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Emma Louise

Vs Head Vs Heart
French Kiss (2013)

Emma Louise described the cover art for her debut album Vs Head Vs Heart as expressing "the beauty that can come out of vulnerability". The cover art fittingly reflects the songs on Vs Head Vs Heart, vulnerability is seeping through every song in a flurry of initially guarded lyrics, before being torn down note by note to reveal the real … Read more

Wartorn

Domestic Terrorist / Under Oath
Profane Existence (2013)

If you had asked me two years ago if I’d rather hear another Wartorn song or be kicked in the crotch by a Clydesdale that’s wearing a pair ice climbing cleats, I probably would have picked the option that left me crying in the fetal position with bloody underpants and no chance of ever having children. But with arrival of … Read more

Big Eyes

Almost Famous
Grave Mistake (2013)

Seattle is made out to be such a dreary place. Big Eyes released a largely positive-sounding debut in Hard Life and the reviews basically talked about the band’s relocation from Brooklyn to Seattle. Now, with the release of sophomore full-length Almost Famous, the press sheet says things like “a bit of Seattle seeps in,” no doubt referring to some of … Read more

Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds

Push The Sky Away
Bad Seed LTD. (2013)

Nick Cave is an uncaring bastard.He doesn't care if you buy his new album Push The Sky Away, nor does he care if you like it. Of course, this is not what makes him a great artist. What makes him a great artist is the uncompromising nature of his work. The man does whatever the hell he wants to, and … Read more

Grouper

The Man Who Died in His Boat
Kranky (2013)

The Man Who Died in His Boat (released February 2013) is a collection of songs by Grouper, a.k.a. Liz Harris, one-woman ambient/noise/folk/dream-pop impresario of Portland, Oregon. Harris has been active since 2005, the year of her first full-length release, and projects since then have included numerous collaborations, EPs, splits, etc. on multiple labels. Her latest work (from Kranky Records) is, … Read more

200 Words Or Less

Feral King

Self Titled
Last Anthem (2012)

Feral Kings' self-titled EP comes from a couple of guys that know how to do what they're doing and do it pretty damn well, and it is not necessarily anything new. If you're familiar with the band members’ previous efforts what they do on this record should come as little shock. Containing members of Spitfire and The Takeover (among others), … Read more

Off With Their Heads

Home
Epitaph (2013)

Maybe it’s because I caught Off With Their Heads live recently and maybe it’s because on Home, their third official full-length, the theme is something that songwriter Ryan Young has been hinting at all along. Either way, the songs here are familiar and powerful and they continue to deliver in a similar vein as to the rest of their output, … Read more

Henryspenncer

Saturn
Bookmaker (2013)

After enjoying the light, acoustic stylings of Seabuckthorn, I started checking out Bookmaker records for some similarly oriented artists. That's how I found myself stumbling upon the French musician Valentin Féron (aka Henryspenncer, hopefully not as a reference to Eraserhead). And while Féron is of course true to Bookmaker's heavily folk-influenced sound, he brings in so much more, all of … Read more

Vhol

Self Titled
Profound Lore (2013)

OK let the namedropping begin: Agalloch, Worm Ouroboros, Hammers of Misfortune, Amber Asylum, YOB, and more. That was probably enough to get your attention, right? So Vhol first came into this world by the twisted ideas of John Cobbett and Aesop Dekker and their aim was to create a band in the vein of the unbelievable Ludicra after they ceased … Read more

Paramore

Self Titled
Fueled By Ramen (2013)

It makes sense that this is Paramore’s self-titled album, even though it’s their fourth full-length. Everything you know or have heard about Paramore, put all of those pre-conceived notions in your time capsule for 2009, because that’s not them anymore. This is the two remaining original members’ (Taylor York joined the band after the Farro departure) time to show everyone … Read more

Power

Bremerton Zoo
Twelve Gauge (2013)

Old school hardcore punk has really found its feet in the last few years. Bands like Creem, Raw Nerve and Violent Reaction have brought innovation to the scene by utilising lesser heard influences ranging from street punk to crust, whilst reducing the songs to their bare bones; short, pissed-off and raw. With its vibrant artwork and blistering intensity (11 tracks … Read more

My Dying Bride

A Map Of All Our Failures
Peaceville (2012)

My Dying Bride is over 20 years old. While most bands that would exist for this amount of time would notably mature in sound and style, it may be hard to convince people of that in regards to MDB. I say this because, stylistically, the band have always trudged through murky, doomy waters. This, in turn, did more to make … Read more

Wolves At Bay

Only A Mirror
Animal Style (2012)

Although Wolves At Bay have recently released a sparkly-fresh record, this review will cover their 2011 full-length debut on Animal Style Records, Only a Mirror. The band seems to have changed names and lineups during the course of their evolution, but here presents as a four-piece post-hardcore outfit, proud to hail from a suburb of New Haven, CT. The paper … Read more

husband&wife

Acoustic Recordings
Crossroads Of America (2013)

The beauty in acoustic albums usually comes from hearing a song you know and love take on a different resonance when it’s stripped back and unpolished. This is definitely the case for the songs on husband&wife’s Acoustic Recordings. All of the songs were recorded in the band members’ homes, which makes the songs sound quite homely and personal, as though … Read more

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