Music
Review: Wild Belle – Isles
With an interesting mash-up of eclectic styles—including trip hop, reggae and ska—siblings Natalie and Elliot Bergman’s debut is equally unique. … read more
Review: V/A – Kitsune America 2
Kitsuné has put together another album of electro pop, indie and R&B tracks from around America, which complement one another in a relaxed but well-paced album … read more
Review: Valleys – Are You Going to Stand There and...
The songs on this debut album beautifully capture that feeling its lengthy title evokes. On the album, Valleys reinterprets the rich heritage of melancholic shoegaze with their own vision. … read more
Review: The Thermals – Desparate Ground
Clearly, it doesn’t require a lot of thought to conclude how The Thermals’ long-term survival can be attributed to the singer’s lo-fi punk-saddled rhetoric. Things have been pissing in Hutch Harris’ Cheerios since 2002. Now, his current flavor of the week is relationship drama. … read more
Review: Panikk – Unbearable Conditions
Aping a classic Yankee sound with precision, finesse and a smattering of rough-hewn technicality, Slovenian (!) rippers Panikk pay bleary-eyed tribute to the golden age of Reagan-era noggin shakers, ante-upping “party thrash” contemporaries with fretboard frenetics. … read more
Review: Junip – Junip
Behind the ghostly voice of Jose Gonzales lie the subtle psychedelics that define Junip’s new album. Gonzales’ voice never soars, but is more of a “killing them softly” approach, with light reverb. … read more
Review: Dirtyphonics – Irreverence
Dirtyphonics are a French EDM quartet who have been bursting onto the scene since the major success of their hit single, “French Fuck.” These four guys (Charly, Pho, Thomas and Pitchin) pull influence from metal bands, and it’s obvious when listening to their debut album. … read more
Review: Destroy This Place – Destroy This Place
If Destroy this Place came out in the late ’90s or early ’00s, it would have been cozy snuggling up between Ozma and Green Day on my CD rack. Musically, not much sets this album apart from earlier power-pop, but vocally, a few tracks stand out. … read more
Review: Como Asesinar A Felipes – Comenzara de Nuevo
Comenzara de Nuevo, or Begin Again, is the mind-blowing US debut of progressive Chilean hybrid Como Asesinar A Felipes. Combining elements of hip hop and jazz with an underlying Latin-American flair, this album is full of complex layers and a strong message of change. … read more
Review: Charles Bradley – Victim of Love
The screaming eagle of soul, Charles Bradley became a breakthrough artist at the age of 62 with the release of his debut album, No Time for Dreaming. On his sophomore release, Victim of Love, Bradley once again delivers a bucket of authenticity, passion and power. … read more