Recent reviews

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

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

The Haxan Cloak

Excavation
Tri Angle (2013)

What dream like states can you imagine, and how exactly might you reach such a trance? Do you use illicit and not so illicit substances, or are you maybe touched a bit having brushed wings with delirium one too many times? Regardless of how you might enter a waking dream world, what do you enjoy to use as the soundtrack?Ever since the second full length from The Haxan Cloak was released, my dreams (both waking and others) have at times been dominated by the creeped out beauty that permeates from my speakers and headphones whenever Excavation spins on my turntable; and trust me when I tell you that this is one of those releases where people listen and view the record in a haze of critical kudos and maintain that the album really is as good as people say it is.There is a general tension and feeling of unease that subtly attacks your senses when Excavation circles the turntable would be virtually palpable if the album was not so completely mesmerizing, and while it has been a challenge to impart any kind of description for individual songs (simply because I zone out all the time whenever I put on the … Read more

Kitten Forever

Pressure
Guilt Ridden Pop (2013)

Pressure is a party. The three-piece band Kitten Forever trade off vocals constantly throughout, and even swap instruments while they’re … Read more

200 Words Or Less

Iron Chic

Spooky Action
Bridge Nine (2013)

Iron Chic are back with their first new music since their split with Pacer. For some, a couple years isn't … Read more

Gypsy Eyes

The Escapist
Noise Met Sound (2013)

It’s hard to go to an EDM festival without seizuring from strobe lights, going deaf from pulsing beats, or popping … Read more

A Wilhelm Scream

Partycrasher
No Idea Records (2013)

It’s been hard to believe that A Wilhelm Scream’s last full length, Career Suicide, was released in 2007. I’ve seen … Read more

Nadja

Flipper
Oaken Palace (2013)

Do you find that at times you need to change your perspective on something or someone, and if so how … Read more

Browse our review archives

Reviews by year

Choose a year to view reviews of albums released in that year.

Reviews by artist name

Choose a letter to view reviews ordered by that letter (band name first).

Review categories

200 Words Or Less

754 reviews

Book Review

42 reviews

Classic Album

25 reviews

Multiple Authors

300 reviews

Review

5004 reviews

Video/DVD Review

19 reviews

One from the archives

Faulty Cognitions

Somehow, We Are Here
Cercle Social Records (2024)

The opening track on Somehow, We Are Here is a statement. Yes, Faulty Cognitions is a punk band with members of Low Culture, Shang-A-Lang, Nocturnal Prose,and more. Yes, this shares a lot of commonalities, but it’s also a new band with a new sound. The band humbly says they were going for an early, jangly R.E.M. vibe but self-confess that it has more of a Replacements thing going on instead. That’s not a bad starting point at all, especially drawing previous projects into that circle. The second song, “Roller Skating and the End of the World,” for example, feels much more in the garage-punk vein of Inject the Light, but more fleshed out. I’d say this song also perfectly captures the band’s mix of serious and playful, sort of a … Read more

More album reviews

Integrity

Suicide Black Snake
Magic Bullet / A389 Records (2013)

Take this raging slab of an album and play it on your stereo at loud volumes until your fragile eardrums explode causing you to bleed out of your ear canals because Integrity is back with another record of metal / hardcore anthems that delve the dark side the way that only Dwid and his cohorts can (with this record he … Read more

Autistic Youth

Nonage
Dirtnap (2013)

I nearly died one night in the kitchen of Mexican restaurant I was cooking at. When it came time to clean up the floors at the end of my closing shift, I erroneously (read: stupidly) mixed ammonia and bleach in a mop bucket full of steaming hot water. One breath of that potent mixture and I was seeing stars and … Read more

Hank Williams III

Brothers Of The 4x4
Hank III Records (2013)

There's few artists that have been bent over by their record label more than Hank Williams III. That label was Curb, and they fucked the poor man up down and sideways. That blood contract was finally over with the 2010 release of Rebel Within - an album with potential, but the end result was what felt like an understandably rushed … Read more

Hank Williams III

A Fiendish Threat
Hank III Records (2013)

