The Milk Carton Kids - "I Only See The Moon" | Album Review
I Only See the Moon returns to the tried-and-true form of their first three albums but learns from the mistakes of their next two, even as it shifts the experience. It feels like a first-person account of what it’s like to be The Milk Carton Kids’ microphone – right in your ears, Kenneth Pattengale stage left, Joey Ryan stage right.
Disintegration - "Time Moves for Me" | Album Review
The minds that brought you Profligate, Pleasure Leftists, Cloud Nothings, and Nothing Phase fit each other brilliantly on Time Moves for Me, the debut EP from the supergroup of the Cleveland underground. Somewhere between synth rock and post-punk, Disintegration charts an alternative path forward that is, simply, cooler.
Water From Your Eyes - "Everyone's Crushed" | Album Review
Radiator Hospital - "Can't Make Any Promises" | Album Review
The lo-fi album oozes the same unrefined, saturated melodies of indie’s past while toying with idiosyncrasies that create a unique sound. Blistering guitar solos, mellow vocals, and harmonic distortion perfectly chart Radiator Hospital’s dedication to their home-made aesthetic while proving the range they’ve developed over the past decade.
Washer - "Improved Means To Deteriorated Ends" | Album Review
Mike Quiqley's songwriting tends toward introspection and pathos that are alternately shouted and sullenly expressed with a strange combination of unease and passion that works astonishingly well. The songs are filled with acerbic observations about the mundanity of life, a healthy dose of self-deprecation, and awareness.
ALBUM OF THE WEEK: Stuck - "Freak Frequency"
Stuck’s expertise lies in making deeply entertaining post-punk and art rock by means of leading the listener into unknown and unpredictable directions. Each song metaphorically tears into the listener with the canines and incisors and slowly but surely moves them into the morals in the back of the mouth, ruminating on its themes.
Midwife & Vyva Melinkolya - "Orbweaving" | Album Review
Angel Diaz’s more traditional shoegaze sound maps perfectly onto Madeline Johnston’s self-described “heaven metal.” The arrangements are more lush and layered than any previous Midwife project; the drum loops generally sound more organic, the guitars are richer, and more synth countermelodies pop in to keep interest.
Wiki - "Papiseed Street Vol. 1" | Album Review
Compared to Wiki’s last few releases, Papiseed Street is especially loose and playful. He has a real talent for building momentum across a song, stacking vivid images on top of vignettes, jokes, and emotional insights. Wiki’s newest offerings are vibrant and off-the-cuff, full of his trademark personality.
Mandy, Indiana - "I've Seen A Way" | Album Review
Bar Italia - "Tracey Denim" | Album Review
ALBUM OF THE WEEK: GracieHorse - "L.A. Shit"
Gracie Jackson’s journeyed voice reflects the years of entropy and moil but spins that into songs of self-determination, confidence, and humor. Whether eating fried chicken in a hazmat suit, breaking up fights, or dancing with a stranger in a white stetson, her narrative lyrics are almost cinematic in their oddly specific detail.
Lisa/Liza - "Breaking and Mending" | Album Review
Oh No & Roy Ayers - "Good Vibes / Bad Vibes" | Album Review
Sluice - "Radial Gate" | Album Review
Larry June & The Alchemist - "The Great Escape" | Album Review
Larry June’s slick confidence, lifestyle raps, and laidback delivery immediately recall someone like Curren$y; his flows are versatile, fitting smoothly into a song’s pockets like a billiard ball. He also tends to focus more on sweeping portraits than zooming in on a scene. He’s choosy with his smallest details, focusing on flair and personality.
ALBUM OF THE WEEK: BRICK HEAD - "Bricks For Brains"
BRICK HEAD is the Melbourne based solo project of Sarah Hardiman, a prolific guitarist/vocalist best known for Deaf Wish, Nightclub, Moon Rituals, and LOU. The production credits, and brief ones at that, are about all we know about Bricks For Brains, that… and the fact that we can’t stop listening to it, which is really all you need to know.
YUNGMORPHEUS - "From Whence It Came" | Album Review
Angel Olsen - "Forever Means" | Album Review
For the questions posed in Big Time, Forever Means seeks answers. Less than a year after the release of her acclaimed indie-folk record, Angel Olsen returns with a masterful EP featuring four songs left off of the LP. Though only sixteen minutes in length, Forever Means is nothing short of the journey we expect from a full-length .
Beauty Pill - "Blue Period" | Album Review
Blue Period, the band’s reissue of their output on Dischord, (You Are Right to Be Afraid and The Unsustainable Lifestyle, as well as b-sides and demos), frames ambivalence through their larger journey, suggesting that their early material is made richer and more interesting because of where they’ve gone since.