Issues: Issue 299 - November 2013
Review: The Men – Campfire Songs
Breathtaking and unique, it’s a bold (albeit softer) testament to the band’s staying power that should whet the appetites of noobs and longtime fans, stoking the fires of another phenomenal LP. … read more
Review: The Vibrators – Greatest Punk Hits
Countless punk bands have covered these songs, some of which I didn’t even know where originally Vibrator tunes. I suggest you listen to this album first, then listen to some songs by The Clash, then some songs by The Undertones, and from there, you’ll get a nice overview of what punk was like in the mid-70s. … read more
Review: The Breakup Society – So Much Unhappiness, So Little...
I had no idea how to put this band into a certain genre—this album had a mixture between indie rock and pop/rock, with little sprinkles of this and that in the mix. … read more
Review: The Claudettes – Infernal Piano Plot…HATCHED!
The Claudettes have produced an album that is a welcome throwback to old-swanky-time piano duels, jam-packed with soul and funk.
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Review: The Fire Tapes – Phantoms
Concert photos of The Fire Tapes show singer/guitarist Betsy Wright and guitarist Todd Milton both using Strats, yet I didn’t get that guitar nerd twitch. … read more
Review: The Flatliners – Dead Language
I’ve got a thing for rough-voiced, fast-paced punk rock. Done right, it resonates in my soul like nothing else. Done wrong, it’s nothing that’s going to change my life, but it’s a damn fine time. I have a hard time criticizing the latter, which is why I’m not going to. … read more
Review: The Growlers – Gilded Pleasures
The second 2013 release from The Growlers picks up right where Hung at Heart left off. Although technically an EP, the nine tracks on Gilded Pleasures play like an LP. … read more
Review: the band in Heaven – Caught in a Summer...
Annoying name aside, the band in Heaven combine dream pop with California nostalgia. Straightforward lyrics about ocean swells and summer romanticize adolescence. Honestly, it’s something I’ve heard a million times before, and the band’s whole image is something I grew tired of, like, five years ago. … read more
Review: Sundowner – Neon Fiction
Themes of coldness, loss and drifting permeate the album, but there is a wistfulness that seems almost hopeful. Neon Fiction lacks some of the more aggressive songs from previous Sundowner albums, but it is easily the most consistent and fully realized album under the name yet. … read more
Review: Tadzio -
Queen of the Invisible
Want to go to a Renaissance fest, but there’s not one happening in your town, or it just isn’t happening soon enough? Here’s a solution: play this album, dress up in your royal gear, and stuff turkey legs down your throat like a knight. … read more