Music
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Music Reviews
New releases from Black Breath, Busdriver, Craig Finn, Damien Jurado, Dirty Three, Graf Orlock, Lee Fields, Mark Stewart, Miike Snow, Poor Moon, Spectral Tombs and many more are reviewed this month. … read more
National Music Reviews – March 2012
This month we have reviews of new and recent releases from A Place to Bury Strangers, Andre Williams, Anti-Flag, Cate le Bon, Classics of Love, Every Time I Die, Hunx, Lindstrom, Meshuggah, Nada Surf, Pontiak, Spielgusher and many, many more. … read more
Farther, Creepier: Spoek Mathambo and South African House
Before the idea of moving to Africa was even a thing, my love affair with Johannesburg musician/rapper Spoek Mathambo was moving beyond crush-level. There was something about Spoek’s 2010 debut, Mshini Wam, that seethed with an unplaceable “Otherness” that we Westerners can only associate with Africa. Like a funhouse mirror, the distortions of Western musical output came back to us only to highlight our deep-seated insecurities. … read more
Music Reviews
New and recent releases from Barry Adamson, Damon & Naomi, Earth, John K. Samson, Napalm Death, Sharon Van Etten, Skrillex, Yuksek and many more are reviewed. … read more
National CD Reviews – January 2012
New and recent releases from The Cure, The Devil’s Blood, Errors, Kepi Ghoulie, Laura Gibson, Majestic Downfall, Mickey Moonlight, The Slackers, Tim “Love” Lee and many more are reviewed. … read more
Kate Bush – 50 Words For Snow review
Performing one of the year’s greatest musical achievements—releasing not one but two varied and nearly perfect records—would be daunting for any artist, but when that artist is Kate Bush the announcement of a second release within six months seemed nearly to good to be true. But as the details of 50 Words for Snow were tantalizingly revealed, this dream notion was very much a reality. … read more
National Music Reviews – December 2011
Over 70 reviews of new and recent albums from And So I Watch You From Afar, Gauntlet Hair, Kimya Dawson, M83, Mayer Hawthorne, Thee Oh Sees and many, many more. … read more
Black Unicorn Confidential: An Interview with Voltaire
One of the most beloved artists in the goth scene over the last two decades has been the unusual, Cuban-born Voltaire. With his first club hit, “When You’re Evil,” from 1998’s The Devil’s Bris, goths got something they desperately needed: an artist with a sense of humor. Voltaire’s wickedly biting humor conveyed something that few artists had managed at the time: He was comfortable enough with his goth cred that he could make fun of it. … read more
Top 5: Yuck
You’d be hard-pressed to find a review of Yuck’s self-titled debut in which the reviewer doesn’t mention the band’s admiration for ’90s indie rock. Fine. I just did it. But dwelling on Yuck’s meticulous sound doesn’t fully explain why this record was so beloved this year. After all, it’s not like they are the only ones who’ve been copping Dinosaur, Jr’s sound lately. … read more
Top 5: Wugazi
I hate mash-ups. I hate DJs. I hate dance music in general and the culture that surrounds it. However, I love Fugazi and I love the Wu-Tang Clan. Wugazi was made specifically for people just like me. … read more