Radcliffe’s first record under his own name is a constantly buzzing machine even in its quietest moments; a jarring found sound or rogue synth melody is lurking in the shadows continuously, giving each song a depth that is uniquely Radcliffe’s. This record is at times reminiscent of early albums by The Microphones in their eerie and dense but still sweet sounding progressions, as well as their dual ability to turn uneasiness into complex beauty.
Spray Paint isn’t catchy, or hooky. They don’t write earworms. Their guitars are more likely to sound metallic and percussive than anything like a guitar. When the guitar is recognizable as such, it is likely playing the same chord continuously. What their music is: infectious and hypnotizing, driving.
Those who wear their feelings on their sleeves aren’t to be trusted. Emotions are for the weak. Sprained Ankle by Julien Baker is a slap in the face to that line of thinking. It shares a lineage with artists like Pedro the Lion and Mineral. Intimate songs that are open about lost loves, doubts of faith, dealings with the darker sides of our inward beings.
Though they have arguably more in common with melodic post-hardcore bands like Pale Angels or Cave In than they do with Hawkwind or White Hills, it's difficult to talk about Polyon's music without lapsing into the kind of language used to describe the star-scraping riffs and psychedelia typically associated with the lauded purveyors of space rock, simply because of the scope and atmosphere of their sound.
a 10-track celestially atmospheric sonic collage of sludge, fuzz, reverb, and dream pop falsetto. Carefully gift-wrapped into an intimate and dreamy continuum, Bedroom Eyes offer a new take on grunge/shoegaze, blending pop accessibility with sonic intricacy for a record vague in delivery but specific in affect.
Twisted post-punk and dark as hell psych rock are par for the course, strung out in every direction as the guitars work together to create a thick layered madness. At the core of their charm lies duel vocalists Sam Robinson and Meryl Schultz, often singing simultaneously, harmonizing at times and delightfully working against each at others. Beautiful, discordant, well structured yet deceptively loose, their music pushes as it pulls, transfixed in it's sinister witchy grooves.
Well-researched music fanatic should recognize David Vassalotti’s proclivity and penchant for diverse sounds as a defining characteristic. Having been part of both abrasive acts like Church Whip and Cult Ritual as well as bands with a softer sonic palette, like 4AD band Merchandise, it should be no surprise that Vassalotti excels at balladry, atmospherics, and venom.
Right on the heels of the band’s debut EP back in spring of 2015, Powers of Ten, Telepathic are self-releasing the 8-song Time Release on a run of 250 cassettes. It’s a capitalization on the thesis from Powers of Ten to keep the songs fixed and trimmed. No notes are wasted on these Hüsker Dü inspired rave-ups.
This box set is the definitive documentary of craw, a band that emerged from the post-hardcore underground of the early 90s. This era is often reduced to the success stories of a handful of bands and record labels in areas like DC, Seattle, or Chicago. In the hegemony of cultural success, relevant contemporaries are often lost to the received narrative, despite the fact that they broke boundaries and set challenging precedents within the artistic zeitgeist.
“There’s Nothing Wrong With Love” was released on September 13, 1994. Keep in mind, “Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain”, “Blue Album”, “Bee Thousand”, and “Yank Crime” had all already entered the headphones of young indie rock aficionados earlier that year. Though I imagine Built To Spill delivered something different, and at exactly the right time. Their sophomore album must have poured into the ears of many a student fresh into their fall semester, injecting them with the warmth & shelter needed throughout the storm of uncertainty of what was supposed to happen next.
Big Putts is a long standing project of Alex Molini, Jesse Weiss, and Gio Coviello, members of Dirty Dishes, Palehound, and Kiss Concert respectively, that combines elements of all three musicians other projects into a (delicious) DIY-soup of sorts. “Prism b/w Donut” is their first release since 2012’s LP Bogey Nights, and showcases a more complex and refined side of Big Putts.
An impressive debut to say the least, Townie Garbage is the sound of a band at their beginning, mining their influences as they develop their own sound. The trio, formed in the late summer months have created an inviting debut, it’s complex and determined, full of songs that ebb and flow from crashing tides to the most gentle of hazy breezes.
Cool Dad are a two piece fuzz-pop outfit from Connecticut, sharing members with fellow fuzz-rockers Furnsss. On their self-titled debut album, however, Tom Nagy and Brendan Dyer have made it clear that Cool Dad is entirely its own thing. The 8 tracks on this album are short and catchy but certainly pack a punch; each riff is drenched in a thick layer of noise and distortion that slams you right in the chest.
Romantic States are a Baltimore duo consisting of Ilenia Madelaire on drums/vocals and Jim Triplett on guitar/vocals. They specialize in a minimal and wistful kind of dream pop that recalls a stripped-down and more straightforward Slowdive. The duo is releasing a 7-inch record on January 11, 2016 on Nebraskan Coast entitled Take My Hand and Run.
