Year: 2013
Review: Mt. Royal – Self-Titled
“More” has a certain Peter Bjorn and John feel and is a little more upbeat, though vocals stay in the shadows. “Yes Your Majesty” has great bass that travels over casual synth backings and lazy slide guitar. “Mockingbird” has nice acoustic strums over snappy, quick-paced drums—it reminds me of closing credits for a 007 movie. … read more
Review: Nausea – Condemned to the System
It’s a given that January is going to start with a lot of nausea, but this Nausea is a different kind. It’s the band of grindcore (not the crust punk band) legend Oscar Garcia, who did the vocals on Terrorizer’s World Downfall album. … read more
Review: New Model Army – Between Dog And Wolf
This would be perfect for the road trip to Burning Man, or for any fire performance, as it is packed with tribal drum beats, grungy guitar riffs and a pinch of spaghetti Western twang. The lyrics carry you away and make you think. … read more
Review: Mitzi – Truly Alive
Mitzi = Crowded House + Level 42 … read more
Review: Moira Scar – Scarred For Life
Moira Scar is an Oakland, Cal., trio fond of wordplay—”De/Monster/A-Tiff” is the title of the opening track on Scarred for Life. That first track is a good guide for the direction the album will be taking. It starts ugly, and stays that way. … read more
Review: Metal Mother
A project of Oakland native Taara Tati’s confident musicianship and dark-wave occultism, Metal Mother’s second album, Ionika, will surely make waves in that burgeoning ethereal-witchy-gothic-pop, post-Internet scene you either love or hate by now. … read more
Review: Mick Harvey – Four (Acts of Love)
Not the fourth album, but continuing in the vein of naming by numbers, Mick Harvey’s (Crime and the City Solution, The Birthday Party) latest work is 14 tracks dedicated to that most human of emotions: love. … read more
Review: Merchandise – Totale Nite EP
This new EP is very much a companion piece to last year’s Children of Desire, and very much pushes Merchandise’s sonic palate further. “Anxiety’s Door” is an awesome rock n’ roll epic adventure that showcases Dave Vasalotti’s guitar skills. … read more
Review: Midnight Oil – Essential Oils
Similar to The Essential Clash, although with better pun usage, Essential Oils’ double-disc-load takes you on a tour spanning an entire Midnight Oil lifetime—from second-wave punk through poppy new wave. … read more
Review: Morningbell – Boa Noite
Portuguese for “good night,” Boa Noite takes on the theme of wishing someone goodnight, and translates that colloquialism into multiple layers throughout the album. Just as saying “goodnight” can hold multitudes of connotations, the girth of the orchestral arrangements present throughout Boa Noite that reaches across a wide range of emotions and genres. … read more