Before my first listening of Shadow Songs, I was preparing myself to sit through another guy with a guitar singing cliché love songs. What I got instead was a pleasant surprise of dreamy pop melodies with morbid lyrics, creating happy little ears that felt alright about listening to cliché love songs. … read more
Pillar Point is a new dance-pop project formed by Scott Reitherman of Secretly Canadian band Throw Me The Statue (indie-poppers keen to hand claps and toe taps; see “Lolita”). Though this debut album explores the glum themes of uncertainty and heartbreak, the songs are catchy and buzzing with danceable synth hooks and hummable pop structures. … read more
Tropical, by Russian quartet Pompeya, has a variety of funky tracks and smooth, uptempo ballads. Pompeya’s melodic and up-tempo feel on Tropical made me feel like I was a distressed character from a movie running on the beach—in slow motion, of course. … read more
A concept album of sorts—based on the fact that PoP’s lead singer Adam Brody’s 14th birthday coincided with the discovery of the unfortunate victims from the Heaven’s Gate cult—even if only loosely themed, makes for a bizarre sophomore release. … read more
Oh, the terror! This release is full of hard, heavy, head-banging metal and aggrotech beats. I loved the gritty, grinding, nasty guitar riffs. It is disappointing that they are mixed in with overdone, scratchy, screaming vocals that make you want to tear your skin off. … read more
This record buzzes like a Brookstone orgasm chair, especially the track “Switchboard Scientist,” which swoons like a Funkadelic groove minus the big-band instruments, with added Prozac and guitar dirge. It’s no downer, though. … read more
This album embodies everything I love about experimental music. You communicates what I like to call “black folk.” … read more
Vancouver indie post-punk (for lack of a better term) band Pink Mountaintops’ past members include members of everything from experimental bands like Godspeed You! Black Emperor to psych troupes The Warlocks to the heavy purveyors Black Mountain. … read more
“Eris” opens this album with the driving mantras and quiet anxiety you heard from Modest Mouse on the Lonesome and Crowded West, though Plateau keeps it rounded with an almost Syd Barrett-esque psychedelic flourish. … read more
The intro to Under Color of Official Right might trick you into thinking you’re listening to neo-beach music on par with The Drums. Although the surf-reverberated guitar continues through the first track, the lyrics—sounding as if they’re sung through inflamed vocal chords—shatter the expectations of the surf rock genre. … read more
With an even blend of punk, indie and garage rock, PUP have created a sound all to themselves with their self-titled debut. An overall enticing album, it employs heavy distortion contrasting with lighter, cleaner vocals playing both fast and slow when appropriate. … read more
Well, it’s the moment we’ve all been waiting for: a new Pixies album. … read more
