Year: 2014
Review: Matt Pond PA – The Lives Inside the Lines...
While a good chunk of Matt Pond PA’s repertoire can be a bit melancholic, The Lives maintains the more catchy and upbeat side of their work (aside from the song “Human Beings,“ which came across as a drawl). … read more
Review: Magik Markers – Surrender to the Fantasy
It’s the introspective turn into a fantasy realm, even if, instead of his grungy stuffed animals, it’s the evocation of some barefoot, unheated ’60s hippie collective walkup, with all the demonism and beauty that implies. … read more
Review: Marissa Nadler – July
While a bit cliché, Nadler’s voice is classic sounding, as if she could have come straight from a saloon in the 1920s with her loopy, sinister yet soothing soprano, making this an album I won’t dismiss. … read more
Review: Mark McGuire – Along the Way
Along the Way vibes off fluid instrumentation, sort of how “Aqueous Transmission” by Incubus creates a meditative, stoner track to get you in the zone. Once in this mystical environment of sound, the songs meld from these liquid tracks to sounds that are more similar to ’80s hair-metal, with an intense electric guitar dominating the melodies. … read more
Review: Lydia Loveless – Somewhere Else
I first pegged Lydia Loveless as some sort of simple female equivalent to Hank 3, but as I listened further, I realized she is much more than that. … read more
Review: Marshall Holland – And The Etceteras
One-man band Holland (this Bay–Area based maestro writes, produces, plays and sings everything himself) returns with a catchy, frequently funny and even poignant new record. … read more
Review: Mahalya – Electricspaceagesweetheart
Mahalya is a band with a pedigree, but you wouldn’t know it by their discography. … read more
Review: Lydia Lunch & Cypress Grove – A Fistful of...
Like a mysterious mirage amid sand dunes, “Sandpit” begins the album with Spanish-influenced blues and existential wonderings. In her classic style, Lunch moans like a witch with a voice made out of sex. … read more
Review: Mark Barrot – Sketches From An Island
If you follow the surfing community, even casually, then you might know the name Ozzie Wright and his colorful piece of art, “Anti Bad Vibe Shield.” Mark Barrot’s new album could be the soundtrack for that piece of art. … read more
Review: Manicanparty – The District EP
Manicanparty = The Cardigans + Phantogram … read more