Music
▼ National Reviews
Review: Big Eyes – Almost Famous
Apparently a Seattle band by way of New York, Big Eyes comes to bat with some serious rock pedigree. Made out of a fairly traditional three-piece, Big Eyes doesn’t do much to experiment with the formula, but they’ve got a solid sound that doesn’t wear out their welcome. More on the garage rock end of the spectrum, their one secret weapon comes in the form of their female vocalist, the husky-voiced and charismatic Kate Eldridge. … read more
Review: The Besnard Lakes – Until In Excess, Imperceptible UFO
This album would pair best with a morphine drip. This shoegaze sonata is lush and minimalistic all at once. The chorus for “The Specter” sounds like it came straight from from Veckatimest. … read more
Review: Armed With Legs – Self Titled
To stand out as a two-piece you have to be creative. You are starting off at a disadvantage, and even if you are damn-decent, at best you will be getting compliments laced with qualifiers … read more
Review: Anvil – Hope is Hell
It’s been six years since the documentary was made about Canada’s Anvil rising out of obscurity to, well, just about a higher level of obscurity. The fact that Anvil had some good records in the ‘80s—right about the time metal wasn’t so cool anymore—but never rose to outright fame is the story of a lot of metal bands. … read more
Review: Agrimonia – Rites of Separation
Part neo-crust, part post-hardcore, with a healthy heaping of sludge and doom, is the recipe for Rites of Separation by veritable super-group Agrimonia. … read more
Review: Age of Taurus – Desperate Souls of Tortured Times
Three years after their promising debut, Age of Taurus return to bring down the heavy hammer of doom. Desperate Souls of Tortured Times might take some time to sink in, but once you give in to the unrelenting rhythm of its leaden dirge, there’s no going back. Very few modern metal bands are brave enough to draw comparisons to doom metal giants Candlemass, and fewer still do justice to the classic sound. Yet Age of Taurus seems to have hit on a unique sound, both heavily influenced by the golden age of doom metal and bravely departing from tradition. … read more
Review: Tim & Adam – Self-Titled
Before Tim & Adam, I had never actually listened to either of them. Tim, of The Postmarks and Adam from I Am Stereo came together and created an album that will most likely end up on many a summer mixtapes. … read more
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: Memoryy – Electric City
I have been thrilled recently to hear heavy ’80s influences in upcoming pop and electronica music. Electric City exhibits warped, oceanic synth hooks and contagiously danceable beats. … read more
Review: Man Made Sun – More A Devil Than A...
Man Made Sun isn’t my particular flavor, but that’s not a bad thing in the slightest. Lead singer Ofer Tiberin has an interesting style that dances between melodic talking and singing, reminding me of another sun-themed band, the excellent Ra. … read more