Issues: Issue 301 - January 2014
Review: Teengirl Fantasy – Nun EP
This duo, comprised of Logan Takahashi and Nicholas Weiss, make quite a cohesive pair. “Eric” stands out to me as the strongest track on this EP, launching into a heavy drum and bass breakdown. Nun EP is fairly mellow and more downbeat, which ends up working as either a perfect warm-up or cool-down to an evening. … read more
Review: Savage Deity – Amulet of Sin
Savage Deity, from Thailand of all places, have offered up an album of classic death metal satisfaction. Amulet of Sin has the properties to appease the folks who listen to death metal for the heavy feeling of it all, as well as the folks who like to dissect albums. … read more
Review: Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings – Give the People...
After a battle with cancer this past summer and the subsequent delayed release of the album, Sharon Jones returns with her Dap-Kings, more powerful than ever, with the appropriately titled Give the People What They Want—the follow-up to 2010’s I Learned the Hard Way. … read more
Review: Rosie Lowe – Right Thing EP
Fresh from her recent guest stint on Lil Silva’s “No Doubt,” UK vocalist Lowe’s debut EP showcases a new and striking talent. … read more
Review: Saffronkeira + Mario Massa – Cause and Effect
Caria and Massa have succeeded in creating a sequence of tracks that functions as a single volume, each supporting the other. “Umorale” is recommended for an idea of Cause and Effect’s general sound: intertwining melodies and drifting percussion traveling beside fluctuating drones and static elements. … read more
Review: Pinkunoizu – The Drop
They’ve combined classic rock-pop characteristics, like drum lines and bursting guitar sounds, but have kept it weird with ghostly vocals, lingering organ chords and unpredictable tone deviation. … read more
Review: Poliça – Shulamith
The album is murky and reverb-heavy and the band really immerses itself into the ’80s new wave synth pop genre without seeming too blatantly retro. “Tiff,” featuring Justin Vernon, is the trailblazing single for Shulamith. … read more
Review: Pro-Pain – The Final Revolution
This is 12 cuts of the heaviest shit the band has done in a while. All the qualities you want in a metal record—riffs, grooves, crazy solos—yeah, it fucking rocks. I can’t find a bad song in the bunch. … read more
Review: Purgation – Exterminated Malfeasance
Behind the louder noises are stellar death metal groove punches and some just-as-stellar sweet bass playing. Looking at this record from the optimistic point of view, it’s damn pleasing, it just takes a few listens of aural adjustments and you get the full devastating effect of it all. … read more
Review: Orrin Campbell – Nocturnal
Orrin Campbell, an 18-year-old rapper from Brooklyn, recorded this debut album in his NYU dorm. It’s downtempo hip hop set to atmospheric spacey beats—call it minimal seapunk, if you like. … read more