Issues: Issue 299 - November 2013
Review: Las Kellies – Total Exposure
I’m not usually a big fan of the use of synth in music, but this mix of dub-influenced, groove-filled tunes is seductive to the ears and just damn good. … read more
Review: Kill Everyone Now! – Self-Titled
Kill Everyone Now! is a guitar/drum duo that currently calls São Paulo, Brazil home (though they do have an SLC connection). This six-song EP clocks in at about 20 minutes and it powers through from start to finish. … read more
Review: I’m In You – Trust
I’m In You keep the guitars to a minimum, only using them for texture, giving the album a new wave feel like the darker songs of New Order filtered through Metronomy. For me, the album peaks in the middle with “Disclosure,” a track that would easily fit on the Drive soundtrack. … read more
Review: Heavenly Beat – Prominence
Prominence expands on the downtempo aesthetic of Talent by incorporating darker, introspective lyrics into the same exuberant sound. Peña’s airy falsetto floats through the tracks here, cozying up with lush loops of nylon strings, steel drums, and New Order–styled harmonica. … read more
Review: Heaven’s Gate – Transmuting
I’ve felt starved for feminine vocalists in the upbeat lo-fi community up until Transmuting. Heaven’s Gate mix reverberated guitars and non-stop ride cymbal with a voice between the sustained notes of Best Coast and the tone of Siouxsie Sioux. … read more
Review: Hickoids – Hairy Chafin’ Ape Suit
Boom! Right off the bat, I’m hit by the opening song “Fruit Fly” with an upbeat blues guitar solo and organ playing that sounds a lot like Gregg Allman was contributing to the song. … read more
Review: His Clancyness – Vicious
His Clancyness is a solo endeavor spawned by the lead singer of little-known Italian indie group, A Classic Education. Within the first 10 minutes of Vicious, Jonathan Clancy easily demonstrates more of a strength within American melancholic bedroom rock than the average college slacker. … read more
Review: Halaska – Mayantology
Let me start off by urging you not to take the band name, album name or any of the track titles at face value. Fortunately, they’re one of the better progressive math-rock outfits I’ve heard in a long time. … read more
Review: Hank 3 – A Fiendish Threat
Hank 3 has always touted his love of aggressive music, such as punk and metal, and the juxtaposition of that with his family heritage and country persona have lent, in no small part, to what makes him a fascinating character. … read more
Review: Hank 3 – Brothers of the 4×4
If you’re like me and you respect everything Hank 3 does—from the grind metal to his early traditional country work, and everything in between, but you wish he’d focus on making honest-to-goodness country music, a honky-tonk-as-hell kinda record, then this is for you. … read more