Those who have had the pleasure of seeing Shelton Hank Williams III perform live know that the man always gives his audience more than their money's worth. A typical show will be 3 full sets - each approximately 45 minutes to an hour long. The first set is a straight-up country set. Set #2 is often the "hillbilly" set - … Read more

200 Words Or Less

Useless Eaters

Hypertension
Jeffery Drag Records (2013)

This is weirdo garage punk with some surf and new wave-y parts from Nashville, TN. Hard to tell if Useless Eaters are playing guitars that sound like fucked-up keyboards or if there is a keyboard that drowns out the fucked-up guitars. I honestly could care less because I happen to really like it. Sometimes just being a stupid music fan … Read more

Caves

Betterment
Bombed out (2013)

I’d call Caves frantic punk rock, if not for the title track on Betterment actually being a casual acoustic affair. Other than that song, though, the eleven songs on the UK’s band’s latest offering are non-stop energy, complemented by vocal trade-offs, relentless percussion, and a whole lot of screaming. The press sheet drops the term “urgent,” and it’s precisely that, … Read more

Various Artists

Circle & Mamiffer - Enharmonic Intervals (for Paschen Organ)
Sige (2013)

Try to imagine that two of the most interesting experimental acts out there not only decided to collaborate for a full album, they also wanted to do that in a 19th century stone church. That is right! Mamiffer, featuring Aaron Turner (of ISIS, Old Man Gloom, House of Low Culture and millions other projects) and Faith Coloccia (of House of … Read more

200 Words Or Less

California X

Self Titled
Don Giovanni (2013)

It seems the term “grunge” is getting thrown around again quite a bit these days when it comes to describing the current crop of buzzy-guitar-based bands. And while the actual definition of the word has always been somewhat confusing, in the 20-odd years it’s existed, it has also become a fairly accurate identifier. It would not be incorrect to use … Read more

Future Virgins

Late Republic
Recess (2013)

After how hard Western Problems hit, it would be hard for Future Virgins to deliver another punch-out of similar quality. Or would it? With a new record, Late Republic on Recess Records, the Chattanooga band has blown my expectations away. The sound this time is a bit cleaner, which lends a pop sensibility to their powerful melodies, but it’s just … Read more

Seven Sisters Of Sleep

Opium Morals
A389 (2013)

Think long and hard and decide just what it takes for a band to enter your own personal rarified air (sure this personal status can be mutable over time with bands falling out and joining in depending on how quickly your tastes might change); for me it can be as little as one record and can last an entire “Career” … Read more

30,000 Monkies

Somewhere Over The Painbow
Consouling Sounds (2013)

Somewhere between rock, stoner, sludge and noise, 30,000 Monkies manage to find a point of equilibrium and they are now unleashing their latest EP, Somewhere Over The Painbow. The malice of the Melvins merges with the spirit of Sonic Youth to bring four songs that will leave you stunned. With their furious sound, heavy riffs and relentless groove, this release … Read more

Pinkish Black

Razed To The Ground
Century Media (2013)

Last year's self titled record from Pinkish Black was a distinctly (un)pleasant surprise from a duo that have been making music together for a substantial length of time. Pinkish Black took the critical world by storm with their debut and the record was, quite rightly, considered a breath of fresh air within the darker confines of the musical spectrum. Pinkish … Read more

Janelle Monáe

The Electric Lady
Wondaland Arts Society (2013)

It's encouraging that after releasing one of the best records of 2010, Janelle Monáe wasn't rushed into releasing the follow-up album to The ArchAndroid until she was good and ready. Three years have given her and her Wondaland Arts Society time to regroup and evolve and the range and talent of her collaborators this time around reflect the maturity Monáe's … Read more

Worriers

Cruel Optimist
Don Giovanni (2013)

Worriers are yet another Brooklyn band to note, made up of former members of some higher profile DIY punk bands from the area. Most noteworthy in terms of sound is vocalist Lauren Denitzio, previously of The Measure [SA]. Obviously, her familiar voice and vocal style will bring a number of comparisons, including within this very review, and it should serve … Read more

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