Issues: Issue 300 - December 2013
Review: The Icarus Line – Slave Vows
On this, their sixth full-length release, The Icarus Line deliver brain-straining intensity in the form of dirty, spastic guitar flares and embittered lyrics sung in an Iggy Pop kind of quiver. … read more
Review: Succubus – Descend Unto Gehenna
Succubus take the chaotic approach of their slashing over grooves fixing on great—for a lack of a better term—“old school” qualities of the death metal and thrash genres, but do it without sounding like a hack or re-hash artists. … read more
Review: Sumie – Self-Titled
Blending European and Japanese imagery, Sumie invokes complex lyrical ideas, creating an interesting juxtaposition between the simple and the intricate, which ends up working beautifully. Instrumentally, at its most complicated, it uses only background vocals and a piano while Sumie’s voice spins gracefully around, intricately weaving each piece together into the stunning closer that is “Sailor Friends.” … read more
Review: Sunwolf – Angel Eyes
The lyrics are cheesy, and the instrumentals would be really well received at a high school house show. There is a lot of simple, cheesy lo-fi out there that is really good, but this album lacks the charm required to turn those weaknesses into strengths. … read more
Review: Soviet Soviet – Fate
When Fate begins, the full richness of the music, along with the double-time dance beat, doesn’t prepare me for the voice of Alessandro Costantini. It’s not that his voice doesn’t mesh well with the overall sound—it does. It’s perfect for the crunchy bass that sits on the forefront of the album’s mixes, allowing the guitars to create texture or melodic leads reminiscent of Holograms’ synth work. … read more
Review: SQÜRL – EP #2
Coming off a brilliant collaboration with lute revivalist Josef van Wissem, this largely instrumental, sprawling compilation of psychedelic guitar explorations of dissonance and repetition is as good as any Jarmusch film: disconnected, adjacent to popular culture and unmistakably idiosyncratic. … read more
Review: Storm of Light – Nations to Flames
This album takes a completely different direction with its post-metal influences than I was expecting. Instead of the gentle surges and mellow refrains, Nations to Flames takes you by the collar and shakes you again and again with its unrelenting chaos. … read more
Review: Strike to Survive – Yesterday’s News
Drums and guitar high in the mix with jagged vocals buried a little beneath makes for a compelling listen, sort of similar to Drive Like Jehu or maybe even the first Bronx album (check the Refused-via-Stooges riffing on the title track). … read more
Review: Said The Whale – hawaiii
Hawaiii is an album that sounds exactly like what you’d expect radio-friendly indie rock to sound like. This means that it’s just as likely that a preteen girl will play their music as it is that your mom will. … read more
Review: Saxon – Unplugged and Strung Up
Over the course of a 36-year career, Saxon have proven themselves to be the undisputed masters of heavy metal songwriting. Unplugged and Strung Up is a cavalcade of re-recordings, orchestrations and acoustic takes on a selection of Saxon’s greatest material. … read more