You know, I’m a fan of groups that have a “throwback” or “revivalists” label, I just beg that the product you serve up stands tall and offers something stellar. Howl, the third album from Chicago soul revivalists, JC Brooks & The Uptown Sound, however, does not. … read more
Review: Hot Club of Cowtown – Rendezvous in Rhythm
So many jazz bands use “Hot Club” in their name, a nod to the original Quintette du Hot Club de France. In the case of Hot Club of Cowtown, I can imagine they use the “Hot Club” name because they earned it, especially on this record. … read more
Review: Iamamiwhoami – Bounty
With their dreamy vocals and experimental pop sound, Iamamiwhoami deliver an album that will please many different types of music lovers. … read more
Review: Iggy and the Stooges – Ready To Die
I dreaded listening to this record. If 2007’s The Weirdness was any indication, the Stooges can’t be resurrected. They could have fallen back on their raw, stripped-down, live-in-’73 sound that bands today try to emulate. … read more
Review: Integrity – Suicide Black Snake
If you have been following Integrity’s trajectory these past five years or so, through split after split, EP after EP, Suicide Black Snake is the natural evolution in Integrity’s arc. … read more
Review: I Can Lick Any Son Of A Bitch In The House – Mayberry
I.C.L.A.S.O.A.B.I.T.H, the band with the impossibly long name, have been playing their brand of country blues-rock for 12+ years now, and they’ve only tightened as a band over time. … read more
Review: IO Echo – Ministry Of Love
IO Echo are the L.A. duo of Ioanna Gika and her partner Leopold Ross (brother of Atticus, the Trent Reznor collaborator). After years relying on goth-pop-leaning singles to define themselves, Ministry of Love is their debut full album. … read more
Review: Infectious Garage Disease – Self Titled
Released in that pivotal time when longhairs started hitting the matinees and punx copped to liking Slayer (Hanneman RIP), IGD is as much Suicidal as it is Meatmen. … read more
Review: Immolation – Kingdom of Conspiracy
New York’s consistently underrated Immolation don’t let up on the uneasy and unrelenting death metal with their ninth studio album, Kingdom of Conspiracy. … read more
Review: Japanther – Eat Like Lisa Act Like Bart
Japanther are one of those long-running Brooklyn duos who are typically heralded by music snobs for their heavyhandedness in lo-fi synth ostinatos and inability to stay rooted in one particular stylistic element for a whole album’s length. … read more
Review: House of Black Lanterns – Kill The Lights
I would be in a trance-like state—then suddenly, I would be jarred and thrown into shock by a disturbing pipe organ sound that was something along the lines of the soundtrack of the classic 1974 movie, Phantom of the Paradise. … read more
Review: James LaBrie – Impermanent Resonance
The attempt here is to bridge the gap between prog-heads and fans of the more melodic style of melodic death à la Sweden. It works extremely well. … read more