Migrant Kids’ debut doesn’t redefine anything, but they’re adept at creating relaxed, layered atmospheres of sound that build from stark keys to triumphant choruses. … read more
Reviews: The Memories – Love is the Law
Erik Gage and Kyle Handley use The Memories as a vehicle to express sunny dispositions, drug-dazed sentiments and other elements that can’t be shrieked in the syntax of their preceding punk band, White Fang. … read more
Reviews: Mavis – Start Over
This is an album that would be easy to skip over unless you were looking, since its spine is unassuming strummy guitar and modest, youthful vocals. … read more
Reviews: Maps – Vicissitude
James Chapman, the force behind Maps, began these songs at his Northamptonshire home, the place where his Mercury Prize-nominated debut We Can Create was recorded. … read more
Reviews: Lycus – Tempest
It’s clear that Lycus know and understand their influences rather well, combining an atonal USBM riffing style with long sections of legitimately heavy and atmospheric funeral doom. … read more
Reviews: Lemuria – The Distance Is So Big
Masters of melancholy adorableness, Lemuria’s third LP sounds as though it could be a long-lost relic of early ‘90s indie rock—and that’s a good thing. … read more
Reviews: John Tole – Reign in Laughs
For a comic who calls himself the “Slayer of Comedy,” John Tole spends a paltry amount of his set discussing metal. … read more
Reviews: Jamaican Queens – Wormfood
While more notable acts like Purity Ring and Sleigh Bells benefit from finer production, Jamaican Queens fall short in this area. … read more
Reviews: Infected Mushroom – Friends on Mushrooms Vol. 2
I was a bit confused when I first pressed play on Infected’s newest album, because it sounded like some slow trance love song, but then the beat drops and quickens and the Israeli duo blows your fucking mind. … read more
Reviews: The Howl – Things I’ve Learned While Swallowing S Words
What do you really get from a two-song release? In the case of Chicago-based The Howl, you get two songs, blow through them and then walk away with a serious case of musically induced blue balls. … read more
Reviews: The Garden – The Life and Times of a Paper Clip
The Garden write some very interesting riffs. In fact, both the drum work and the guitar work on “The Life and Times of a Paperclip” feature some surprisingly progressive moments—an interesting departure from the simple garage-style fare which Burger Records are known for. … read more
Reviews: Lovers – A Friend in the World
It’s been a while since I’ve heard an album with this kind of superior lyrical quality. Backed by electro-pop instrumentation while fusing themes of love, intimacy and a dash of feminism, A Friend in the World is truly a rare find. … read more
