Intra-Venus & the Cosmonauts play raw, psychedelic punk rock. Their EP Launch, recorded and engineered by the band DIY-style, reflects their experimental punk mentality. … read more
Local Review: Insufferable Noise Machine – 7OTX (Part 1 and 2)
This two-disc release is full of so many different styles, it falls into a category of its own. It’s a mixture of soothing, psychedelic surf guitar, sudden bursts of white noise and death metal with growling “Cookie Monster” lyrics. … read more
Local Review: Joshua James – Well, Then, I’ll Go To Hell
I listened to this album six or seven times before I realized it—30 seconds into the second track, “Broke”—these are all Modest Mouse covers. Jesus, I am slow. But doesn’t that speak to how great Joshua James is?
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Local Review: Joe Ecker – Into The World
Moodier than Garfield on Monday and not nearly as fun, Joe Ecker makes up for what he lacks in musicianship with a strong voice and earnest (almost embarrassing) lyrics. … read more
Local Review: Jake Burch – Bloodflower
Jake Burch sings like someone pleading for absolution, as if he’s somewhere in the astral plane, stuck between stations. Burch’s voice can move up the octave scale from a twangy, marble-mouthed drawl to an impressive Jeff Buckley howl in a strained falsetto that pushes the recording into the red in a few quick movements. … read more
Local Review: Jay William Henderson – Hymns To My Amnesia
On album opener “Marrow In The Morrow,” Jay William Henderson cries, “You fool, you fucking fool. You’ve created this torturous mess.” This is some sad-bastard music, and I mean that in the best possible way. … read more
Local Review: Juana Ghani – She Lost Her Head
Juana Ghani seem to have a penchant for bringing to life a seedy, seductive back alley in Italy or Russia through their simultaneously languid and staccato music (“Na Zdorovie”). Every song is heavy on the accordion and fiddle, which feeds directly into their distinctive style of gypsy-influenced folk punk. … read more
Local Review: James Junius – moth,wing,dream
A fluttery work of ambience, moth,wing,dream, evokes images of a flickering light in a cabin or a midnight walk through a cemetery. It could be a soundtrack for a horror film with its hushed chords and sci-folk vocals. “Lake Days” is composed in the style of Morrissey, with simple synth guitar and repetitive, gloomy lyricism.
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Local Review: Jay Citrus – Suck My Lemons
Jay Citrus isn’t exactly a visionary—his rhyming is sloppy, he gets his song titles from classic hip-hop tunes and, on at least one occasion, he straight-up jacks a beat without any attribution—“The Scenario” is Yeezy’s “Blood on the Leaves.”
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Local Review: Iridia – Cognition
Iridia = Peter Murphy + Tool + Alice in Chains … read more
Local Review: Hard Men/Yaktooth – Self-Titled
Hard Men/Yaktooth = Bird Eater + Fever Dreams + The Dillinger Escape Plan … read more
Local Review: Illwinded P – Spirited Away Vol. 2
Illwinded P = Del The Funky Homosapien + MF Doom + Nujabes … read more