Year: 2013
Review: Iron Chic – The Constant One
“Whoas” and subtle vocal harmonies adorn these major-key pop punk songs that elicit emotion in a heartening way, as if Iron Chic’s M.O. was to purge our negative thinking by way of sonic chemotherapy. … read more
Review: Jeffrey Novak – Lemon Kid
One assumes that the unintentionally yet appropriately titled opener, “Endless Repetition,” sounds like a first-stage demo on purpose, or that the title track is really dreadful, despite the briefly creative drumming that it starts with. … read more
Review: I Break Horses – Chiaroscuro
Although it feels like I’ve heard this album a hundred times before, performed by different artists throughout the years, I Break Horses deliver a skillful synth-pop performance of epic proportions. … read more
Review: Hidden Towers – Olympus Mons
Hidden Towers = Queensryche + Soundgarden … read more
Review: High Priest of Saturn
A classic case of stoner doom by numbers, High Priest of Saturn imitate all the basic components of their chosen genre, but fail to add anything substantial or unique to the mix. Highly hailed with comparisons to Black Sabbath and Electric Wizard, the band’s self-titled debut only resembles these bands by the most generous comparison. … read more
Review: Heartless – Certain Death
Short, hateful and sublimely coated in a venom akin to straight hatred, Certain Death takes a “less is more” approach to affirming the chilling truth of that title: Everything is finite, living is dying and just by existing, we’re slowly ebbing our bodies into a slow and slimy decay. … read more
Review: Hell – III
I’d heard of the one-man doom cult Hell at different points over the past few years, but I was never sufficiently interested to actually give the band a listen. … read more
Review: Honeyslide – Drippin/Deep Architecture
This double A-side bucks most retro-brain nu-gaze trends by not trying too hard to ape MBV, and just sort of arrives there nonchalantly. … read more
Review: Holograms – Forever
Forever uses the upbeat power of nearly unbroken speed to avoid any clashes with boredom while finding identity through unique vocals. … read more
Review: Heavenly Beat – Prominence
Prominence expands on the downtempo aesthetic of Talent by incorporating darker, introspective lyrics into the same exuberant sound. Peña’s airy falsetto floats through the tracks here, cozying up with lush loops of nylon strings, steel drums, and New Order–styled harmonica. … read more
Review: Heaven’s Gate – Transmuting
I’ve felt starved for feminine vocalists in the upbeat lo-fi community up until Transmuting. Heaven’s Gate mix reverberated guitars and non-stop ride cymbal with a voice between the sustained notes of Best Coast and the tone of Siouxsie Sioux. … read more
Review: Hickoids – Hairy Chafin’ Ape Suit
Boom! Right off the bat, I’m hit by the opening song “Fruit Fly” with an upbeat blues guitar solo and organ playing that sounds a lot like Gregg Allman was contributing to the song. … read more
