Month: October 2013
Review: Sleepmakeswaves – …and so we destroyed everything
Sydney Australia’s Sleepmakeswaves have the ability to move from the sublime to sublimely heavy in a half-breath’s time. … read more
Review: SISU – Blood Tears
Blood Tears is bristling with synths and heavy bass riffs, and in between, Vu’s voice creates melodramatic tension. Most of the tracks recall the current ’80s pop revival, but there’s something refreshing about the sleeker production here, especially on the awesome single “Harpoons.” … read more
Review: Skeletonwitch – Serpents Unleashed
Honestly, I wasn’t a huge fan of Forever Abomination, but in my eyes, the band has transcended their sound on this record—the technically modest solo of “Beneath Dead Leaves,” for example, demonstrates Skeletonwitch’s penchant for song construction rather than stereotypical, dick-swingin’ metal guitar solos. … read more
Review: Spindrift – Ghost of the West
The wide-open spaces of places like Joshua Tree, animal corpses rotting under the blazing sun and the myth of the desert have marked all of their records, but for Ghost of the West, Kirpatrick Thomas wanted something different. He wanted to make an album that didn’t emulate the myth of the West, but embodied the West—what it actually was. … read more
Review: Shitfucker – Suck Cocks In Hell
All the profanities and vulgarities aside, and belligerent and unabashed as Shitfucker’s tunes are, they’re not quite as vulgar as the eye-catching band name and vulgar album title suggest. … read more
Review: Seams – Quarters
Quarters utilizes crisp, unadorned beats that snap and pop in crystal-clear hi fidelity. These simple chord progressions and beats are then added on layer by layer with buzzing synths and serrated arpeggios until the sum eventually outweighs its parts, but not without leaving a golden thread back to the beginning. … read more
Review: Seeker – Unloved
Knee-jerk reaction would lump these guys in with the somehow-still-prevalent deathcore genre, but Unloved lacks the breakdowns and the tech-noodling. What they do play is ferocious, syncopated rhythms where guitars serve as another percussive instrument, punctuated by slow interludes of open strumming. … read more
Review: Red Fang – Whales & Leeches
Somehow, Red Fang has become louder. They have become heavier. They have become more bad ass. Red Fang is more Red Fang than Red Fang has ever been. … read more
Review: Rich Quick – Sad Songz
This white boy from New Jersey lays down upbeat, borderline hip-pop with groovy samples. Quick has charisma in his musicianship, offering an approachability that is at his advantage. … read more
Review: Quasi – Mole City
Rock n’ roll is about excess, not precision or scholastic adherence to tradition or, RockGods forbid, discipline. It does take some kind of discipline, or something, to make music with an ex-spouse, as do Sam Coomes and Janet Weiss of Quasi. … read more