July 2013
Review: I Can Lick Any Son Of A Bitch In...
I.C.L.A.S.O.A.B.I.T.H, the band with the impossibly long name, have been playing their brand of country blues-rock for 12+ years now, and they’ve only tightened as a band over time. … read more
Review: IO Echo – Ministry Of Love
IO Echo are the L.A. duo of Ioanna Gika and her partner Leopold Ross (brother of Atticus, the Trent Reznor collaborator). After years relying on goth-pop-leaning singles to define themselves, Ministry of Love is their debut full album. … 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: Hanni El Khatib – Head in the Dirt
Hanni El Khatib = Black Keys + The Cars
… read more
Local Review: Youth Choir – Demo 2013
The real story is that Youth Choir is making tight, succinct, raging hardcore that retains no shortage of ’80s hardcore and attitude. … read more
Local Review: Vour- Self-Titled
Growing up in a ski town meant going to a lot of free, outdoor concerts in the summer, which pretty much always involved a lot of beer and a lot of jazzy jam bands. Vour would fit well on a bill for that kind of family-friendly mountain jam, with swanky beats and a plethora of instrumentation. … read more
Local Review: Tri-Polar Bear – The Hibernation EP
The EP’s got me looking forward to their future endeavors, so give it a listen, and see if it tickles your fancy, too. … read more
Local Review: The Tuxedo Tramps – Self-Titled
As a longtime psychobilly fan, I wanted more stand-up bass, but even that ridiculous complaint faded away in favor of appreciation for the fact that they don’t sound like every other psychobilly band. … read more
Local Review: The Blue Plates – Lovers and Bankers
Lovers and Bankers is a short collection of Woodstock -era folk-rock, re-imagined by a couple of guys who loved it then and love it still. … read more
Local Review: Rich Wyman – Good Company
Rich Wyman’s album, Good Company, is a delicious slice of piano-ballad pie. … read more
Local Review: Omeed the Nag – Status
Omeed has a nice Aesop Rock sort of gritty feel to his voice, but he does this half-rap-half-sing-song thing that sounds silly. Status isn’t a bad album, but it sounds no different and no better than the same cookie-cutter hip hop that we’re all so tired of. … read more
Local Review: Life Has a Way – 13 Shots
There are simply not enough bands that approach punk rock the way Life Has A Way does, with humor from the gutter, intensity galore, and an overall “fuck you” attitude that most bands are either too soft or too serious to even approach. … read more
