Music
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Local Review: Cavedoll – Late Nights/Bad Decisions
The truth is these guys make some very scrappy dance tunes—half of the songs pulsate with darkness and a little bit of raw romance, but in each case, dark or not, the song is dominated by lead singer Ransom Wydner’s vocals. … read more
Local Review: Gothen – Self-Titled
What can you say about a local album that measures closely to established contemporary acts like Grizzly Bear? It’s clear who Gothen’s influences are, but it’s also clear they understand how to develop fine music rather than mimic it. … read more
Local Review: The Beehive Compilation – Volume 1
The collection includes some local favorites that I am familiar with, like King Niko, and surprised me with quite a few that I was not. It’s a great selection of indie and alternative styles, including pop rock, pop punk, folk, electronic, a bit of rap/hip hop and even a dash of female mojo (via The Blue Aces, Kitfox, Ashlee Woo, Summer Lasts Forever). … read more
Local Review: AODL – Arsenblotz 63
Before I go any further, let it be known that I am in no way the world’s foremost expert on noise/power electronics/industrial. Quite the opposite, in fact. However, good music (noise?) is good music, and I like what I like … and I like this release from AODL. … read more
Review: Wordsmith – The Blue Collar Recital
His flow is clean with simple drumbeats and keys, looped with soulful samples that bump the tracks to an almost gospel status. The “day in a life” approach makes The Blue Collar Recital personal and powerful without being over the top. … read more
Review: Widowspeak – The Swamps EP
It doesn’t seem to be a coincidence that The Swamps’ release date is just a few days before Halloween. Spiderwebbed banjo layered with Molly Hamilton’s blustery, beautiful vocals and crisp, distant guitar riffs make this a quintessential fall release. … read more
Review: Warmaster – The End of Humanity
Chunky, even what I’d describe as blocky, riffs dominate the album, with a bottom-end filled out by a syrupy thick bass sound continuously rip out the riffs to satisfy any old school death metal fan’s palate. … read more
Review: The Vibrators – Greatest Punk Hits
Countless punk bands have covered these songs, some of which I didn’t even know where originally Vibrator tunes. I suggest you listen to this album first, then listen to some songs by The Clash, then some songs by The Undertones, and from there, you’ll get a nice overview of what punk was like in the mid-70s. … read more
Review: Ty Segall – Sleeper
The unceasing energy and “up yours” attitude for which I’ve come to love Ty Segall is not what this album’s about. What I’ve found instead is a more mature Segall, basically the man and his real problems behind the usual curtain of fuzz and shouting. … read more
Review: Two Cow Garage – The Death of the Self...
The whole album’s forte is their cynical yet often poetic lyrics. “Mantle in ’56” is a slower, blues-based ballad in which Schnabel compares his life to that of the New York Yankees’ most valuable player circa 1956, Mickey Mantle. I enjoyed this album—it’s very upbeat and has that classic ’90s punk rock sound in it. … read more