Review: Various Artists – Steampunk Experiment: Mechanical Cabaret

Review: Various Artists – Steampunk Experiment: Mechanical Cabaret
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Steampunk Experiment: Mechanical Cabaret = S. Maharba x Men In Burka
This album is a beat junky’s playground. As soon as I hear the buzzing bass and tweaked Eastern strings of “Sweet Talk,” I can think of multiple ways to sample the music. … read more

Review: Tyler, The Creator – Wolf

Review: Tyler, The Creator – Wolf
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With Wolf  being Tyler, The Creator’s third album, it is apparent that he has been hard at work. While still keeping with the Odd Future “fuck the world” mentality, Tyler has created an album that shows his progress as a producer and lyricist, the discomforts that fame has brought him and his growth as a person. … read more

Review: Twinstar – The Sound Of Leaving

Review: Twinstar – The Sound Of Leaving
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LA-based trio Twinstar is comprised of some talented musicians, especially main songwriter and vocalist Keith Joyner and his musical cohort Chris Candelaria, who came together after disbanding two bands most of us have probably never heard of before—Chihuahua and Revolux. … read more

Review: Tormented – Death Awaits

Review: Tormented – Death Awaits
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Hey, this is almost like Entombed never flip-flopped on their style. Tormented help the old-school Swedish death metal remain alive along with their own rusted twists and nasty riffs.  … read more

Review: Ten Kens – Namesake

Review: Ten Kens – Namesake
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The album begins with a “Death In The Family,” and the moody seven-plus minute song certainly sets the tone for this concept album. It’s a journey through experiences and emotions, and just like life, the sound goes up and comes down, dragging your psyche along for the ride. … read more

Review: Telekinesis – Dormarion

Review: Telekinesis – Dormarion
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Michael Lerner has harnessed the ability to merge synths and guitar fuzz to create an effective blend of indie psych-garage. He’s a jack-of-all-trades with everything from an acoustic ballad to new wave on “Ever True,” which sounds like a new-generation Yaz song. … read more

Review: Streetlight Manifesto – The Hands That Thieve

Review: Streetlight Manifesto – The Hands That Thieve
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Their fifth album in the last ten years, The Hands That Thieve is a catchy and encouraging sign that ska has gas left in the tank. Like with all ska reviews, if you’re not a fan, just quit reading right now and kindly fuck off, we don’t care.  … read more

Review: Starkill – Fires of Life

Review: Starkill – Fires of Life
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The debut album promises a big and bright future for this Chicago-based band. Blending elements from several different subgenres, including power and melodic death metal, this is an album full of blood and fire and battle (which I now dub “warrior metal”), free of clean singing, arranged with occasional symphonic and piano elements that really bring out cinematic properties in the sound. … read more

Review: The Runs – Pretty Girls

Review: The Runs – Pretty Girls
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Pretty Girls needs more “Hey! Ho!”s and “Gabba gabba hey!”s. The lyrics are extruded from a Joey Ramone-‑like perspective, and the vocals of Scott Free have a similar cadence and tone to Joey.  … read more

Review: Royal Trux – 3-Song EP

Review: Royal Trux – 3-Song EP
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The utilitarian title of 3-Song EP (originally released in 1998) contains no lies and no lollygagging. The EP contains 3 songs. “Deafer Than Blind,” the minimalistic first third of the EP, begins with a slow, heavily reverberated drumbeat that remains steady to the end of the song.  … read more