Month: October 2013
Review: Seeker – Unloved
Knee-jerk reaction would lump these guys in with the somehow-still-prevalent deathcore genre, but Unloved lacks the breakdowns and the tech-noodling. What they do play is ferocious, syncopated rhythms where guitars serve as another percussive instrument, punctuated by slow interludes of open strumming. … read more
Review: Red Fang – Whales & Leeches
Somehow, Red Fang has become louder. They have become heavier. They have become more bad ass. Red Fang is more Red Fang than Red Fang has ever been. … read more
Review: Rich Quick – Sad Songz
This white boy from New Jersey lays down upbeat, borderline hip-pop with groovy samples. Quick has charisma in his musicianship, offering an approachability that is at his advantage. … read more
Review: Quasi – Mole City
Rock n’ roll is about excess, not precision or scholastic adherence to tradition or, RockGods forbid, discipline. It does take some kind of discipline, or something, to make music with an ex-spouse, as do Sam Coomes and Janet Weiss of Quasi. … read more
Review: Richard X. Heyman – X
Every track has the same folky, calming tone, with Heyman’s bastardized mix of Bob Dylan’s and Paul Wellar’s melodic vocals. One exception, “Compass,” is made up of heavier guitar riffs, and Heyman provides harsher vocals that make for harder pop rock n’ roll. … read more
Review: RJD2 – More Is Than Isn’t
As far as funky, jazz-influenced electronic hip hop (I get that’s a lot to ponder, but hear me out) goes, RJD2 delivers an album nothing short of amazing with More Is Than Isn’t. … read more
Review: Russian Circles – Memorial
When did Russian Circles transition from a second-tier post-rock band to a peerless post-everything behemoth of hair-trigger precision and cathartic terror-beauty? Russian Circles have been playing lately like the mid-’00s post-rock boom never happened. … read more
Review: Pillars and Tongues – End-dances
While “Knifelike” starts out with pop-infused rock similar to The National, End-dances mixes those elements with strange, seductive drumming and chanting that gives off a creepy, satanic folk type of energy. … read more
Review: Pop. 1280 – Imps of Perversion
The deceptive opening guitar chord of Imps of Perversion hints at another surf album, with its thin echo lingering as a tribal beat backs the chord’s decay. The crunchy bass, synchronized with simple double-time picking on the guitar, cuts in and knocks the surf sound off its board within seconds. … read more
Review: PORCHES. – Slow Dance in the Cosmos
PORCHES. have a sound that includes a little folk, a little rock, ample keys and a touch of soul. … read more
Review: Pink Frost – Sundowning
Most often compared to 90s-era Smashing Pumpkins, except without Billy Corgan’s godawful nasally whine, Pink Frost are thick and noisy and energetic and also noisy. … read more
Review: Piñata Protest – El Valiente
Opening with a 45-second intro declaring Piñata Protest “los mas chingones de la musica norteña punk,” El Valiente certainly delivers on that description. … read more
