in popularity throughout the past few years, which is no surprise based on the strength of their string of EPs they’ve ...
On March 26, 2012 / By Jacob Testa
3 Of The Week 1
3 Of The Week: (3/20/12)

Country is almost certainly the genre that gets the least attention around these parts. In previous 3 Of The Week posts, MEB staff members (myself included) have written ...
On March 20, 2012 / By Jacob Testa
Album Reviews 4
fun.: Some Nights

In the buildup to the release of Some Nights, I went through various stages of extreme anticipation, preparations to be let down, and hope that those preparations would ...
On February 20, 2012 / By Jacob Testa
3 Of The Week 2
3 Of The Week: (2/10/12)

When a friend told me to check out a video his brother shared with him, I did so not really knowing what to expect. On an initial listen, ...
On February 10, 2012 / By Jacob Testa
3 Of The Week 0
3 Of The Week: (1/31/12)

Wrapping up my series covering my favorite songs from last year, I decided to include two of the runners-up to my top ten. While the first is more ...
On January 31, 2012 / By Jacob Testa
3 Of The Week 0
3 Of The Week: (1/24/12)

Getting closer to the end of my top ten songs of 2011, these three tracks pick up from last week’s article to showcase some serious improvement from two ...
On January 24, 2012 / By Jacob Testa
Album Reviews 0
Snow Patrol: Fallen Empires

Snow Patrol is the sort of band that I think of fondly, but always seem to forget exactly how good their albums are. Final Straw got me hooked, ...
On January 17, 2012 / By Jacob Testa
3 Of The Week 0
3 Of The Week: (1/17/12)

Continuing from where I left off last week, the next three songs on my list include the first track released from an unlikely reunion, a new recording of ...
On January 16, 2012 / By Jacob Testa
3 Of The Week 0
3 Of The Week: (1/10/12)

To say that 2011 was a great year for music would be a huge understatement. I’ve never had a more difficult time narrowing down top albums, let alone ...
On January 10, 2012 / By Jacob Testa
Album Reviews 0
Punchline: So Nice To Meet You EP

Over the past week or so, Punchline has garnered quite a bit of attention about this EP, in part because of bassist Chris Fafalios’s statement that he would ...
On January 3, 2012 / By Jacob Testa
EOTY Lists 0
Jacob’s Top In 2011

5. Mayday Parade – Mayday Parade Say what you want about Anywhere But Here, but this group of guys has the ability to write some phenomenal songs. With their self-titled, the quintet ...
On December 25, 2011 / By Jacob Testa
3 Of The Week 0
3 Of The Week: (12/21/11)

In last week’s edition of Mind Equals Blown’s recommendation series, I suggested three holiday songs by some of my favorite artists. This week, I’m offering three more. Of ...
On December 22, 2011 / By Jacob Testa
3 Of The Week 1
3 Of The Week: (12/14/11)

If there is one genre of music that I dislike more than any other, it would have to be holiday music. The allure of the mindless saccharine, jingly, ...
On December 15, 2011 / By Jacob Testa
Album Reviews 1
Coldplay: Mylo Xyloto

Mylo Xyloto is the best release by a popular mainstream act this year. Let me rephrase that. Mylo Xyloto isn’t even close to having competition for being the ...
On November 21, 2011 / By Jacob Testa
3 Of The Week 0
3 Of The Week: (11/1/11)

Everyone loves a bonus. Something extra, the whipped cream with a cherry on top, the little surprise at the end of something great. As a music lover, I ...
On November 1, 2011 / By Jacob Testa
Album Reviews 2
Patrick Stump: Soul Punk

Patrick Stump shouldn’t need any introduction (if you really need one, check out my preview of this album two months ago), so let’s get right into the review. Soul ...
On October 19, 2011 / By Jacob Testa
Album Reviews 0
We Are The In Crowd: Best Intentions

With Best Intentions, We Are The In Crowd has matured, while staying true to the energy that made their previous EP so enjoyable. That said, not every song ...
On October 18, 2011 / By Jacob Testa
Album Reviews 2
Mayday Parade: Mayday Parade

Out of all of the albums that were released October 4th, this was the one I was least sure about. While A Lesson In Romantics was damn near ...
On October 10, 2011 / By Jacob Testa
3 Of The Week 2
3 Of The Week: (9/14/11)

The 3 Of The Week column has been sadly neglected the past few weeks. In getting it back up and going, I thought about what the true value ...
On September 14, 2011 / By Jacob Testa
Album Reviews 1
Patrick Stump: Soul Punk Preview

There are few voices in modern music that are as powerful and distinct as Patrick Stump‘s. From the aggressive pop-punk feel of Take This To Your Grave to ...
On August 16, 2011 / By Jacob Testa
3 Of The Week 2
3 Of The Week: (8/10/11)

When I was younger, I was the kind of person who would look down on rap and hip hop. I’d discount its validity in the realm of music, ...
On August 10, 2011 / By Jacob Testa
Album Reviews 0
Fountains Of Wayne: Sky Full Of Holes

Let’s try to get past “Stacy’s Mom.” I know, I know, that’s the only song you really know from Fountains Of Wayne and it was a jam back ...
On August 3, 2011 / By Jacob Testa
Album Reviews 0
Take Cover: The Dreamer And The Realist

Early last year, I stumbled across an acoustic EP that immediately captured my attention with its emotional vocals and strong songwriting. I was extremely impressed with the band, ...
On July 28, 2011 / By Jacob Testa
Album Reviews 2
The Summer Set: Everything’s Fine

Contrary to what their name suggests, The Summer Set‘s last album, Love Like This, was released in the fall of 2009, which is a shame considering how perfectly ...
On July 20, 2011 / By Jacob Testa
3 Of The Week 0
3 Of The Week: (7/18/11)

