Recent reviews

Our latest album reviews, featuring the records we've most enjoyed (or not) over the past few weeks.

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Browse our album reviews according to score: Highest (9.5/10 or more) or Lowest (2/10 or less)

Fat Shadow

Foot Of Love
Houseplant (2011)

It's hard to categorize female-fronted, Fat Shadow. They blend a mix of indie-rock with late 60s-psychedelia, while bleeding over into punk-rock as well. They do a pretty fine job of it, no doubt. The band's debut full length, Foot of Love, is bringing back a sound and tweaking it into something quite satisfying.The first half of the album is new stuff, while the second half showed up on Fat Shadow's demo the previous year. They open the album with, "Waves." It hits you with the sounds reminiscent of Summer until vocalist, Daun Fields, jumps in with beautiful vocals channeling Carly Simon. The track's a tidy bouquet of time signatures. The following track, "Haven," slows things down before picking up the pace on, "Water's Edge." It's got a moody and melodious opening, but then all the punk influences of the members' other projects pull together for an aggressive track, while maintaining Fields' clean vocals. Fat Shadow break out the hooks on "Feelers." It has surf-rock vibe to it, and even ends with a breezy set of "oohs" that you could find yourself humming on the beach. The next five tracks are the re-recordings of the songs from their 2010 demo. The … Read more

The Book Of Knots

Garden Of Fainting Stars
Ipecac (2011)

The Book Of Knots are an anomaly in music. They are a super group of sorts entailing members of many … Read more

Toh Kay

Streetlight Lullabies
Pentimento Music (2011)

I’ve read a lot of mixed reviews about this record, and based on the feedback received, I think it’s a … Read more

Digital Leather

Modern Problems
FDH (2012)

It’s been three years since Shawn Foree’s one man synth-punk project Digital Leather released the critically acclaimed album Warm Brother. … Read more

Bleaklow

The Sunless Country
Independent (2011)

Though a lot of post-anything music can, using a single theme, reach past the 10 minute mark without necessarily becoming … Read more

Bubonic Bear

Fleshworld
Sloth Tapes (2011)

Over several very under the radar releases (EPs, splits, half lengths, etc.), the dynamic duo that makes up Bubonic Bear … Read more

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One from the archives

M.I.A.

Arular
XL Recordings (2005)

Superfluous. If I could describe the music press' fawning over female Sri-Lankan/British emcee M.I.A. in a single word, that would be it. This excessive praise for a new artist is not unique to her, of course. In 2004, it was Franz Ferdinand. In 2003, it was the Yeah Yeah Yeahs. To be honest, M.I.A.'s Arular does not live up to the hype, but what album possibly could? I'm going to be overly-simplistic and superficial and use Dizzee Rascal as a reference point for what M.I.A. sounds like (because I'm lazy and because M.I.A. doesn't really have a reference point). They're both uniquely British, employ cheap, abrasive beats, and often have as much in common with the electronica scene as they do the hip-hop scene (indeed, the Tower Records in Nashville … Read more

More album reviews

Signals Midwest

Latitudes & Longitudes
Tiny Engines (2011)

Placing the band Signals Midwest into a genre is a difficult task; their latest release Longitudes and Latitudes is a beautiful mesh of melodic interludes, upbeat pop punk and gritty punk rock. Having this many influences in your work can often lead to great things being lost in translation and the overall result being muddled. However, you can fully appreciate … Read more

After

Edges Of The World
Independent (2012)

When I heard California's After described to me with phrases like "Soundgarden meets Rush" and "progressive pop", I knew I had to give them a try. Any band willing to reach back and recapture some of the classic rock sound that you just can't hear today definitely gets my interest, and I gave this EP a listen as soon as … Read more

The Shins

Port Of Morrow
Aural Apothecary (2012)

Spring has arrived. The sun pours through the sky. Pollen blankets the surroundings. The streets suddenly become more occupied. Much has happened in the world since last spring. Even more has occurred in the five years passed since we were last offered a new album from The Shins, a band whose spring-like sound sonically reflects the seasonal transference.In the world … Read more

Junius

Reports from the Threshold of Death
Prosthetic (2011)

