Month: December 2013
Review: Poliça – Shulamith
The album is murky and reverb-heavy and the band really immerses itself into the ’80s new wave synth pop genre without seeming too blatantly retro. “Tiff,” featuring Justin Vernon, is the trailblazing single for Shulamith. … read more
Review: Pro-Pain – The Final Revolution
This is 12 cuts of the heaviest shit the band has done in a while. All the qualities you want in a metal record—riffs, grooves, crazy solos—yeah, it fucking rocks. I can’t find a bad song in the bunch. … read more
Review: Purgation – Exterminated Malfeasance
Behind the louder noises are stellar death metal groove punches and some just-as-stellar sweet bass playing. Looking at this record from the optimistic point of view, it’s damn pleasing, it just takes a few listens of aural adjustments and you get the full devastating effect of it all. … read more
Review: Odessa Chen with the Invisible Stories Ensemble – The...
While it comes across like a Broadway soundtrack, the sincerity of the lyrics with the intoxicating quality of Chens’ voice makes the album approachable by even those who are not so theatrically inclined. … read more
Review: of Montreal – Lousy with Sylvianbriar
Lousy with Sylvianbriar takes elements of the Satanic Panic and Hissing Fauna–era that we know and love, and flips it into something totally new. Kevin Barnes intensifies the lyrical quality, making them more poetic, but thankfully not cryptic. … read more
Review: Orchestra Of Spheres – Vibration Animal Sex Brain Music
It’s clear by the title of the album that not even Orchestra Of Spheres know quite what to make of it. If you think that the electro-punk (another fitting definition for OOS) of LCD Soundsystem is too tame of a classification, then maybe this band is for you. … read more
Review: Ovlov – Am
Ovlov’s instrumental simplicity is reminiscent of indie-precursors like Pavement or Mclusky. The vocals have a bit of that post-punk whininess and the lyrics are, for the most part, indiscernible, but they do it well. … read more
Review: Panama – Always EP
It is hard to categorize this Sydney-based quartet, fronted by the talents of the classically trained Jarrah McCleary, and having now listened to the original—and fairly mellow—versions of three tracks comprising this, their sophomore EP, I would say: “disco-lite.” … read more
Review: Phantogram – Self-Titled EP
There’s no real pretense here: All four tracks have been plucked from the new full-length, with the main single, “Black Out Days,” being the standout with its infectious chorus and striking rhythm. … read more
Review: Orrin Campbell – Nocturnal
Orrin Campbell, an 18-year-old rapper from Brooklyn, recorded this debut album in his NYU dorm. It’s downtempo hip hop set to atmospheric spacey beats—call it minimal seapunk, if you like. … read more