Issues: Issue 292 - April 2013
Review: Skiggy Rapz
Repeated, perturbing consonant sounds on “Winning Vibes” are the lightest drawbacks on Skiggy Rapz’s latest, Satellites. High-production hip hop often feels like an endless game of lyrical Boggle, where few combinations are possible––Skiggy Rapz is no exception. … read more
Review: St. Lucia
Virtual one-man band and Johannesburg native Jean-Philip Grobler’s joyous, self-titled EP is something of a small marvel. Following a relatively simple formula of classic beats, infectious melody and a positive vibe presently missing on most radio these days, he has crafted a group of six tracks that are both pleasant and refreshingly memorable. … read more
Review: Scott And Charlene’s Wedding
As if a debut album of numbingly good lo-fi fuzz and blues wasn’t enough Craig Dermody is back with an outstanding EP. With less fuzz, and rhythms more poppy than before, Dermody belts out more tales about injuries, love and sadness. … read more
Review: Phosphorescent
Phosphorescent’s latest album, Muchacho, is laden with lazy, whining steel guitar, strolling piano, trumpet pieces, string sets and lyrics about the trials and tribulations of love. The instrumental work on this album is where Matthew Houck really flexes his songwriter muscle. … read more
Review: Popstrangers
The flavors of Antipodes range from the dark ambiance of Sonic Youth to more recent, surf-influenced indie music like Wavves. The album features prominent bass that constantly moves with the melody while the fuzzy guitars stray, returning to the melody as they please. … read more
Review: Ohvaur
Opening with one of the chunkiest bass lines in recent memory, A Memories Chase is an album as musically powerful as the story that led up to it. … read more
Review: Old Man Markley
OMM play fast-paced bluegrass that they approach like people living in the present day. I guess that makes them the new punks on the scene, but I just hear well-crafted, original music that happens to have bluegrass elements. … read more
Review: Old Wounds
There is a certain, special je ne sais quoi about the sound that Jersey-based Old Wounds deliver. It’s not new or groundbreaking, nor is it a completely tried-and-true homage to some old hardcore sound. Devastatingly simple, it is heavy music stripped to its rotted bones and delivered without pretense or gimmick. … read more
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Review: Ólöf Arnalds
Ólöf Arnalds comes from the land of ice and Sigur Rós, and although this is her third album, Sudden Elevation is the first to be sung entirely in English. The album was written mostly during a two-week stint in the fall in a seaside cabin, which gives it a cohesive feeling from start to finish. … read more
Review: Mwahaha
Mwahaha’s self-titled debut is a full-on electro-psych, pretentious jam session that left me feeling adrift and unsatisfied. … read more