Oh the ’90s! This was a time when punk rock got really funny, and nowhere is this more prevalent than on Propagandhi’s heavily political, satirical and hilarious debut. For the album’s 20th anniversary, Fat Wreck Chords decided to re-release this album with seven unreleased tracks. … read more
The mix feels like a series of hymns performed in a discotheque, transforming a club-like atmosphere into an experience both spiritual and mind-expanding. … read more
Folk transforms into alt-country at the end of “Cave Eyes,” concluding the album pleasantly. Try this one out for a hiking trip or a day in nature. … read more
It’s tough to rate the band on this debut single, because one of the two songs is a cover of Today Is The Day’s “Willpower,” which they transformed from its distorted, noise-metal roots into a gothic dirge with what the band calls “medieval vocal harmonies.” … read more
Southern Lord’s love affair with reissuing old PI records hasn’t let up, and (for once) this reviewer isn’t complaining. Few hardcore bands deserve more praise than Poison Idea, and these loving reissues are a testament to that. … read more
They’ve combined classic rock-pop characteristics, like drum lines and bursting guitar sounds, but have kept it weird with ghostly vocals, lingering organ chords and unpredictable tone deviation. … read more
The album is murky and reverb-heavy and the band really immerses itself into the ’80s new wave synth pop genre without seeming too blatantly retro. “Tiff,” featuring Justin Vernon, is the trailblazing single for Shulamith. … read more
This is 12 cuts of the heaviest shit the band has done in a while. All the qualities you want in a metal record—riffs, grooves, crazy solos—yeah, it fucking rocks. I can’t find a bad song in the bunch. … read more
Behind the louder noises are stellar death metal groove punches and some just-as-stellar sweet bass playing. Looking at this record from the optimistic point of view, it’s damn pleasing, it just takes a few listens of aural adjustments and you get the full devastating effect of it all. … read more
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
