Month: June 2013
Review: JC Brooks & The Uptown Sound – Howl
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...
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: Heartless – Certain Death
Short, hateful and sublimely coated in a venom akin to straight hatred, Certain Death takes a “less is more” approach to affirming the chilling truth of that title: Everything is finite, living is dying and just by existing, we’re slowly ebbing our bodies into a slow and slimy decay. … read more
Review: Grabass Charlestons – Dale and the Carreeners
Grabass Charlestons did some growing up ladies and gents. I’m not the first person to say this and I don’t care, they should be praised for an album well done. Their earlier work is slightly juvenile in its content and simple three chord riffs. … read more
Review: Haraball – Sleep Tall
Europe has produced many great hardcore bands, and by all accounts, Haraball should sound of a feather with OFF!, and in most regards they do. … read more