Music
Review: Youth Forgotten – Ghost of A Fallen Empire
Youth Forgotten have a lot of influences: speed metal, thrash, early-’00s metalcore, gothic rock and crossover. When YF combines two genres in one song, it sounds good, but this was quite rare. … read more
Review: Sun Kil Moon – Benji
Mark Kozelek has made a record so confrontational and real, you have to admire it even when it’s a bit much. It’s about how the things that seem “uncool” in life are often what make it worthwhile—a bold, artistic vision that can be a real bummer, honestly. … read more
Review: Spirits and the Melchizedek Children – So Happy, It’s...
So Happy is comprised of deep washes of neo-psychedelic, reverbed-out guitars, spectral folk of a doomed American West and the deep ebb and flow of droning guitars sacred enough to divine gold. … read more
Review: Solander – Monochromatic Memories
If Tumblr had a soundtrack, this would be it. Blending semi-wavering vocals à la Conor Oberst, Solander mixes twangy banjos, majestic cellos and outdoorsy lyrics to accompany all those pictures of skinny, naked girls smoking cigarettes, GIFs from Skins and fog-covered pine trees. … read more
Review: Slough Feg – Digital Resistance
Mike Scalzi continues to tread the thin line between heavy metal and rock n’ roll with his acrobatic guitar work and unconventional songwriting. The whole production sounds warm and organic, contrasting well with the album’s lyrical themes of technological isolation … read more
Review: Sleepers Work – No Turn Before the Shoreline
William Flynn’s bold, new ambient EP contains an array of eclectic trinkets that create an incredible collective of sounds. This album is what I think might be good for ambient beginners, thanks to Flynn’s steadily incorporated rhythm. … read more
Review: Signals Midwest – Light on the Lake
I wouldn’t be surprised if bands like Signals Midwest, The Front Bottoms and other emo-revivalists start getting serious radio play in two years or so. Their mathy rhythms, straightforward guitar-work and harmony-laden vocals are just screaming radio potential. … read more
Review: Sally Seltmann – Hey Daydreamer
Hey Daydreamer is an album full of theatrics. Not only is the instrumentation elaborate, with emphasis on the horns and percussion, but the overall feeling I get from listening to this is uplifting, as she sings about finding strength in independence, throwing out bad influences and living with your mistakes. … read more
Review: Saâda Bonaire – Self-Titled
My mind was blown when I first listened to this record. It’s like falling in love with The Beatles and then finding a long, lost band like Nirvana who sound just as influential in modern music. This re-issue is a must hear, especially for music history buffs. … read more
Review: Rock n’ Roll Monkey & the Robots – Rocket...
Seemingly covering the basic aspects of rock n’ roll, this double EP, 45-RPM LP is a combination of pop and folk wrapped with surf rock, dashed with some punky attitude and concluded with Mersey-sound rock n’ roll. … read more
Review: Rllrbll – 4 Corners
Because of the risks taken throughout, there isn’t much cohesion to these 10 tracks, though “Hebrew, I Hate You,” a minimal, gothic, dub-styled tune, is where the approach pays off. If you’re up for a weird listen, here’s one for you. … read more
Review: Outrageous Fun – Trustfund DIY
Trustfund DIY moves through the greater lo-fi genre, reminding me of a new group with every song, but always holding an upbeat quality I’d associate with Marvelous Darlings. The album opens with “Town Like This,” which could be Matt Whitehurst of Psychedelic Horseshit singing over Cloud Nothings’ first album. … read more
