OK, so one problem I've always had with a band that is all about Marxist, third-world rebellion is that it's existing in a capitalist, democracy and a major label environment on top of that. The band always knew they were part of the "machine" they raged against, so the argument that they infiltrated the very beasts they wanted to bring down ... cough ... still, they became fairly big/successful rock musicians off this album so ... do we want to consider this as rebel music or entertainment? | COMMENT
On their last two albums Ethan Kath’s explosive synths and Alice Glass’ staple wail placed them at a limbo in-between of dark obscure electro and blogosphere stardom. Yet, in their newest album, (III), the duo seems stuck in a dystopia of discontent, frustration, and despair as disharmonic and angst driven electronic melodies define the album.
Soundgarden are back with a quality collection of songs that won't embarrass them (or fans) and even if they fail to reach the heights of their peak work, they add to their catalog a few tunes that can sound right at home on stage with the classics.
I feel like I've written the words "epic grunge" before, but never have I thought that phrase as many times during one album, er DOUBLE album, as I have during my spins through the multi-colored ride of Neil Young and Crazy Horse's new album Psychedelic Pill.
It was very commanding yet welcoming, a thrilling example of performers at the top of their game, grateful for their success and inclusive of their audience while still evolving.
Definitely recommended for the speed freak rock fan that lives somewhere deep down inside us. Listen beware -- I'm curious to know how an entire album of this insanity would play.
60s revivalism, tripping the acid flashback electric guitar jangle never seems to go out of style. Why? Is it the hippie-free love high times nostalgia that just refuses to die a peaceful death?
Grimes’ dream pop and dark wave blend with scarcely tangible vocals might seem kitschy on paper, but she means it and it is perfect for this cold, autumn weather. Just because it's so listenable doesn’t mean it is bad.
On 1998's Accelerator RT recorded a wonderfully bizarre noise album that has start to finish killer songs on it. Drag City is reissuing the album and I highly recommend seeking it out.
The guys in the band clearly put their collective cojones into aggressive Mission of Burmaesque "indie" rock, but about half way through the album I started looking around, thinking to myself, "What else could I be doing? Isn't it time I queue up Nude for Satan on Netflix?"
The album is definitely energy-on, hitting us relentlessly with track after track of cleanly-mixed songs that range from punk to an almost pop territory, though Green Day they are not. There's another band, however, that they are ...
The band doesn't waste time setting up any arty notions, they get right down to the pummeling on the first tune "Headache" and don't let up for thirty minutes.
It would be cheap misunderstanding to coin Tame Impala with the common adage, “They’re just 60’s revivalists.” While Lonerism still retains some similarities to their debut, Innerspeaker, as they expand upon their psychedelic sonic palate, Lonerism is more confident, less tangential, more compelling, and overall just a better album.
Shambling acoustic strums open the tune, setting up a rustic (folky) impression, but that is all misdirection. Electric guitars and full band "alternative" volume crashes the scene.
While it still retains Flying Lotus’ electronic jazz staple, the album ventures into atypical, otherworldly concepts that somehow remain memorable and relevant.
Hazy brained yet sharp as daggers, Black Bananas are really clicking live with their post-RTX material at this point. Read the full review and check out great photos from the performance. | PHOTOS
Paper Bag Records is releasing a free download covers compilation titled Paper Bag Records vs. The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders of Mars. Find out how it's going.
The band you love to hate ... or maybe the band you love to love. Animal Collective is one of the few bands out there that combines daring inventiveness with their own distinctive sound.
You can't kill the real deal. What makes someone devote their lives to unorthodox music, or chasing dreams op family, American glory or devoting daily faith in working to create their own business? Hopefully the answer is passion and integrity. | REVIEW AND SLIDESHOW
Bob Mould is as Mouldy as ever on his new single "The Descent" from his forthcoming studio album Silver Age (Merge - Sept. 4th). "The Descent" is everything Mould fans want: loud ringing guitars, tightly built vs-ch-vs structure, melodically singsongy, and above all GOOD ROCK.
Redd Kross is back ya'll! After fifteen years of no new studio material and thirty-four years after being infected with a punk urge to rock, the McDonald brothers deliver Researching the Blues (Merge). The album is perfectly in step with today's growing nostalgia for garage pop/rock as well as just being a great excuse to rock.
Sugar carried on the work of Husker Du, creating a sound similar to what became the early 90s grunge era, but apart from the junkie metal vibe and closer to that of pop songwriting. Mould's not a poet, but he is a lyricist of empathy and emotive power that few can match.
Best known as a former Chili Pepper, Frusciante has also had an active musical career outside his funky mega famous ex-band, but this EP isn't exactly what I was expecting.
Beak> (project of prolific Portishead-Geoff Barrow, along with Billy Fuller and Matt Williams) have a new album out on Invada abstractly titled >> and in my time of need it will be the medicine.
There are several gorgeous and palpable moments in this album which The Dirty Projectors nail perfectly. But at times the album meanders without much reward.
