Music
▼ National Reviews
Review: The Upwelling – Self-Titled
The Upwelling Self-Titled TheUpwelling The Upwelling are the first unsigned band to get Virgin Megatore’s “Virgin Recommends” sticker stuck to their CD, and while it isn’t hard to see why Virgin would endorse them with a sound that lands right between Jimmy Eat World and next week’s British soft-pop contender I don’t know that I
Review: The Perishers – Let There Be Morning
The Perishers Let There Be Morning Nettwerk The Perishers come sauntering in with a long list of hopefuls who would, if given the chance, knock that bloody crown off of Coldplay’s collective head. They’re stretching out for Radiohead’s The Bends but grasping something with a bit more sugar, not nearly the substance or the
Review: Thee Heavenly Music Association – Shaping the Invisible
Thee Heavenly Music Association Shaping the Invisible Rehash Records Caught somewhere between Curve and Garbage (yes I know that’s a slim alley) with an over-apparent love for My Bloody Valentine, the combination of Helen Storer and Dave Hillis produce a nice wall of distorted pop that is good enough to make up for the
Review: Great Lakes Myth Society – Self-Titled
Great Lakes Myth Society Self-Titled Stop, Pop & Roll You can hear a young Paul Simon here and there in the opening of “Red Jacket Miners” before it sways into “The Salt Trucks,” but that’s no sort of indication of what is to come. When the banjo rolls in on “Across the Bridge” you
Review: Random Hymns EP – GSL
Random Hymns EP GSL This one might scramble your brains a bit in the traditional Gold Standard way. Punk in attitude, freeform in structure, drenched in organs thrust along by the occasional drum bit stolen from The Cure’s Pornography. Random Hymns drops you down the rabbit hole and dares you to climb out. It
Review: Mad E.P. – Eating Movies
Mad E.P. Eating Movies Ad Noiseam Street: Out Now When I am 6 was the first work of art by Matthew Peters of Mad E.P. and now he gives us the follow-up full-length, Eating Movies. Mad E.P. is completely uninhibited to experiment with hip-hop, piano keys, answering machine messages, flutes, cellos, street sounds, fist
Review: Brian Evanson with Xingu Hill & Tamarin – Altmann’s...
Brian Evanson with Xingu Hill & Tamarin Altmann’s Tongue Ant Zen Street: Out Now The spoken word project with Xingu Hill, Tamarin and author Brian Evanson has been in the works for quite some time now. When I first met the musicians in 2002, John Sellekaers of Xingu Hill had flown from Belgium to
Review: S. Sturgis – In a Haze
S. Sturgis In a Haze Positron Records Street: Out Now The artist’s name alone tells you this album is excellent. In eight years, Scott Sturgis has already shown that he can do gritty industrial with Pain Station, pounding rhythm noise with Converter and experimental ambiance with Notime. After 13 releases of his other projects,
Review: :wumpscut: – Evoke
:wumpscut: Evoke Metropolis Street: 04.12 Because my expectations were pretty low due to the preview, the Blondi single, I’ll admit that I’m not disappointed with this release. The album starts off with a crackwhore waltz featuring the wretched female vocals that are like fingernails on a chalkboard on “Maiden.” Vocoder distortion helps her at
Review: VNV Nation – Matter+Form
VNV Nation Matter+Form Metropolis Street: 04.12 VNV Nation fans have waited two years for Matter + Form and will delight in the latest efforts of Ronan Harris and Mark Jackson. Eleven tracks of Epic songs that are part of the future-pop founder’s repertoire reinvent the genre that blurs gothic, industrial and techno sounds. “Intro”