As a critic there are certain things I’m supposed to keep up with. Fact of the matter is that’s not always possible and, once you get behind, just where do you catch up? Thee Oh Sees are a band I’ve heard peripherally for the past couple of years but never got jumping in on a full-length. Compound that with their productivity, and I just can’t compare their new one, Floating Coffin to its predecessors. I’m not even going to try.Calling the bay city of San Francisco home, Thee Oh Sees continually seem to pop up in conversations that also include Ty Segall. On listening to Floating Coffin it’s easy to see why. Modern fuzzed-out psych rock is a key part of their sound, using drawn out melody and floating vibes to wash the listener into an aural sea. There are a number of similarities between the artists’ styles, especially on Side A of this release. Where they differ, though, is really what makes Thee Oh Sees interesting. There is a steady dose of surf influence in the songs—not the twisting, beach movie frenzy stuff of note, but a wavy, up-and-down rhythm that moves their songs along with a little extra … Read more
Despite their age and influence, Shai Hulud have rarely been the focal point of underground music. Sure, they've toured internationally, … Read more
I truly think that the word “progressive” has lost its actual meaning for quite some time now. Instead of meaning … Read more
Is classic rock punk now a genre? I don’t have a whole lot of background with Restorations, other than catching … Read more
Have you ever gone to a show for one artist or band that you look forward to seeing so much … Read more
This EP runs all of 4:59, featuring two new cuts from Low Culture. The band just released a full-length earlier … Read more
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Though his own catalog has been hit-or-miss since 1996’s classic Endtroducing, I’d place DJ Shadow among the relatively few who have managed to stay ahead of the curve in the rapidly changing world of electronic music. Shadow’s own label, Liquid Amber, was formed in 2014 to provide an outlet for unique sounds, and a year later, they’ve already put out something wild.A collaboration between Shadow himself and fellow west-coast producer G. Jones, Night School Klik makes sounds similar to yet more grandiose than what was heard on SD Laika’s 2014 album. Their 2015 self-titled EP situates itself most comfortably in the world of grime and trap electro, with three tracks (two originals and a remix) that are vaguely hip-hop oriented, revolving around throbbing bass, harsh synthetic rhythms, and intricate patterns … Read more
Hardcore veterans, Terror have sold over 200,000 albums worldwide and will release their forthcoming studio album, Live By The Code on April 9th. Mixed by Matt Hyde (Hatebreed, Slayer) and produced by Chad Gilbert (New Found Glory, Shai Hulud, H20, A Day To Remember). Terror’s legacy in the hardcore scene is already built as being one of the most respectful … Read more
After releasing their striking eponymous debut in 2010, Mutiny Within were subsequently driven to disbandment by drastically lower than expected sales. Oddly enough, this wasn't due to a lack of musical proficiency but, rather confusingly, seemingly because of it; vocalist Chris Clancy maintains that the album was downloaded illegaly around ten times as often for every copy sold, making it … Read more
Canadian musicians Pomegranate Tiger are quite hard to pigeonhole. On the surface, they play an intensely confusing variety of proggy instrumetal that takes technicality to epic-length proportions, quite reminiscent of bands like Electro Quarterstaff or Canvas Solaris. But going a bit deeper, they also have a propensity for writing soaring, triumphal melodies that should sound familiar to fans of Scale … Read more
The fact that this record’s release coincided with me preparing for and subsequently taking a vacation, and you know, having a life outside of writing record reviews, means you’re likely reading this well after numerous other Internet outlets have exhausted every possible way to dissect You’re Nothing, the sophomore outing by Denmark’s Iceage, and still come up with the same … Read more
First things first, Poorly Formed packs some nice verbiage. With word drops like “crumb bums” and “rigmarole” the Swingin’ Utters have incorporated some lively language into their 8th studio album. It follows 2011’s decent but underwhelming Here, Under Protest and, with the new one they seem to be back in the swing of things. Poorly Formed is far more interesting … Read more
The only thing that would make sense of how this album came to be is the following scenario: Portal managed to somehow open a gateway to the realms of the Great Old Ones and were granted supernatural powers by malicious beings, such as Azathoth, Nyarlathotep, Yog-Sothoth, Tsathoggua and obviously Cthulhu. And soon enough, Portal decided to put their newfound powers … Read more
Ever heard of Crypt of Kerberos? No? Well get ready to be schooled in one of the greatest forgotten relics of the early tech death scene: their lone release, World of Myths.Originally released in 1993, this album has every hallmark for tech death bands of the day: tons of frantic riffing, unnecessarily complicated compositions, tempos and time signatures changing on … Read more
Every so often an unusual group of veteran musicians gather to form what was coined in the late ‘60s as a supergroup. There have been exceptional creative ventures, from the early Crosby, Stills & Nash, to the more recent Them Crooked Vultures and various Jack White endeavors, while others were better left to inebriated jam sessions at rock star house … Read more
The '80s are memorable for many wonderful things, like Pac-Man and Bill & Ted, but perhaps most importantly it was the decade in which a seismic shift occurred in the British alternative music scene that many new bands still consider massively influential today. Enter Johnny Marr, former Smiths guitarist and NME's Godlike Genius, who was an essential player in the … Read more
In the 80’s and early 90’s, many underground metal bands gained popularity though tape trading. This method of distribution was fueled by numerous fans mailing copies of demo recordings to other like-minded metalheads. As a result, fans would often end up receiving a copy of a copy of the original demo. Needless to say, many fans most likely became familiar … Read more
Norway's Ragnarok have made their name playing traditional Black Metal for nearly 2 decades now. On this, their 7th, full length they remain steadfast in style and attitude. Much can be said for consistency especially when it comes to genre whose fans can be as fickle as Black Metal. The record itself starts with a cold atmospheric piece before breaking … Read more
You know what makes me feel really good about myself? Post-rock. I'm not talking about the overwrought, nihilistic, dreary stuff (though I do like that too!), but the kind that just brings you up so much that it's quite literally impossible to feel bad about anything while listening to it, the kind of music that forces you to feel happy … Read more
25 years later, Mudhoney still know how to kick out the jams. Drummer Dan Peters gets the festivities started with a drum-roll, no less and is shortly joined by bassist Guy Maddison and guitarist Steve Turner for "Slipping Away" - a burner of an opener and the perfect song to remind us just how cool these cats are. Let's talk … Read more
Revisiting a collaboration that first appeared on the title track of Speaking Real Words, the debut EP by 7L & Esoteric, the Beantown duo has teamed up with Wu-Tang Clan’s Inspectah Deck again. Some 14 years later the three veterans come together with a full-length superhero project titled Czarface. Taking into account the back catalogue of the parties involved, it … Read more
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