Music
Review: Kepler – Attic Salt 12”
It sounds like every mellow-rock and indie band in the last 25 years congealed into one unimaginative band. Maybe part of it was because I had to fuck around with a record player for 30 minutes to be able to play it. … read more
Review: Horse Thief – Fear In Bliss
Horse Thief are psychedelic rockers originally from Texas, but found their calling in Oklahoma City, embracing change. They abandoned their safety zone in the Midwest and headed to Los Angeles to record their newest album, Fear in Bliss. … read more
Review: Gladenfold – From Dusk To Eternity
Even though it sounds like a smooth blend of bands from Spinefarm’s early years, Gladenfold mixes just enough power metal into their synth-driven melodic death metal to breathe life into a genre I had given up on years ago. … read more
Review: Frantix – My Dad’s A Fuckin’ Alcoholic
Frantix was an early ’80s band from Colorado that blended their own take on hardcore music with standard ’80s rock. They released two 7” records during their run, and this CD collects all of that music with live tracks and unreleased demos into one place. … read more
Review: Enthroned – Sovereigns
Sit back, throw away your goddamned Deafheaven and Liturgy albums, and embrace the true progression of black metal. … read more
Review: Howls – Howls
If I close my eyes as I listen to this album, I’m walking through an inky venue with strobing lights, and shadowy glitter is falling in slow motion from the ceiling. … read more
Review: Haunted Hearts – Initiation
Haunted Hearts consists of Brandon Welchez from the noise-pop band Crocodiles, and his wife Dee Dee, front woman of the Dum Dum Girls. A valid, but basic description of HH comes from the mouth of Brandon in an interview via Coup De Main, “It sounds like a 50/50 split between our bands to be honest.” … read more
Review: Ex-Cult – Midnight Passenger
The moment the vocals come in on Midnight Passenger’s opening track, “Shattered Circle,” you might notice yourself thinking, “Hell yeah, young people with a new take on late seventies/early eighties L.A. punk.” … read more
Review: Dylan Champagne & The Lost Explorers – The Bones...
The first time I heard this album, I fucking hated it. I figured that there was nothing new to be done with the original rock ‘n roll sound. The rock n’ roll and rockabilly sound has been around forever, what could they possibly do to make it innovative? Dylan Champagne and Co. manages to take a fresh perspective on the genre by adding a nice modern indie twist. … read more
Review: Courtney Barnett – A Sea of Split Peas
Like a collection of Cheever shorts cut to Lou Reed, this “Double EP” features the most invigorating songwriting since Joni Mitchell’s Blue. … read more
Review: Tempel – On The Steps Of The Temple
I’m not usually a fan of instrumental metal and most post-metal gives me rage-induced symptoms resembling a mix of dengue and dysentery. On The Steps Of The Temple has more heaviness to it than its brothers in the genre and on the first track, “Mountain,” I caught my head doing something resembling banging along to the death-metally riffs and double bass grooves on the drums. … read more
Review: Sonic Avenues – Mistakes
Sonic Avenues blasts out with a garage power pop twist that complements the legacy left by The Exploding Hearts rather nicely—they do an excellent job with poppy yet twisted, snotty distorted vocals that are coupled with a raw, ’77-influenced punk sound. … read more
