Authors: Brinley Froelich
Review: Tonight Sky – Self-Titled
As the name suggests, the influences behind Tonight Sky (created by Jason Holstrom) involve a lot of stargazing and space stuff. With that, Holstrom weaves electronic melodies with danceable beats, layered with ambience invoking the nature of space—empty and vast. … read more
Review: The She’s – Dreamers
Smack on some lip gloss, grab an ice cream cone and head down to the beach with Dreamers as your soundtrack. This three-piece gal band is perfect for summer tunes, with garage pop-punk melodies to get you bouncing as you skip around and smile about how great your life is. … read more
Review: The Claudettes – Infernal Piano Plot…HATCHED!
The Claudettes have produced an album that is a welcome throwback to old-swanky-time piano duels, jam-packed with soul and funk.
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Review: Team Ghost – Rituals
It’s hard not to make comparisons of Team Ghost to M83, which Nicolas Fromageau left in 2009. Rituals sounds almost just like his former project with Anthony Gonzalez, but with darker, more industrial elements. “Things are sometimes tragic” captured my attention with some cool, mystical and spacey sounds, feeling airy and simultaneously grounded, with instrumentation akin to Four Tet. … read more
Review: Tadzio -
Queen of the Invisible
Want to go to a Renaissance fest, but there’s not one happening in your town, or it just isn’t happening soon enough? Here’s a solution: play this album, dress up in your royal gear, and stuff turkey legs down your throat like a knight. … read more
Review: Smoke Fairies – Blood Speaks
Coming into this album, I had my doubts. “Blood Speaks” felt like a period anthem, with the lyrics, “Your blood is speaking, and mine is speaking,” set to a marching beat with a droney, chanting voice fit for a haunted church performance. Yeah, the sheddings of my uterine lining are speaking, too, and I’m still crampy. … read more
Review: Simian Ghost – Youth
Simian Ghost = The Antlers + Here We Go Magic … read more
Review: Sally Seltmann – Hey Daydreamer
Hey Daydreamer is an album full of theatrics. Not only is the instrumentation elaborate, with emphasis on the horns and percussion, but the overall feeling I get from listening to this is uplifting, as she sings about finding strength in independence, throwing out bad influences and living with your mistakes. … read more
Review: Roger Eno/Plumbline – Endless City/Concrete Garden
I’ll answer your question right now: Yes, Roger Eno is the brother of ambient giant Brian Eno, and yes, this album could very well fit as the soundtrack to a dark, dramatic, experimental film. … read more
Review: Rachel Taylor Brown – Falimy
I think I can label this album as singer-songwriter, alt-chick rock music with a piano and sometimes other instruments, but perhaps I’m dismissing this as something that it’s not. … read more