Issues: Issue 294 - June 2013
Review: Jonny Manak and the Depressives – I Am Not...
Johnny Manak and the Depressives = The Von Bondies + The Dead Boys + The Ventures
Before the first track of I Am Not A Bum… I’m A Jerk ended, I held the vinyl’s cover next to the DVD case of Steve Martin’s The Jerk to confirm their visual likeness. … read more
Review: Kid Cudi – Indicud
Not masculine enough for gangsta rap, and not clever enough for backpack rap, Kid Cudi is akin to the middle school kid who discovered schwag, constantly reminding you that he loves weed. He removes all of the self-destructive wonder from drug use that rap, as a construct, has worked so hard to instill. … read more
Review: Kazyak – See the Forest, See the Trees
Peter Frey is the main man behind the adventurous chamber-pop band, Kazyak. The gentle finger-picking intro on “Pieces of My Map” immediately recalls the talents of Andrew Bird. … read more
Review: How to Destroy Angels – Welcome Oblivion
With a name referencing an early Coil song and featuring industrial (hair)god Trent Reznor, how could this not be good? … read more
Review: Human Eye – 4: Into Unknown
I’ve been into fuzz for a while now, but the tone of the guitar’s thick, audible padding, scattered throughout 4: Into Unknown, scratch deep—enough to trigger inner-ear ASMR tingles. Throughout the album and especially in “Surface of Pluto,” the wah of the guitar solos sound like they came straight from The Stooges’ Fun House. … read more
Review: James Younger – Feelin American
Manchester native James Younger crafted his debut album after hitchhiking across America––how Jack Kerouac of him––and writing 11 pop rock songs about his experiences on the road. … read more
Review: JC Brooks & The Uptown Sound – Howl
You know, I’m a fan of groups that have a “throwback” or “revivalists” label, I just beg that the product you serve up stands tall and offers something stellar. Howl, the third album from Chicago soul revivalists, JC Brooks & The Uptown Sound, however, does not. … read more
Review: Hot Club of Cowtown – Rendezvous in Rhythm
So many jazz bands use “Hot Club” in their name, a nod to the original Quintette du Hot Club de France. In the case of Hot Club of Cowtown, I can imagine they use the “Hot Club” name because they earned it, especially on this record. … read more
Review: Iamamiwhoami – Bounty
With their dreamy vocals and experimental pop sound, Iamamiwhoami deliver an album that will please many different types of music lovers. … read more
Review: Iggy and the Stooges – Ready To Die
I dreaded listening to this record. If 2007’s The Weirdness was any indication, the Stooges can’t be resurrected. They could have fallen back on their raw, stripped-down, live-in-’73 sound that bands today try to emulate. … read more