Month: February 2016
Local Review: Charlatan – Nothing to Gain
Charlatan’s Nothing to Gain is a veritable punch to the throat—it hits fast and hard, leaving one in a state of shock while gasping for air. If you ever find yourself missing the good ol’ work of Chiodos, then Nothing to Gain is the EP for you. … read more
Local Review: BassMint Pros – BMP Pirate Radio Take-Over Show
Let me start by saying that BMP Pirate Radio Take-Over Show is something you definitely can’t just listen to as background music. Immediately, the stage is set with a smooth jazz DJ being assailed mid-sentence by Bass Mint Pros, who shout “It’s BMP, mofo!” before all chaos ensues. … read more
Local Review: Audrey Smilley – Self-Titled
Remastering an album from your past, back when all your hopes and dreams centered around a guitar and some notes, must be quite the experience. You’d hear songs from a time when music traveled by van, not Wi-Fi. … read more
Local Review: Angel Magic – Fall Through
Andrew Aguilera and Lauren Smith formed Angel Magic in 2012 after working together previously on different projects. The duo create lo-fi synth electronic music similar to Aguilera’s solo project, Mooninite. … read more
Local Music Review: Monol!th / God Walk – Self-Titled
Ranging greatly in sound, instrumentation and general urgency, the usefulness of the split album is to neatly juxtapose two groups of equal ability, find solidarity in a common goal and combine two different fan-bases. … read more
Local Music Review: Poet – The Lone Revolutionary
The self-described “hip-hop anarchist” Poet does not fail to live up to his own hype. “Crash & Burn” sets the tone early in the album, bringing up Eric Garner’s murder and challenging those who talk about injustice from behind the protective screen of social media to take the streets and protest. … read more
Review: DIIV – Is The Is Are
I can’t tell you how long I’ve been waiting to write this review. Well, I suppose I could—I’ve been waiting well over a year to write this damn thing. Accordingly, I had set my hopes quite high for Is the Is Are. … read more
Review: Death Index – Self-titled
Frontman Carson Cox of Merchandise and Marco Rapisarda (from labels Hell, Yes! and No Good) have teamed up to deal out their latest noise-soaked, hardcore-meets-art punk side project: Death Index. Their heady, self-titled debut album is punishing yet majestic, with a mission firmly rooted in those “primordial days of art punk”—think another punk duo, Suicide, and their nervy tendencies—that traverses doom, goth and post-punk in its hardcore endeavor. … read more
Review: Brimstone Coven – Black Magic
Brimstone Coven did a great job on writing cohesive songs and the album progresses very naturally. Black Magic stays true to its sound throughout and I look forward to what the band will accomplish on their upcoming albums. … read more
Review: Charlie Hilton – Palana
Charlie Hilton, known as the frontwoman for Blouse, changed her name from her given Sanskrit name, Palana, in favor of the more androgynous Charlie, after leaving high school. … read more