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Flagpolers

Arse Ways EP
Self Released (2014)

Sometimes the RIYL doesn’t lie. When Vancouver punks Flagpolers list Tiltwheel as an influence, it comes across clearly on the four song EP Arse Ways. The songs are built in that Davey Tiltwheel guitar style and then the lyrics are pelted atop in a gruff and staggering delivery. It’s rough hewn, coarse, and alternately beautiful—a fitting tribute to the aforementioned … Read more

200 Words Or Less

In The Whale

Nate & Eric
Self Released (2014)

In The Whale's Nate & Eric promises a look at the seedier side of Colorado. Combining two EPs written by the duo, Nate & Eric is a brazen, unfiltered balls-to-the-wall rock record. On "Robert Johnson", a song about the eponymous jazz musician who purportedly made a deal with the devil, clattering feedback and wailing guitars are matched with cries of … Read more

The Eye Of Time

Acoustic
Denovali (2014)

Marc Euvrie is certainly a unique specimen when it comes to musicianship. When the previous, self-titled, album of The Eye of Time came out, it was just an unbelievable record to handle. The sheer weight of the album, its experimental scope and its extreme outbreaks, definitely left their mark. But today, Euvrie returns with quite different concept in mind, and … Read more

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Cross Examination

Dawn of the Dude EP
Organized Crime (2014)

Sometimes I just want to eat a bunch of pizza, drink a 30 pack of Special Export Light, smoke one million doobies, make out with chicks in a swimming pool, stay up all night tripping on mushrooms while watching hippies swirl glow sticks and eat fire, and then make out with more chicks in a tent as the sun comes … Read more

The Meatmen

Savage Sagas
Self-Destructo (2014)

Hailing from Lansing, Michigan, the Meatmen have been a punk rock band existing in some capacity for roughly 35 years. They took a break in 1996, but returned in 2008 and, break or no break, the band still boasts a staggering number of singles, EPs, live bootlegs and compilations under their belt. While there has been a few different iterations … Read more

The Dwarves

Invented Rock & Roll
Recess (2014)

I won’t say anything as hyperbolic as that the Dwarves invented rock ‘n’ roll, but I’ll still give them another borderline statement that fits on a press sheet: the 2014 Dwarves are a supergroup—not a supergroup side project of glossy mag pin-ups, but a supergroup that is honestly comprised of, well, Dwarves. While always performing as a 3-5 piece band … Read more

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The Chantey Hook

Underground
Razorcake (2014)

The Chantey Hook have been around for a few years now, but have only released a handful of songs to the masses. Their most recent addition to the small catalog are two tracks from their new Underground 7-inch. The A-Side features the title track. The song's a great Jersey punk-rock anthem that holds its own against this year's best punk-rock … Read more

Supercrush

Lifted b/w Melt Into You (Drift Away)
Grave Mistake (2014)

Surpercrush is the newish Vancouver, British Columbia-based band from Mark Palm, a dude most known for playing in a long ancestry of punk/HC and metal bands and as being the primary songwriter for San Francisco, CA’s bliss-pop snorefest Modern Charms. Hey Mark, Bob Mould called and he wants his Sugar back. No, seriously, this is alright. I mean I fucking … Read more

Nadja and Uochi Toki

Cystema Solari
Corpoc (2014)

Despite the fact that Canadian/German drone group Nadja has a long history of collaborating with various artists from around the globe, their 2014 collaboration with Italian hip hop duo Uochi Toki may be one of the partnerships that seems the most unlikely. I first became aware of Nadja back in 2009 with the release of Pyramids with Nadja, a lush, … Read more

Joyce Manor

Never Hungover Again
Epitaph (2014)

This one took a while to stand out, which I didn’t expect given the accolades Joyce Manor has been ringing up with their three releases. Never Hungover Again is my first listen to the band and I can’t say I understand the hype. While they do their style well, it doesn’t jump ahead of the pack, with the predominant power … Read more

Billy The Kid

Horseshoes and Hand Grenades
Xtra Mile (2014)

This is the first time I saw Billy the Kid: It's Mid-July and the air conditioner at Toronto Lee's Palace is broken. The show is sold -out and I'm leaning on the stage with the capacity crowd behind me. We're sweaty and dehydrated. The air is getting hard to breathe, but nobody's complaining. Frank Turner and the Sleeping Souls are … Read more

Ex Friends

Rules for Making Up Words
Paper + Plastick (2014)

Ex Friends are a group of Philly area punks, recognized from their work in other bands. The band features Joel Tannenbaum (Plow United), JP Flexner (flyer artist), Audrey Crash, and Jayme Guokas. On their debut full-length, Rules for Making Up Words, they don’t let those previous associations get in the way, though; they embrace them. The project sounds like the … Read more

The Great Old Ones

Tekeli-Li
Les Acteurs de l'Ombre Productions (2014)

The incredible nature of The Great Old Ones majestic, sweeping and downright epic black metal was devastatingly apparent on their debut Al Azif - a record that saw them take flight into the musical world and in turn become one of the most talked about bands of 2012. The French quintet are an unassuming group though, and while they were … Read more

DJ Shadow

The Liquid Amber EP
Liquid Amber (2014)

Universally regarded as one of the most important figures in the world of instrumental hip hop and turntablism after having gained massive recognition for 1995’s Entroducing....., DJ Shadow (a.k.a. Josh Davis) seems in recent years to have been operating more in the, well, shadows of an electronic music scene that’s increasingly been focused on the newest and shiniest acts. Released … Read more

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