Even though there’s been a lot of great music added to my iTunes library in the past few weeks, I still like to take a break from the ...
On July 18, 2011 / By Jacob Testa
Album Reviews 2
We The Kings: Sunshine State Of Mind

If you’re a fan of good pop music, We The Kings is the band for you. Full of catchy hooks and dynamic song structures, their albums are perfect ...
On July 13, 2011 / By Jacob Testa
Album Reviews 1
The Bunny The Bear: If You Don’t Have Anything Nice To Say…

When The Bunny The Bear signed to Victory Records earlier this year, the announcement was not met with positive reactions. Actually, that’s an understatement. Their signing resulted in ...
On July 6, 2011 / By Jacob Testa
Album Reviews 4
Coldplay: Every Teardrop Is A Waterfall EP

With the release of the Every Teardrop Is A Waterfall EP, Coldplay fans got a first taste of what’s to come from the band’s highly anticipated fifth album. ...
On July 2, 2011 / By Jacob Testa
Editorials 0
MEB Mixtape: Modern Short Stories Mix

DOWNLOAD THE MIXTAPE HERE. MEB Mixtape: Modern Short Stories by Mind Equals Blown When I began looking for bands to contribute songs for my personal mixtape (which is ...
On June 23, 2011 / By Jacob Testa
3 Of The Week 0
3 Of The Week: (6/20/11)

I hate summer. None of my friends live where I live, there’s never anything for me to do, and I hate the heat and humidity. That said, there ...
On June 20, 2011 / By Jacob Testa
Editorials 0
Thoughts on new Blue October songs: “The Chills” and “The Feel Again (Stay)”

Blue October is a special kind of band for me. I’ve never considered them to be my favorite band, but have always been more than willing to shell ...
On June 19, 2011 / By Jacob Testa
Interviews 0
Interview: Take Cover

Brady Trudeau of Take Cover recently spent some time answering questions from staff writer Jacob Testa, touching on the band’s recent activity, some of their older material, and ...
On June 5, 2011 / By Jacob Testa
Album Reviews 3
Select Start: The New Atlantic

With the release of You Love It. You Hate It. You Want It. last January, we got to hear how the addition of Daniel Lancaster to Select Start ...
On May 30, 2011 / By Jacob Testa
Album Reviews 2
Sleeping With Sirens: Let’s Cheers To This

After the release of their debut album, With Ears To See and Eyes To Hear, Sleeping With Sirens said that the album was first intended to be an ...
On May 16, 2011 / By Jacob Testa
3 Of The Week 1
3 Of The Week: (4/25/11)

It is often said that if a good song can be stripped down to its simplest form and still hold up as well as the original, then it ...
On April 25, 2011 / By Jacob Testa
Interviews 2
Interview: Early Morning Blues

Bryan Donahue took some time to answer a few questions from staff writer Jacob Testa about the state of the music industry, his plans for the near future, ...
On April 16, 2011 / By Jacob Testa
Interviews 0
Interview: We Are Defiance

Brian Calzini took some time to talk with MEB staffer Jacob Testa about the release of their first album, their relationship with past and present A Day To ...
On April 13, 2011 / By Jacob Testa
Album Reviews 1
Amely: Live Under Lights EP

In September, Fearless Records put out Florida-based Amely‘s first release, an EP titled Hello World, which featured eight upbeat pop songs with a bit of a different taste ...
On April 12, 2011 / By Jacob Testa
Album Reviews 0
We Are Defiance: Trust In Few

Produced by Tom Denney, We Are Defiance‘s Trust In Few sounds not unlike what you’d expect: it has more than its fair share of breakdowns and catchy choruses. ...
On March 24, 2011 / By Jacob Testa
Album Reviews 2
Jeremy Larson: They Reappear

Jeremy Larson is not the kind of musician who will ever have a Top 40 hit song. He’ll probably never sell out amphitheaters or have a music video ...
On March 9, 2011 / By Jacob Testa
Free Music Alert 1
Free Music Alert – Punchline

This is something to be delightfully pleased about. Punchline has just allowed their latest album, Delightfully Pleased to be downloaded for whatever price you deem appropriate here. Released ...
On March 2, 2011 / By Jacob Testa
3 Of The Week 4
3 Of The Week: (2/28/11)

For this week’s feature, I thought that it would be interesting to take a look back on a few songs that my band performed back when we were ...
On February 28, 2011 / By Jacob Testa
3 Of The Week 0
3 Of The Week: (2/14/11)

For this week, I thought it would be appropriate to focus the 3 Of The Week feature on love songs. Since I used Sleeping At Last‘s “Next To ...
On February 14, 2011 / By Jacob Testa
3 Of The Week 2
3 Of The Week: (2/6/11)

For this week’s feature, I wanted to recommend three songs from lesser-known bands that I’ve been playing nonstop recently. Unlike the previous installment, these tracks aren’t from upcoming ...
On February 6, 2011 / By Jacob Testa
Album Reviews 1
Bruno Mars: Doo-Wops & Hooligans

Bruno Mars only just released his debut album, but it’s likely you’ve heard his voice before, thanks to his well-known collaborations with Travie McCoy (“Billionaire”) and B.o.B (“Nothin’ On ...
On February 4, 2011 / By Jacob Testa
Show Reviews 0
Show Review: Hawthorne Heights Stripped Down To The Bone Tour – Pittsburgh, PA (2/1/11)

When Hawthorne Heights‘s Stripped Down To The Bone Tour was first announced, I was disappointed that there would not be a stop in Pittsburgh, greatly reducing my chances ...
On February 2, 2011 / By Jacob Testa

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