I will say this: Junius' newest album Reports from the Threshold of Death is certainly a unique release. But that's really the totality of positive things I have to say about it. Believe me, I really want to like this album. And, to their credit, Junius certainly do a lot of things that entice my interest. But here's the issue: … Read more

The Men

Open Your Heart
Sacred Bones (2012)

This could be the album that shoots The Men into music lovers’ hearts or it could be a slow burner that floats in the whereabouts of obscurity. The hope is for the latter. Open Your Heart is a musical mash of various genres, all neatly performed by a loose-sounding band that’s mastered the art of rocking out. There are punk … Read more

The Roots

Undun
Def Jam (2011)

I’m conflicted when it comes to “conscious rap.” On the one hand, I hate the label and attempt and creating a subgenre for hip-hop that doesn’t adhere to the conventions of mainstream rap. To me, it’s still rap and it makes little sense to marginalize those artists who seem to more highly value originality over the fast-food punchlines which dominate … Read more

Remnants

Suspension
Tycho Magnetic Anomalies (2011)

Brooklyn based drone purveyors Remnants four track cassette Suspension is a curious little release, building on a foundation of fuzzy electronic notes, and deep unnerving tones. Lead track "Ornamentals" is a tad unsettling in it's minimalism. The quiet buzz of white noise sitting just behind dissonant strikes slowly build in sound level, washing over the touches of an almost bell-like … Read more

Senmuth

Bar-Do Thos-Grol
Independent (2012)

After writing ethnic music for over half a decade at this point (over the span of one hundred and forty-three individual studio albums), it's no surprise that Russian musician/history buff/general crazy man Senmuth has gotten rather good at it. Bar-Do Thos-Grol, his most recent foray into dark ambient music, shows off just how proficient he's become at it. The album … Read more

Red Hot Rebellion

Self Titled
Independent (2012)

Red Hot Rebellion are a band that was destined to be. Formed as the result of a want ad placed on Craigslist, they are now part of the music scene in Dayton, Ohio that has been strong for years now. As they say in their bio, they were “formed with a singular goal: to rebel against the watered-down excuse for … Read more

Plague Widow

Self Titled
BuriedInHell (2012)

Sacramento three-piece Plague Widow came to form late last year, and have through some kind of sorcery already unleashed an uncompromising and punishing EP. Fifteen minutes of pure intense grind with a tiny hint of death, Plague Widow EP is disgustingly ferocious and absolutely relentless. With an intro track that is longer than 95% of the songs on the EP, … Read more

House Of Low Culture

Poisoned Soil
Taiga (2012)

Following the demise of Isis (which was a sad day indeed around my household), there was still plenty of material to come potentially as the band’s membership was active with side projects throughout the life of their main creative outlet; and the potential reactivation of the seemingly dormant House Of Low Culture was an exciting proposition as I had grown … Read more

The Blank Fight

House Band Feud (Re-Issue)
Silver Sprocket (2012)

Aaron Cometbus, Rymodee of This Bike Is a Pipe Bomb, bikes, guitars…that seems a fitting intro for the reissue of The Blank Fight’s one and only album, House Band Feud. The cd was released in 2002 on Plan-it-X and, to steal a line from Silver Sprocket’s press sheet, many a songs have made it to mixtapes in the decade since. … Read more

Nordic Nomadic

Worldwide Skyline
Tee Pee (2011)

Nordic Nomadic resides as generally a solo project. This project taken on by the lead singer of Ontario based psych metal band Quest For Fire as a way of creating songs that are more plaintive and slightly more psychedelic than his main project. So it doesn't seem too surprising that Tee Pee records would be the label releasing this record. … Read more

Enthroned

Obsidium
Agonia (2012)

Belgian black metal veterans Enthroned offer up a new platter of palpable devastation with Obsidium. With this album they show the versatility that has carried them throughout their career. Obsidium will be revered amongst black metal purists, but easily approachable by those unfamiliar with the genre. Metalheads of all sorts will be coming together to bask in the darkness of … Read more

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Browse our album reviews according to score: Highest (9.5/10 or more) or Lowest (2/10 or less)