Top 5: Pink Mountaintops

Posted on by Jamie Christensen

Get Back received mixed reviews across the board—some reviewers lauded the album as a rock n’ roll tour de force (Mojo, PopMatters) and others expressed wishy-washy reactions (Paste, Pitchfork). Most seemed, to some extent, to decry the sixth track, “North Hollywood Microwaves” because Annie Hardy (Giant Drag) raps about the joys of cum, declaring “I am a slut!” amid her blithe confessions of bestiality with donkeys and bears (because men no longer satisfy her). The prank worked. … read more

Top 5: Necrophagia

Posted on by Jamie Christensen

The legacy of horror, terror and old-school death metal that is Wellsville, Ohio’s Necrophagia keeps getting better and better. Their seventh release, WhiteWorm Cathedral, is sure to open up the seven seals of Hell and unleash the apocalypse in the form of aural destruction and mental imagery assaults. Necrophagia incorporate an almost obsessive love for horror films which, in addition to the band’s own ideas and interpretations of those horrors, have always made for fun listening. … read more

Top 5: Hundred Waters

Posted on by Jamie Christensen

Following the subtly intricate formula of their first album, Hundred Waters’ new release continues with the same airy splendor, but with more refinement. The musical foundation of this album perfectly represents 2014, a year of revitalization and self-discovery, by sounding neither senescent nor ahead of its time, but flawlessly fit into the fringes of current music. … read more

Top 5: Horseback

Posted on by Jamie Christensen

Jenks Miller, the father behind Horseback’s latest album, Piedmont Apocrypha, has again created a twined nest of experimental sound by combining a base of seething feedback and altering levels of oozing drone. The album as a whole lifts up the listener in a cradle to help see Miller’s vision of music as a single, fluid entity with this nongenre specific album. … read more

Top 5: Foster Body

Posted on by Jamie Christensen

Foster Body’s debut album, Landscapes, which was released on cassette and digitally in March, captures the Salt Lake City–based, punk combo at a brilliant moment of process—merging strong aesthetic sentiment and live performance practice into a compelling vision for contemporary noise-punk. With eight tracks lashing across the album’s 20-minute duration, Landscapes is a quick yet thrilling listen. … read more

Record-Buying Recommendations: Pull Out Your Parents’ Record Players

Posted on by Jamie Christensen

“They still make records?” is the question heard almost every time these analog music-storage discs come up in conversation, as if people are trapped in a locked groove. Vinyl is “back,” although it never really went away—there’s been a large resurgence in buying records from a generation who’s been raised acquiring music instantly over the Internet. … read more

Top 5: Ered Wethrin

Posted on by Jamie Christensen

Just like the epic themes of fantasy and esoteric mysticism that inspired Ered Wethrin’s lyrics, Tides of War takes its time unfolding a vast and enchanting audial world. From the Glen Cook–inspired “Bloody Annals and Brooding Skies” to the Steven Erikson tribute in “Requiem for the Fallen,” Sven Smith’s solo recordings recall the stoic and battle-hardened tales of lesser-known fantasy realms. … read more

Video Game Reviews

Posted on by Jamie Christensen
Gameplay still from The Evil Within

Video game reviews for Arcana Hearts III, Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel, The Evil Within, 
F1 2014, Fenix Rage, Final Fantasy Theaterhythm: Curtain Call, The Long Dark, Lords of the Black Sun, Lords of the Fallen, Magnetic By Nature, May’s Mysteries, Monkey Tales, MotoGP 14, MX vs. ATV: Supercross, NBA Live 15, Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Storm Revolution, The Shopkeeper, Spider-Man Unlimited, Sunset Overdrive and Super Smash Bros. … read more