Year: 2013
Review: Cathedral – The Last Spire
Cathedral’s final full-length serves as the dreadful denouement to their career. It seems rather odd that Lee Dorrian and his merry band of self-styled metal outcasts would follow up The Guessing Game with an album so unbearably dull as The Last Spire. … read more
Review: Chad Valley – Young Hunger
Sounding too much like an 80’s act resolvedly stuck in the 80’s–save the occasional auto-tune tweaking–one man band Hugo Manuel (of Jonquil) has a silky smooth and very high-pitched falsetto, which he can impressively drop a few octaves down effortlessly. … read more
Review: Charli XCX – True Romance
Charli XCX, that pop visionary with an indie cult status, has recently been made a serious run for platinum with Icona Pop’s “I Love It,” which she co-wrote. … read more
Review: Charnel House – Black Blood
The album’s six tracks, while drenched in bleak, obscure tones with heavy emphasis on the rhythm, not the melody, is a cathartic experience. … read more
Review: Chimaira – Crown Of Phantoms
I just can’t get behind this album as much as I’d like to. I’ve been a fan of these dudes for years, and it’s not that the album is poorly played or written—it’s just not as dynamic as I’ve heard them prove to be in years past. … read more
Review: CAVE – Threace
CAVE hits all the stops on their interstellar cruise, from bruising motorik groove, to loose-limbed jazz, punchy horn sections, ’70s Latin psychedelia and full-bodied aural guitar assaults. … read more
Review: Celeste – Animale(s)
Listening to Animale(s) is not enjoyable. It’s a tough, thick, oppressive listen, sung in French, with few moments of respite from what sounds like 100 guitar tracks crunching over relentless drumming. … read more
Review: Burnt Books – Self-titled
Burnt Books = His Hero is Gone + Fuck The Facts + Kazu Makino … read more
Review: Bring Me The Horizon – Sempiternal
Continuing the theme of yelling at faith, established in their last album, Sempiternal doesn’t overly change the formula—and that’s not a bad thing. … read more
Review: Brown Bird – Fits of Reason
It’s hard to imagine so much sound and energy coming from just two musicians, but the Rhode Island duo Brown Bird pull it off well. … read more