Month: October 2013
Review: Circus Devils – My Mind Has Seen the White...
What makes it all quintessentially Pollard is he doesn’t forget the rock: Amid all the dream sequences, there’s “Deliver Ice Cream (You Must)”—as if the ‘Emperor’ of Wallace Stevens’ poem was throttling an ice cream truck that cranked out a wicked riff. … read more
Review: Circus Devils – When Machines Attack
The second of two Circus Devils, released two days before indie-rock statesman Robert Pollard’s 56th birthday, is much more jagged and jarring, but still bears the warped rewards of Pollard’s twisted stream-of-consciousness wordplay, not just in subjects like “Arrival At Low Volume Submarine.” … read more
Review: Cold Summer – Self-Titled
Starting the album with “Car Crash (In Progress),” featuring the only funky bass rhythm on the album, Cold Summer’s debut album is rough and extremely unpolished but still manages to leave me wanting more.
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Review: Charnel House – Black Blood
The album’s six tracks, while drenched in bleak, obscure tones with heavy emphasis on the rhythm, not the melody, is a cathartic experience. … read more
Review: Chimaira – Crown Of Phantoms
I just can’t get behind this album as much as I’d like to. I’ve been a fan of these dudes for years, and it’s not that the album is poorly played or written—it’s just not as dynamic as I’ve heard them prove to be in years past. … read more
Review: Brianna Lea Pruett – Gypsy Bells
The sparse sounds of Pruett’s voice with her acoustic guitar reflect the topography of the West, with her folk tales coming across as a lone traveler passing through those vast landscapes. … read more
Review: Broken Hope – Omen Of Disease
There’s been a lot of waiting and anticipation for this record—though maybe misplaced anticipation, because there are quite a few death metal bands from the 90s that I feel did a lot better than what Broken Hope ever did, but that’s just my taste. … read more
Review: Carnivores – Second Impulse
A drumbeat just shy of lo-fi, a thin, spineless guitar with a tone so frail and twangy it feels cute (which is not a bad thing) and a 60s-sounding synth unite Second Impulse despite the vocalists switching from one track to the next. … read more
Review: Blouse – Imperium
Blouse Imperium Captured Tracks Street: 09.17 Blouse = Beach House + Still Corners When I first heard this album, I could’ve sworn that I’d already heard it. The dreamy female vocals combined with a fairly simple upbeat indie rock sound seem pretty generic, but not necessarily in a bad way. Although nothing experimental or new
Review: Black Tusk – Tend No Wounds
Though Tend No Wounds may not be treading much new ground, it is a testament to Black Tusk’s consistency. For best results, pair with whiskey and/or beer, moshing and friends. … read more
Review: Black Books – Self-Titled
Black Books write big songs confined to small places. There is an epic and anthemic quality to Black Book’s cloistered little pop songs: a driving, pulsing urge to express something too huge for words written in broad brush strokes of soaring choruses and the diffused light of atmospheric passages oozing out of guitars and synths that blend ambient colorings into vital, crunchy power chords. … read more
Review: Black Hearted Brother – Stars Are Our Home
After fronting the legendary shoegaze band Slowdive, and then moving on to the delicate folk on Mojave 3 and his own solo output, Neil Halstead has returned to the free-floating psychedelia of heavily affected guitars and synthesizers with his new band, Black Hearted Brother. … read more
