Music
▼ National Reviews
Review: Bullet Treatment – Ex-Breathers
For some bands, a rotating cast of musicians is not their most notable aspect, but rather a necessary extension of the transitioning musical nature of the principal member. … read more
Review: Brown Bird – Fits of Reason
It’s hard to imagine so much sound and energy coming from just two musicians, but the Rhode Island duo Brown Bird pull it off well. … read more
Review: Bleeding Rainbow – Yeah Right
Doubling their ranks and replacing “reading” with “bleeding” in their moniker means these Philadelphians become even more annoyingly aligned with Shields, Butcher and the other anglo-forefathers of pop-inflected sneaker gazing. … read more
Review: Blank Realm – Go Easy
Judging by the opening bass line of the first track (“Acting Strange”), I thought Blank Realm was a Swedish hardcore band. … read more
Review: Binary – Amber EP
Deeply layered and grungy post-goth indie-rock, this five-track EP is like a postcard from a downgraded northern town in England, postmarked 1989. … read more
Review: Be’Lakor – Of Breath and Bone
With the Gothenburg Swedish melodic death metal scene a shadow of what it once was, melodic death metal’s torch is being held by band outside the Swedish Circle, such as Be’Lakor from Australia. … read more
Review: Adventure – Weird Work
As soon as I stepped into Weird Work’s world, I found an immediate juxtaposition. Adventure hit you with beat-box 8-bit synth atop melodic keyboard and bell contributions. … read more
Review: Victory
Robert Fleming is the multi-instrumentalist behind Victory. He touts a 60s Brit rock sensibility and sports a rockabilly pomp—two promising signs for any music reviewer. Sadly, Victory is Music is indicative of neither. Don’t get me wrong, Fleming could pass as an authentic Britt Daniel sound-alike and can strum a hollow-body exceptionally, but it’s hard to notice at first, since every single song on the album is scrubbed and drenched with kitschy production. … read more
Review: Veronica Falls
If you pop this record in right now, you’ll get excited for spring. Pleasant Brit-pop bass lines hold hands with pretty vocal harmonies, making the album breezy and warm. Most of the songs have a kickback, nostalgic feel—probably due to the simple, repetitive lyrics, but no complaints here. … read more