Issues: Issue 295 - July 2013
Review: Brent Amaker and the Rodeo – Year of the...
When it comes to strange and different bands, Brent Amaker and the Rodeo is at the top of my list. I feel like there’s something I just don’t get. … read more
Review: Burnt Ones – You’ll Never Walk Alone
I pioneered a new rating system to evaluate this record: I drew plus signs next to songs I really liked, minus signs next to songs I disliked, and nothing next to songs that made me feel nothing. Despite sounding uncannily similar to their psych rock peers, the sexy, grimy reverb spiral of “Vision Forever” gets a plus sign, as does the mighty bubblegum fuzz of “Fountain of Youth” and “I Care – I Don’t Care.” The time-changing brain burner “Cloak” gets a plus sign, too. … read more
Review: Carmen Villain Sleeper
Carmen Villain/Hillestad has a history as a model. It’s in every review and bio. I don’t care all that much. However, listening to Sleeper again while writing this review, I am noticing that I am not all that distracted — and at times, her music is of the kind that could easily play in the background during a photo shoot or similar activity. … read more
Review: Bonobo – The North Borders
Strange and inconsistent effects and backbeats on this album suck you into a lucid dreamscape of seemingly impenetrable auditory hallucinations … read more
Review: Big Eyes – Almost Famous
Apparently a Seattle band by way of New York, Big Eyes comes to bat with some serious rock pedigree. Made out of a fairly traditional three-piece, Big Eyes doesn’t do much to experiment with the formula, but they’ve got a solid sound that doesn’t wear out their welcome. More on the garage rock end of the spectrum, their one secret weapon comes in the form of their female vocalist, the husky-voiced and charismatic Kate Eldridge. … read more
Review: Big Deal – June Gloom
Though it opens on a gloomy note (which had me worried I was reviewing another downtrodden shoegaze album) with “Golden Light,” the album quickly morphs into cutesy upbeat dream pop that borders on twee. … read more
Review: Bass Drum Of Death – Self Titled
When a single overridden guitar chord introduces the 10-second snare-drum-roll opening “I Wanna Be Forgotten” (the first track), the endless 15-second snare-intro of Cheap Time’s “Living In The Past” comes to mind. … read more
Review: Armed With Legs – Self Titled
To stand out as a two-piece you have to be creative. You are starting off at a disadvantage, and even if you are damn-decent, at best you will be getting compliments laced with qualifiers … read more
Review: Autopsy – The Headless Ritual
Did you think San Francisco death metal crew Autopsy’s comeback album, Macabre Eternal, was hot tits? Well, this new festering, putrid bag of pus-ridden tunes makes Macabre Eternal seem lackluster … read more
Review: Anvil – Hope is Hell
It’s been six years since the documentary was made about Canada’s Anvil rising out of obscurity to, well, just about a higher level of obscurity. The fact that Anvil had some good records in the ‘80s—right about the time metal wasn’t so cool anymore—but never rose to outright fame is the story of a lot of metal bands. … read more