When I see the Sub Pop label these days I don't think of Fleet Foxes, I still think of Soundgarden, Nirvana, and Mudhoney. I think of Seattle coffee junkies (real H junk heads too of course) and rain rain rain depressions channeled into thuddy heavy rock music.
Mission of Burma are releasing the album Unsound this week. "Dust Devil" is the first single from said album. When I first heard it I thought, "MoB never suck." The Burma's simply have IT.
The impact of Sonic Youth on American rock music cannot be overstated. They brought together the extremes: experimental NYC art and noise and pop culture - and made them hip enough for the hardcore kids.
What’s so impressive about this album (besides the sex) is how Ty Segall Band is able to have such a multitude of influences without being overwhelmed or dominated by them. Too many bands nowadays put reverb on … well … everything, in an effort to create a retro aesthetic that often holds them back from making anything new. Ty Segall is clearly influenced by older rock n’ roll (and yes they use reverb heavy vocals), but they don’t let these influences become the crux of their band.
APTBS sound like way too many other groups from the past and they waste the duration of a full-length tinkering with toys instead of writing memorable songs. For me the only great thing about this group is the guitar noise...which kills. | REVIEW
One of the most innovative groups to come out of the Germany's Krautrock scene of the late 60s/early 70s, Can's music is the sweet spot where electronic tinkering, modern classical, and rock music collide. | REVIEW
"Dance for You" is the second song to come out and it sounds like a typical Dirty Projectors tune to my ears. It's as lightly "experimental" as the group's previous work. | REVIEW
I would keep 5 out of 10 of these songs in my music rotation, but it would've been nice to hear more grit and heavy spots in some of the songs. | REVIEW
Like many Grizzly Bear tunes, this track evolves into a gorgeous piece that is completely different from the first half of the song -- the second half of “Sleeping Ute” is basically a different track. | REVIEW
In the wake of dub-step and other electronic styles crossing the Atlantic, my fellow American brethren have been obsessed with anything 80’s sounding. | REVIEW
Liars latest album is titled WIXIW (pronounced "wish you") and it is not, contrary to NPR's claim, "the best Radiohead album since Kid A." On first spin it does remind the listener of Thom Yorke's gang of magicians because the songs are moody electronic introverted man machine music. | REVIEW
King Tuff is alive again and it has arisen out of the misty post war ether of the early sixties…I think. While I’ve recently been questioning the retro mania that is today’s music scene I didn’t question it while listening to King Tuff. | REVIEW
Bob Mould is as Mouldy as ever on his new single "The Descent" from his forthcoming studio album Silver Age (Merge - Sept. 4th). "The Descent" is everything Mould fans want: loud ringing guitars, tightly built vs-ch-vs structure, melodically singsongy, and above all GOOD ROCK.
Redd Kross is back ya'll! After fifteen years of no new studio material and thirty-four years after being infected with a punk urge to rock, the McDonald brothers deliver Researching the Blues (Merge). The album is perfectly in step with today's growing nostalgia for garage pop/rock as well as just being a great excuse to rock.
Sugar carried on the work of Husker Du, creating a sound similar to what became the early 90s grunge era, but apart from the junkie metal vibe and closer to that of pop songwriting. Mould's not a poet, but he is a lyricist of empathy and emotive power that few can match.
Best known as a former Chili Pepper, Frusciante has also had an active musical career outside his funky mega famous ex-band, but this EP isn't exactly what I was expecting.
Beak> (project of prolific Portishead-Geoff Barrow, along with Billy Fuller and Matt Williams) have a new album out on Invada abstractly titled >> and in my time of need it will be the medicine.
There are several gorgeous and palpable moments in this album which The Dirty Projectors nail perfectly. But at times the album meanders without much reward.
When I see the Sub Pop label these days I don't think of Fleet Foxes, I still think of Soundgarden, Nirvana, and Mudhoney. I think of Seattle coffee junkies (real H junk heads too of course) and rain rain rain depressions channeled into thuddy heavy rock music.
Mission of Burma are releasing the album Unsound this week. "Dust Devil" is the first single from said album. When I first heard it I thought, "MoB never suck." The Burma's simply have IT.
The impact of Sonic Youth on American rock music cannot be overstated. They brought together the extremes: experimental NYC art and noise and pop culture - and made them hip enough for the hardcore kids.
What’s so impressive about this album (besides the sex) is how Ty Segall Band is able to have such a multitude of influences without being overwhelmed or dominated by them. Too many bands nowadays put reverb on … well … everything, in an effort to create a retro aesthetic that often holds them back from making anything new. Ty Segall is clearly influenced by older rock n’ roll (and yes they use reverb heavy vocals), but they don’t let these influences become the crux of their band.
