Mr. Elevator - "Goodbye, Blue Sky" | Album Review
Their new album Goodbye, Blue Sky is an acid soaked voyage to the distant cosmos. It is sonically ambitious and rewarding. They’ve moved far beyond the garage pop sensibilities of Nico...and her Psychedelic Subconscious into a universe of dark atmospheric swells, lush vocals, and larger than life synth and organ arrangements.
ONO - "Red Summer" | Album Review
Their website header reads “The ONO Statement of Purpose: Experimental, Noise, and Industrial Poetry Performance Band Exploring Gospel's Darkest Conflicts, Tragedies and Premises.” Forty years into their existence, their motive remains incredibly potent; ONO’s artistic mission is as important as ever on Red Summer.
Varsity - "Fine Forever" | Album Review
Varsity’s sound has been revised with each release since they formed in 2013. What has remained static, though, is the persevering spirit at their core. Even when broaching darker topics, there is an optimism present that is absent from their peers. Their new album Fine Forever takes that resilience and embraces it at every juncture.
Lance Bangs - "Whammy" | Album Review
Overall, their new EP serves as an excellent addition to the small but growing Lance Bangs discography. Prior fans of the band will be pleased with WHAMMY’s adherence to and progression of the singular style put on display with Lance Mountain. For new fans, it is the perfect place to dive in for the first time, all in just over eleven minutes.
Cafe Racer - "Shadow Talk" | Album Review
On Shadow Talk, Cafe Racer leap into a new era. On their 2018 debut Famous Dust, the Chicago natives proved themselves capable and well-versed proponents of psych and space rock. On their new record, they have pushed their penchant for the psychedelic forward into tighter playing, vast structures, and blossoming arrangements.
Jarrow - "Jarrow" | Album Review
Car Seat Headrest - "Making A Door Less Open" | Album Review
The prolific Car Seat Headrest have returned but not in the guise one would have envisioned. Once again backed by Matador Records, the indie icon has now taken his studious approach to electronica on the band’s 12th album. For this isn’t solely a Car Seat Headrest record, rather it’s a collaboration with the bizarre 1TraitDanger.
Spirits Having Fun - "Auto-Portrait" | Album Review
Katie Von Schleicher - "Consummation" | Album Review
The Shifters - "The Shifters" [Reissue] | Album Review
![The Shifters - "The Shifters" [Reissue] | Album Review](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/56066cf9e4b0ffbc0fe62db1/1590629432512-IZDB3YF42MWLQX4XRV8M/a0998168479_16.jpg)
Caustic Wound - "Death Posture" | Album Review
Modern Rituals - "This Is The History" | Album Review
The use of dynamics on This Is The History make it seem like a more deliberate and comprehensive album than their past releases. Vocals swell in and out of screams and quiet croons, while the guitars bring a sense of controlled chaos. The bass and drums keep a heavy pulse that often erupts into pulverizing bursts.
Toner - "Silk Road" | Album Review
Silk Road, the band’s third LP, sees Toner far more polished than ever before. While a refinement in sound is expected after five separate records, the most striking thing about their songwriting this time around is not just its maturity but the amount of variety the band manages to pack into Silk Road’s brisk twenty minute runtime.
Amyl and the Sniffers - "Live at The Croxton" | Album Review
Led by one of the greatest lead singers of the past few years, they’ve built up a ferocious reputation for their live shows, ensuring this EP should become a defining companion piece to their recordings. Live at The Croxton flashes by in under ten minutes but not before the dynamism and raucousness of their energy is translated to the listener.
Melenas - "Dias Raros" | Album Review
Melenas hail from Pamplona, Spain, a city known more for the running of the bulls than its music scene. After multiple releases on local labels, they have signed with US based label Trouble in Mind to release Dias Raros. If there is any justice, the band has created an album that should put their local scene on the map.
Parsnip - "Adding Up" | Album Review
If last year’s debut LP delivered an anthology of twee-punk fairy tales, Parsnip’s new EP represents a burgeoning adolescence for the band as they test out new tones and take on larger themes. On Adding Up, the quartet buoys a scrappiness and more robust sound while still glimpsing the joy of their previous work.
Stuck - "Change Is Bad" | Album Review
If change is bad, Stuck makes the best of it. The record, front to back, is solid. It’s as dense as it is brief - the band wastes zero time plunging to exceptional depths in both arrangement and lyricism. Stuck’s debut contains the kind of post-punk precision and detail begging for repeated listens. Nothing’s overthought, but it’s all thought out.
