On the non-album live favorite “Engine,” Neutral Milk Hotel frontman Jeff Mangum rolls through “endless revisions to state what I mean.” This line is probably the best summation of the full-discography box set that Merge Records has released to celebrate the 25th anniversary of their breakthrough record, 1998’s In The Aeroplane Over The Sea.
It’d be very hard to build a case against this excellent record—out now on the increasingly indispensable Feel It Records—as anything but an exemplar in its field, an inspired melding of brooding post-punk, expansive kosmische and jangly psychedelia bound to leave a legion of decent-to-good imitations in its wake.
As their sixth studio release, Pollen sees star-crossed lovers Alaina Moore and Pat Riley of Tennis fighting the powers that be. Caught in a violent collision of fate and free will, the darling indie duo prevails triumphant but not unscathed. Pollen is a pearl; a natural wonder that is worthy of reverie and intrusion of thought.
The Tubs trade the thumping punk undertones of their former band (Joanna Gruesome) for shimmery jangle, an ode to the energetic melody of late 80s college rock. With layers of hooks and harmony swirling around dark and introspective lyrical themes, Dead Meat reveals itself slowly, a dense work of complex, vibrant pop.
Listening to All Fiction front to back, we are treated to an album of songs that tend to deviate from the typical rock band format. The energy of the album ebbs and flows, increasing the impact of the more energy-intense tracks. The guitar is not used as the centerpiece of songs, but its intensity is made all the more real when it does appear.
As we’ve said, Patter represents a "brilliant hodgepodge of indie rock, mathy pop, and slacker charm,“ which makes sense, given that they’re made up of members of three equally inventive Chi-Town outfits, Options, The Deals, and The Knees. We get a truly dazzling lil’ sampler platter across this spitfire of an EP.
Divorce Cop has mastered itself: the band has managed to repackage noise, over and over again, to deliver an authentic expression of a style they can call theirs. Yup, their 2022 record, at last puts various experimental tracks in some order; it cements a complex emotion coined for the group some years ago as "frightful-delightful fun."
The new Amber Arcades album, Barefoot on Diamond Road, retires prior folky elements and runs with a denser, darker, and more cinematic color palette—akin to the expansive, orchestrated pop of Frankie Rose and Melody’s Echo Chamber. The sonics and lyrics vacillate between giddy excitement and apprehension.
What makes Yo La Tengo tick so well, with their latest album, This Stupid World, being no exception in that respect? It could be the personal synergy between the members. It could be the fact that they all possess an almost encyclopedic knowledge of every form of modern music there is, being able to reproduce it in any shape or form.
Guitar-based Americana music has its newest addition in the form of Philadelphia band Labrador’s latest release, Hold the Door for Strangers. The record, the band’s second, provides a unique take on alt-country, as it sees Labrador playing with more grit and dust than contemporaries like the War on Drugs and Kurt Vile.
Minneapolis-based rockers Scrunchies pull no punches on their sophomore album Feral Coast. The band, made up of Laura Larson (Kitten Forever), Danielle Cusack (Bruise Violet), and Matt Castore (Condominium), continue to build on their post-punk meets riot grrrl meets grunge sound, while also making space to explore new territory.
You’re likely familiar with the saying that hardcore music will “rot your brain.” While many have fought tirelessly to debunk this belief, Atlanta’s Nag have released a third album that treats this warning like an enticing challenge to produce proof. Human Coward Coyote ensures that listeners recognize they never settle for less than complete ruination.
Sweet Guitar Solos is far from just a stopgap project, and “Cowgirl in a Ditch” is just the first in a handful of worthwhile tracks. The four-song EP is raw and rough alt-country bliss coupled with moments of polished clarity and, as promised, you’ll find some crunchy guitar solos throughout that are, in fact, pretty fucking sweet.
Attachment Styles is a noisy, biting evisceration of binary patriarchal culture that crackles with a deep unease disguised as sardonic wit. It’s hard not to start with an examination of the album’s lyrical content because it’s so visceral, but the music – a delicious take on post-punk that’s part Gila Band, part Spray Paint – is equally compelling.
There's No "I" In Spice World is the debut full-length from the Australian jangly indie-pop band Spice World, a record full of spirit and influences both from within its country’s borders and from their neighbors in New Zealand. There's some hazy psychedelic influences that linger and stretch out mixed with nervy pop songs that sparkle.
Retaliation, Vermin Womb’s follow-up to 2016’s Decline turned out to be one of the heaviest releases of 2022. Fans of the band who haven’t heard this release yet will be ecstatic to find this to be not only some of the band’s most unrelenting material, but among of the most chaotic and brutal of last year.
