Authors: Ryan Michael Painter
Review: Wumpscut – Blondi
Wumpscut Blondi Metropolis Blondi was the name of Hitler’s German Shepherd. Coincidence or not, Blondi is the name of Rudy’s latest bitch. Not even a year since Bone Peeler, this six-track single, with two original tracks, previews for the latest, Evoke. It starts with military camp sirens for “Rush,” a catchy, danceable, 4/4, monotonous,
Review: Usurper – Cryptobeast
I would have to say that, overall, this is a pretty crushing record, but I’ve heard better from these guys. … read more
Review: Universal Hall Pass – Mercury
Mercury liberally pulls from jazz, trip-hop, electronica and pop and ties them together seamlessly in songs that are both triumphant and vulnerable. … read more
Review: The Waxwings – Let’s Make Our Descent
THE WAXWINGS LET’S MAKE OUR DESCENT Rainbow Quartz Although you can hear the garage influences Detroit’s The Waxwings pull a few tricks from the glory days of the Rolling Stones by way of the Dandy Warhols rather than jumping The White Stripes bandwagon. Not that there isn’t any blues to be found, there’s more than
Review: Tresspassers William – Different Stars
TRESSPASSERS WILLIAM DIFFERENT STARS Nettwerk You could dismiss Tresspassers William as a band filling the gap until the sleeping giants Mazzy Star get off their laurels. You could. You shouldn’t. No, you can’t deny the similarities of the slight country twang in the guitar, the understated female vocals and the mournful atmosphere, but you also
Review: Thee Heavenly Music Association – Shaping the Invisible
Caught somewhere between Curve and Garbage, the combination of Helen Storer and Dave Hillis produce a nice wall of distorted pop. … read more
Review: The Kills – Ash & Ice
The Kills = Raveonettes – Phil Spector + The Rolling Stones
… read more
Review: The Shore – Self-Title
THE SHORE THE SHORE Maverick In a time when labels are scrambling to capitalize on the space Coldplay has left while they record their new album with UK bands like Snow Patrol and Keane it seems fitting that the most suitable replacement should be from California. Not that The Shore are going to be confused
Review: The Thrills – Let’s Bottle Bohemia
THE THRILLS LET’S BOTTLE BOHEMIA Virgin The Thrills debut So Much for the City was greeted with so many fantastic reviews, awards and a wallop of hype that you’d think they’d invented rock’n’roll. I was unimpressed. For Let’s Bottle Bohemia I wiped the slate clean, ignored the inevitable hype and the result? They’re a good
Review: The Prodogy – Always Out Numbered, Never Out Gunned
THE PRODIGY ALWAYS OUT NUMBERED, NEVER OUT GUNNED Maverick You couldn’t help but feel like this album was never going to come. A year or two’s worth of rumors, a single that subsequently led to silence, line-up changes in the supporting cast and then suddenly here it is. Always Out Numbered, Never Out Gunned is supposed
Review: The Violettes – Self-Titled
THE VIOLETTES THE VIOLETTES www.theviolettes.com From the opening rolling cascades of sound of “Blue Hearted Fool,” it is quite clear that The Violettes are a shoegaze delight with fantastic production that allows for the chaos of sound to swell without giving the songs a cheap wash of undefined sound. That is, until the groove kicks
Review: The Poison Arrows – EP
THE POISON ARROWS EP File 13 “Trailer Park” is a tease with its smacking around of sound and distorted blips and buried vocals. It’s a BRMC record stolen by Suicide and slaughtered in Pro Tools. Bloody hell, it’s Primal Scream reborn! Well, if they’d only kick it in and go somewhere, which they never
