Music
▼ National Reviews
Review: Beaten to Death – Dødsfest!
There is something significantly and singularly charming about the low-fi melodies Beaten To Death employs alongside genre staples like pig squeals, demon growls and face-blasting double bass. … read more
Review: Bakers Dozen/Kombatants – European Invasion
Here are two European punk bands, firmly rooted in the Oi! traditions of writing solid (if not a teensy bit derivative) songs about braces, boots, beers, birds and (foot)ball. … read more
Review: Bad Religion – Christmas Songs
Although I can’t say exactly what I was expecting from this record, I have to say, other than its oddball appeal, the jovial seasonal tunes didn’t really scratch the itch I got when I first heard about this project. … read more
Review: Alison Moyet – Live At Bush Hall & Changeling...
A simple, clean take of “When I Was Your Girl” reminds us what a dynamic live singer Moyet is, while a gorgeously delicate reading of “Filigree”—sans backing vocals—is not to be missed. … read more
Review: Wordsmith – The Blue Collar Recital
His flow is clean with simple drumbeats and keys, looped with soulful samples that bump the tracks to an almost gospel status. The “day in a life” approach makes The Blue Collar Recital personal and powerful without being over the top. … read more
Review: Widowspeak – The Swamps EP
It doesn’t seem to be a coincidence that The Swamps’ release date is just a few days before Halloween. Spiderwebbed banjo layered with Molly Hamilton’s blustery, beautiful vocals and crisp, distant guitar riffs make this a quintessential fall release. … read more
Review: Warmaster – The End of Humanity
Chunky, even what I’d describe as blocky, riffs dominate the album, with a bottom-end filled out by a syrupy thick bass sound continuously rip out the riffs to satisfy any old school death metal fan’s palate. … read more
Review: The Vibrators – Greatest Punk Hits
Countless punk bands have covered these songs, some of which I didn’t even know where originally Vibrator tunes. I suggest you listen to this album first, then listen to some songs by The Clash, then some songs by The Undertones, and from there, you’ll get a nice overview of what punk was like in the mid-70s. … read more
Review: Ty Segall – Sleeper
The unceasing energy and “up yours” attitude for which I’ve come to love Ty Segall is not what this album’s about. What I’ve found instead is a more mature Segall, basically the man and his real problems behind the usual curtain of fuzz and shouting. … read more
Review: Two Cow Garage – The Death of the Self...
The whole album’s forte is their cynical yet often poetic lyrics. “Mantle in ’56” is a slower, blues-based ballad in which Schnabel compares his life to that of the New York Yankees’ most valuable player circa 1956, Mickey Mantle. I enjoyed this album—it’s very upbeat and has that classic ’90s punk rock sound in it. … read more