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Reviews: Smoke Fairies – Self-Titled
Calculating and sterile, Smoke Fairies’ eponymous new album opens with an old-school pop song wrapped in a Feist guise, called “We’ve Seen Birds.” A solid song to be sure, though perhaps a bit misleading, as none of the songs afterward reach its delirious heights and joy. … read more
Reviews: Small Black – Real People EP
Imaginative, youthful and perfectly synthesized, Small Black gives us a shining example of how the chillwave and lo-fi genres are supposed to sound. While Real People offers us only a small taste of their delightfully nostalgic romance, it’s dense enough that you can keep listening to it and find something new each time. … read more
Reviews: Sleep – Oregon Failure
“Thrift Shop” did more than provide an anthem for white tweenagers who don’t otherwise enjoy hip-hop. It also inspired artists like Sleep (not to be confused with the rock band) to make rap so terrible that Vanilla Ice seems legit by comparison. … read more
Reviews: Rodrigo Amarante – Cavalo
The feel of this album is enchanting and ethereal. Portrayed through several songs being sung in Portuguese, it is also present in the richness and vibrancy of Amarante’s songwriting. … read more
Reviews: The Rich Hands – Out of My Head
This angst-filled power-pop coupled with bubblegum rock n’ roll is catchy and energetic. Bringing on memories of when pop was good, they reintroduce lyrical simplicity, while brandishing the snotty teenager attitude of a rock n’ roller. … read more
Reviews: Red Death – Demo 2014
This DC punk/thrash extravaganza features current/former members of Zoom, Intent, Protestor and Coke Bust. This demo takes gravelly cues from Discharge, the “bandana thrash” bands of the early millennium and even DC coremen of yore … … read more
Review: Prong – Ruining Lives
One might imagine following 2012’s Carved Into Stone—Prong’s most acclaimed and commercially successful album since the landmark 1994 record Cleansing—would put some pressure on the band. … read more
Reviews: The Precious Lo’s – Self-Titled
The Precious Lo’s have established themselves as Circle Research, a DJ/production unit from Toronto. I can understand a pair of DJs wanting to try their hand at songwriting. My head naturally bobs to their down-tempo funk beats, but it’s the vocals that make me feel like I’m listening to the robot from Short Circuit trying his hand at R&B. … read more
Review: Pixies – Indie Cindy
Well, it’s the moment we’ve all been waiting for: a new Pixies album. … read more
Reviews: Piss Piss Piss – Never Herd of Ambeix
On the title track of Never Herd of Ambeix, Portland’s Piss Piss Piss call out punk elitism, purposefully misspelling and mispronouncing the progenitors of crust punk. Acceptance is not an uncommon sentiment in punk, but a dressing down of the genre’s litmus test ethos is interesting. … read more