May 2013
Review: Crime and the City Solution – American Twilight
Critics’ darlings who never quite made the mainstream grade back in the early 1990s, Crime are back with their first release in 20-plus years. … read more
Review: Como Asesinar A Felipes – Comenzara de Nuevo
Comenzara de Nuevo, or Begin Again, is the mind-blowing US debut of progressive Chilean hybrid Como Asesinar A Felipes. Combining elements of hip hop and jazz with an underlying Latin-American flair, this album is full of complex layers and a strong message of change. … read more
Review: Cayucas – Bigfoot
Bigfoot is an album full of summer anthems. The songs are a mix of laid-back beach-pop and faster tropical rhythms that literally melt away my stress. Frontman Zach Yudin’s lyrical flow, matched with the percussion and bass lines, give this music the most subtle hip-hop touch. Overall, the album is completely soulful. … read more
Review: Chandler Travis Three-O – This is What Bears Look...
Intermittently instrumental, in my opinion, is always a benefit when an album features more than five instruments. Compared to Chandler Travis’ concurrent venture with Catbirds, This is What Bears Look Like Underwater comes off a lot less forced. … read more
Review: Charles Bradley – Victim of Love
The screaming eagle of soul, Charles Bradley became a breakthrough artist at the age of 62 with the release of his debut album, No Time for Dreaming. On his sophomore release, Victim of Love, Bradley once again delivers a bucket of authenticity, passion and power. … read more
Review: Bring Me The Horizon – Sempiternal
Continuing the theme of yelling at faith, established in their last album, Sempiternal doesn’t overly change the formula—and that’s not a bad thing. … read more
Review: Bone Sickness – Alone in the Grave
Bring an extra pair of pants to this listening party, folks—you’re gonna need something to wrap your balls in after this debut album from Bone Sickness hits like a slamming scissor kick to the nuts. … read more
Review: Beat Radio – Hard Times, Go!
Thanks to the ADD-enriching convenience of Internet music applications, today’s pop music culture has become overly saturated with boorish indie musicians who think success is more contingent on who-you-know instead of what-you-know; opting for that over talent. This is why it’s such a delight to come across a no-nonsense diamond in the rough like Beat Radio. … read more
Review: Bambara – Dreamviolence
The amount of reverb and aggressive tension on DREAMVIOLENCE is comparable to Swans’ The Great Annihilator. However, it is impressive in the way that something can be when it hits you at all the right points, despite any familiarity. … read more
Review: Andy D Presents The Weekend – War Cries
The cover art for War Cries is some of the worst I have seen in a while. I was hoping that the music would be enjoyable enough to create some sort of balance, but it was not for me at all. Of course, not everybody is going to enjoy everything—I just don’t particularly enjoy writing entirely negative reviews. … read more
Review: Akron/Family – Sub Verses
Sub Verses is Akron/Family’s densest, busiest and most undeniably rockist album to date. For these reasons, piled on top of their familiar vocal harmonization and expansive experimentation into the marriage of the limitless boundaries of electronic programming and the gnarled, woody heart of American rock n’ roll, Sub Verses makes the case for Akron/Family being one of the most vital groups working in rock music today. … read more
