I really didn’t think I would grow to like, let alone love and respect Shane’s unconventional vocals, but they make this album a solid piece that is unlike anything I’ve heard recently. … read more
Review: Kim Lenz and the Jaguars – Follow Me
While maintaining all the tropes of a garden variety release, this record also is a step forward for Lenz, who gained more urgency and has become more visceral in her delivery. … read more
Review: King Khan & The Shrines – Idle No More
Although Idle No More comes from a darker place than earlier Shrines work, the bulk of the album is celebratory. It melds the psychedelic soul sounds that the band is well known for with a gospel influence. … read more
Review: Kill Everyone Now! – Self-Titled
Kill Everyone Now! is a guitar/drum duo that currently calls São Paulo, Brazil home (though they do have an SLC connection). This six-song EP clocks in at about 20 minutes and it powers through from start to finish. … read more
Review: Jonathan Rado – Law and Order
The opening track “Seven Horses” starts off with an odd, fluid, warbling synth line and morphs into catchy ’60s pop. Because of the simplicity of the lyrics (“If you feel it all, clap your hands”) and the weird synth noise, I thought it was going to be pretty similar to the MGMT’s Oracular Spectacular, but by the second track it had completely changed … read more
Review: KILN – Meadow:watt
KILN’s exploration of the juxtaposition of the natural and the manmade is extended beyond the title and into the music of meadow:watt. KILN combine various guitar and bass lines with programmed beats and hefty amounts of post-production editing to create something wholly organic and wholly crafted. … read more
Review: Juan Wauters – N.A.P. North American Poetry
N.A.P North American Poetry is filled with beat poetry, combined with the radiant attraction of pop, dunked in folk. … read more
Review: King Krule – 6 Feet Beneath The Moon
His debut LP manages to blend light jazz with minimalistic trip hop, while the music itself remains folk at its core. This album feels like Marshall took the vibe of classic folk album Moondance by Van Morrison, then dragged it through the London underground, encountering a few alleyway beatings and a few bad breakups along the way. … read more
Review: Jeremy Messersmith – Heart Murmurs
While most of the album explores the multi-faceted role that love plays in his life, he keeps the album light by humorously singing songs about one-night stands and “loving the fuck” out of someone like one would sing a lullaby to an infant. The only major qualm I have with the album is that, at times, it is incredibly clichéd, lyrically, and almost too easy to listen to. … read more
Review: Jensen – Zero One [Redux]
I loved this album; it was raw, brutal and contained an explosion of angst and anger that turns this album into a must have for any fan of electronic industrial. … read more
Review: JG Thirlwell – The Blue Eyes Original Motion Picture Soundtrack
Those who may be unfamiliar with Thirlwell’s name have heard his work if they’ve ever watched The Venture Brothers. The Blue Eyes is a dark affair, heavy on noir swells, plucked strings, drawn noise, and bass whispers. It sets and maintains a mood. I haven’t seen the film, but enjoyed the score. … read more
Review: Jupe Jupe – Crooked Kisses
This quartet from Seattle is somewhere between Metronomy and the more emotional side of Duran Duran. Jupe Jupe’s presence, overall, is a bit too mellow for me, but it’s hard not to appreciate such a well-crafted album. … read more
