Maui Tears is the band’s finest work yet. It’s a perfection of everything good from Fever and Spine Hits. The record opens with “The Lane”—an angelic little ditty featuring guitars that soar through the clouds and rip through the ether in search of a realm of permanent shapes. … read more
Review: Southern Culture on the Skids – Dig This
For years, Southern Culture on the Skids have been one of those Americana bands that are such a well-built hotrod of a band that, when it comes to any of the genres that they tackle, they can naturally shift from country to surf to R&B and every bit sounds as authentic as it is original. … read more
Review: Spiritual Rez – Apocalypse Whenever
This fourth album, and first album not self-produced, is a huge step for this seven-piece Boston reggae/ska/progressive rock band. … read more
Review: Stefan Jaworzyn – Drained of Connotation
If you consider yourself a noise aficionado, then chances are that you know who Stefan Jaworzyn is. Being a once-prominent member in the ’80s UK experimental underground (with contributions in Ascension and Skullflower) before dropping off the grid, Drained of Connotation is Jaworzyn’s official proclamation of rising from his hiatus to resume his atonal passion. … read more
Review: St. Vincent – Self-Titled
Annie Clark sure knows how to make a statement. In releasing “Digital Witness” as a response to a world that is growing obsessively consumed by technology, Clark simultaneously addresses her own technological dependence in the form of electronica mixed under a funky horn section. … read more
Review: Stagnant Pools – Geist
I could probably fill most of the shoegaze reviews I write with half-hearted comparisons to Slowdive and be done with ’em. That’s what I thought here, at first, with the opening song “You Whir,” but a different narrative unfolded upon subsequent listenings. … 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: Saxon – St. George’s Day Sacrifice – Live in Manchester
Saxon = Accept + Judas Priest … read more
Review: Sharon Van Etten – Are We There
Sharon Van Etten is on the rise. Her last album, Tramp, saw her really come into her own as a songwriter, while gaining wider recognition touring with acts like The National. … read more
Review: Sandy’s – Fourth Dementia
Every song is like an island in a geographically-close chain, and each is closely related in overall vegetation, but every one has both subtle and clever differences. Schematically, this album is an intricately beach-infused psychedelic wonderland—for the heaviest dose, see “Lonely Hunter.” … read more
Review: Shamir – Northtown
With a falsetto that ignores gender identity and production help from GODMODE head Nick Sylvester, the Northtown EP is an assertive debut. … read more
Review: Shabazz Palaces – Lese Majesty
Shabazz Palaces = Outkast + JJ Doom … read more
