Review: Institute – Catharsis

Review: Institute – Catharsis
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Institute Catharsis Sacred Bones Street: 06.09 Institute = The Dead Boys + Gang of Four A thin-toned, catchy guitar riff begins “Perpetual Ebb,” the first track on Catharsis, and it seems to set the BPM for the whole record. Like most good albums swaying toward the punk genre, the speed enables perpetual pogoing. The vocals,

Review: Roger O’Donnell with Julia Kent

Review: Roger O’Donnell with Julia Kent
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Roger O’Donnell with Julia Kent = Peter Broderick + Hauschka + A Winged Victory For the Sullen … read more

Review: Jenny Hval – Apocalypse, girl

Review: Jenny Hval – Apocalypse, girl
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Jenny Hval Apocalypse, girl Sacred Bones Street: 06.09 Jenny Hval = 
Laurie Anderson + Kate Bush + FKA Twigs Apocalypse, girl is intimate, redolent of how an experimental documentary art film might translate to sound. Jenny Hval pervades her reality with musings about her state of being in the world—how she wants to live and

Review: Jeen – Tourist

Review: Jeen – Tourist
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Jeen Tourist Self-Released Street: 06.30 Jeen = Alanis Morissette + Mazzy Star I have a musical crush on Jeen O’ Brien; there is something very nostalgically ’90s about her singer/songwriter style. Tourist sounds like a woman who has a score to settle—“Buena Vista” is a demanding foot stomper with plenty of angst contrasting her softer,

Review: Zex – Fight For Yourself

Review: Zex – Fight For Yourself
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Zex Fight For Yourself Magic Bullet Records Street: 10.01.14 Zex = Toy Dolls + Vice Squad Zex is the perfect example of UK82 punk rock in the contemporary form. Their album, Fight For Yourself, is 10 tracks that beautifully highlight the best 1980s street punk. However, Zex’s message of individuality and teenage rebellion are almost

Review: The Sonics – This is the Sonics

Review: The Sonics – This is the Sonics
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The Sonics This is the Sonics Revox Street: 03.31 The Sonics = Little Richard + Barrence Whitfield and the Savages At last, after 49 years, the original garage punkers come back with their unique blend of R&B-influenced garage rock with their brand-new, recorded-in-mono-tone album, This is the Sonics. It appears to pick up where they

Review: Ceremony – The L-Shaped Man

Review: Ceremony – The L-Shaped Man
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  Ceremony The L-Shaped Man Matador Records Street: 05.19 Ceremony = The A Frames + Mode Moderne “Aw ma gawd, Ceremony is abandoning hardcore,” said every review I found when researching this album. Fuck the haters, this album is awesome. Is it Ceremony? Not really. It’s more akin to a goth-surf song than the powerviolence