Music
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
Review: Septicflesh – Titan
Septicflesh had a hard task to make something greater than their last record, The Great Mass. Titan is a more than appropriate title for the epically epic damned ninth album from the Greek metal masters. … read more
Review: Secret Smoker – Terminal Architecture
Proudly declaring themselves as the torchbearers of “passionate ’emo’… before the shopping malls got a hold of the genre,” Secret Smoker know exactly what they’re going for and they firmly hit that bullseye. … read more
Review: Wye Oak – Shriek
Like many of their musical contemporaries, Baltimore’s Wye Oak are embracing new modes of music-making and shying away from guitar-based rock structures to favor synthetic sounds and electronic textures. … read more
Review: Woods – With Light and With Love
Brooklyn “do everything” folk band Woods return with a bright album full of quaint little pop songs with no edges and hooks so sugary they make Teenage Fanclub look like The Ramones. Woods are probably the least freaky of the “freak folk” acts, but definitely the most consistent (as long as Devendra Banhart keeps making shitty albums). … read more
Review: Videoing – Treasure House EP
Opening with noise guitars and heavy beats, Videoing sucker-punch you with this five-song EP in a wave of electro-industrial sound and don’t let you up until the very end. … read more
Review: Vader – Tibi Et Igni
Polish death metal giants Vader enter the summer release chaos with Tibi Et Igni—meaning “For You and Fire” in Latin. Tibi Et Igni isn’t a bad album, though it struggles quite a bit. … read more