APTBS sound like way too many other groups from the past and they waste the duration of a full-length tinkering with toys instead of writing memorable songs. For me the only great thing about this group is the guitar noise...which kills. | REVIEW
One of the most innovative groups to come out of the Germany's Krautrock scene of the late 60s/early 70s, Can's music is the sweet spot where electronic tinkering, modern classical, and rock music collide. | REVIEW
"Dance for You" is the second song to come out and it sounds like a typical Dirty Projectors tune to my ears. It's as lightly "experimental" as the group's previous work. | REVIEW
I would keep 5 out of 10 of these songs in my music rotation, but it would've been nice to hear more grit and heavy spots in some of the songs. | REVIEW
Like many Grizzly Bear tunes, this track evolves into a gorgeous piece that is completely different from the first half of the song -- the second half of “Sleeping Ute” is basically a different track. | REVIEW
In the wake of dub-step and other electronic styles crossing the Atlantic, my fellow American brethren have been obsessed with anything 80’s sounding. | REVIEW
Liars latest album is titled WIXIW (pronounced "wish you") and it is not, contrary to NPR's claim, "the best Radiohead album since Kid A." On first spin it does remind the listener of Thom Yorke's gang of magicians because the songs are moody electronic introverted man machine music. | REVIEW
King Tuff is alive again and it has arisen out of the misty post war ether of the early sixties…I think. While I’ve recently been questioning the retro mania that is today’s music scene I didn’t question it while listening to King Tuff. | REVIEW
For a band to stay together ten years is quite an accomplishment. To have the same group of players record to record, gig to gig is a testimony to friendship and unity. To make solid album statements and grow without hitting a brick wall is a rare feat. | REVIEW
Joey Ramone was the heart of one of the greatest bands of all time and his unimpeachable integrity as a singer and songwriter permeates ...Ya Know? | REVIEW
Thanks to artists like Beck and Sonic Youth, Hazlewood's name was kept alive and his recordings became easier to find after a time when they were obscure. | REVIEW
Holy occupy wall street machine ragers Batman!!!! Finally, there's a soundtrack to the '12 election year/COMMA Recession and it comes in the aggressively avant hip-hop group Death Grips. | REVIEW
In the 90s it seemed, at least for short while, that electronic music was going to replace 'rock' bands and pop as the sound of a younger generation. | REVIEW
“Myth” appeals to their aesthetic as it is encompasses their distinct sound, but is an outcry for them to employ something musically different. | REVIEW
Cornershop follows the "everything but the kitchen sink" mentality when it comes to channeling their influences so if ya don't like one track, chances are you'll dig the next. | REVIEW
Ever since “Lazy Eye” enraptured the audiences of dream pop and indie rock fanatics alike, Silversun Pickups have continued to release a set of consistent singles. | REVIEW
"I Wanna Hold Your Other Hand" is classic BJM to my ears. Plus its title is a pun on a classic Beatles song...somewhere Noel Gallagher is thinking, "why didn't I write that?" | REVIEW
I'm reminded of Talking Heads circa Remain in Light when streaming this track. It definitely has a feel that recalls the early 80s arty new wave scene. | REVIEW
The words "previously unreleased" coming before anything My Bloody Valentine is forbidden fruit in the most formidable way. What happens when we bite the apple? | REVIEW
By indulging in whims such as gummy skull packaging and recording with just about every artist (from Neon Indian to Ke$ha) out there today (was Lady Antebellum really too busy?), The Flaming Lips seem to be a bit lost in my opinion.
Where to begin with a piece of music this BAD? Can someone die from a sunscreen OD? I don't know. It would surely be less painful then listening to the brand new reunited Beach Boys single, "That's Why God Made the Radio." THEY'RE BACK!
A surf pop band with clear influences from The Beach Boys and Roy Orbison. Their debut self-titled EP intros us to this style with the tracks Temporary Vacation and Wait. | REVIEW
As Lotus Plaza's chief architect, Mr. Pundt crafts shimmery crystalline guitar pop, the kind our "elders" listened to in the 80s as "college rock." | REVIEW
Lana Del Rey's new video for "Blue Jeans" isn't what one could describe as high art. This black and white L.A. poolside sensual swim with 'gators ...| REVIEW
Singer Aleska Palladino (HBO's Boardwalk Empire) and her guitar playing hubby Devon Church have crafted a dramatic five-minute mini epic with this song.
While Total Life Forever may be cut from the same majestic & holy shroud as Merriweather Post Pavilion & Veckatimest - Foals achievement is less self-important.
A rowdy crowd, an exalted entrance and a wall-of-sound take on “A Salty Salute” began the Guided By Voices reunion show in Los Angeles. At the song’s end, the repeated line “The club is open” became a celebratory chant with the audience screaming in ecstatic fervor. It was a good opening.
Ariel Pink is our first postmodern rock star. The self-revered Godfather of the chillwave genre has made an impressionable mark on the Los Angeles music scene despite a reclusive and hermitic lifestyle.
Male Bonding's Nothing Hurts is a more sombre and sincere take on the current lo-fi wave. There is no pretension or callous irony – just unadorned emotions juxtaposed against sonorous layers of sound.
Welcome to Big Echo - Big sound, big ideas, big drums, big vocals, big concepts and big production. Big is a word that encapsulates quite accurately what The Morning Benders were attempting to create with their latest release.
Ernest Greene’s electro-vignettes are all recorded in his parent’s house, on dated recording software. But again, this adds to the mystery and attraction of Washed Out’s music.
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