Music
▼ National Reviews
Review: Heaven’s Gate – Transmuting
I’ve felt starved for feminine vocalists in the upbeat lo-fi community up until Transmuting. Heaven’s Gate mix reverberated guitars and non-stop ride cymbal with a voice between the sustained notes of Best Coast and the tone of Siouxsie Sioux. … read more
Review: Heavenly Beat – Prominence
Prominence expands on the downtempo aesthetic of Talent by incorporating darker, introspective lyrics into the same exuberant sound. Peña’s airy falsetto floats through the tracks here, cozying up with lush loops of nylon strings, steel drums, and New Order–styled harmonica. … read more
Review: Makoto – Primitive EP
As soon as I played the first song on this album, I was presented with a drum instrumental that was, well, primitive (which only seems fitting since the name of the track was “Primitive”). … read more
Review: Hank 3 – Brothers of the 4×4
If you’re like me and you respect everything Hank 3 does—from the grind metal to his early traditional country work, and everything in between, but you wish he’d focus on making honest-to-goodness country music, a honky-tonk-as-hell kinda record, then this is for you. … read more
Review: Hank 3 – A Fiendish Threat
Hank 3 has always touted his love of aggressive music, such as punk and metal, and the juxtaposition of that with his family heritage and country persona have lent, in no small part, to what makes him a fascinating character. … read more
Review: Halaska – Mayantology
Let me start off by urging you not to take the band name, album name or any of the track titles at face value. Fortunately, they’re one of the better progressive math-rock outfits I’ve heard in a long time. … read more
Review: Ludovico Technique – We Came to Wreck Everything
Aesthetic Perfection took “Dead Inside” and helped it transcend from industrial to synth-pop, leaving me in audio bliss. E-Craft let the vocals shine through in “Heal My Scars” and mixed in their own style of futuristic synth sound and a simplistic beat. … read more
Review: Tony Joe White – Hoodoo
This blues-like punk rock, in a way, is very simple—it’s often played with the same chord progressions, tempos and even instrumentation. So, like punk rock, it takes talent creativity and originality—all of which are not found in high amounts on Hoodoo. … read more
Review: The Growlers – Gilded Pleasures
The second 2013 release from The Growlers picks up right where Hung at Heart left off. Although technically an EP, the nine tracks on Gilded Pleasures play like an LP. … read more
Review: Goblin – Tour EP
Goblin occupy a strange musical space, leaning most heavily toward prog, but also referencing creature feature organ music, when fitting. Profondo Rosso has long been one of my favorite Goblin scores, particularly the title track. The version that appears on Tour EP is my favorite of the five pieces that make up the set. … read more