Album Reviews

Morbs – s/t

March 24, 2017

Eric Ellman is a pretty busy guy in the current local scene. In the past six months he’s pumped out two Green Slime releases and now with the help of his cohorts Emily Churco, Mike Herman and Rona Eliyahu, Ellman has revealed the self-titled debut for Morbs. The 10 track debut which clocks in just under 20 minutes was recorded by Matt Chase and mixed and mastered by John Angelo. The self-titled debut from the Queen City garage-punk outfit comes out of left field. It’s hard to determine what stands out more, is it the stripped down pure adrenal gland capsule that is Ellman’s guitar? Or is it the vocals of Churco? Churco’s lips are fast moving even when they are stuck in traffic, like on the slower tracks “Co-Pilot” and “Made of Bones”. Even on these songs her vocals seem to still be moving at the speed of light. However,[...]

Hurray for the Riff Raff – The Navigator

March 17, 2017

For Americana singer-songwriter Alynda Lee Segarra, her career has been a ten-year cross-country journey. Now on her sixth studio album with her indie folk group Hurray for the Riff Raff, that journey has taken her to the upper tier of modern roots music. Titled The Navigator, it’s an album conceptually rooted in her own personal background and story, the product of Puerto Rican ancestry and a Bronx, New York upbringing. The new record sees an expanding of Segarra’s sound, beyond just the country-blues tinged folksiness of the band’s previous releases. Here, these songs’ arrangements burst with the flavors of New Orleans, southwestern and Latin American streets. The Navigator is a mostly autobiographical album, steeped in heritage and self-discovery. There is also a political flair, with lyrics condemning policies and societal notions that negatively effect historically disenfranchised groups of people. The album flows neatly through stylistic changes, a collage of sounds[...]

Slowshine – s/t

March 16, 2017

Based out of Albany, shoegaze rockers Slowshine offer up a slick blend of new-wave elements and somber vocals, all with just the right amount of shoegaze haze on their recent self-titled release. Put out independently by the band on March 7th, the band is made up of Noah Bondy and Cameron Castan, who trade off on guitar, bass and vocals, Connor Dixon on drums, with additional guitar work by Nicholas Worchol. To talk about modern shoegaze would not accurately describe the kind of sound that Slowshine are bringing to the table. Instead of being a wall of sound, that’s been fed through a few dozen different pedals and distorted, fuzzed, and hazed out to near indefinability, Slowshine are much closer to the early 90’s variant of the genre, like Ride’s Nowhere. The band has more in common with Slowdive than in just their name, for instance. There’s a dream-pop like[...]

Jesca Hoop – Memories Are Now

March 3, 2017

Less than a year after the release of her duets album with Sam Beam, Jesca Hoop is back with an album of her own. Memories Are Now is the singer-songwriter’s fourth overall solo studio album, and solo debut for Sub Pop records. The new release is arguably her most realized and finely produced collection of songs to date. The veteran is known for her experimentation across an array of genres, from folk to jazz, rock to pop, blues to electronic and beyond. On Memories Are Now, she weaves her familiar eclectic tapestry, with some added layers. Mantra-like passages draw influence from African rhythms, and ambient overtones round out these compositions. Overtop of it all floats Hoop’s signature mid range voice, ethereal and lilting. Lyrical, she is socially engaged, rooted in the Now, and offers a tinge of political awareness. Her sly, grungy electric guitar licks pair well with the biting[...]

Henry’s Rifle – Arkansas

February 9, 2017

Recording under the alter ego Henry’s Rifle, John Alfred’s music is rooted in backroom Americana and weathered country-blues. The Albany native singer-songwriter’s latest EP, titled Arkansas, is raw and completely stripped down, both in tone and subject matter. With help from members of The Slaughterhouse Chorus and Linear North, the EP was recorded in various houses around Albany as well as the live room at WEQX in Manchester, Vermont. The music of Henry’s Rifle has an innate sadness to it. There is this kind of classic barroom sorrow to it that can be traced back to modern folk’s earliest days in the clubs of Greenwich Village. John Alfred’s rough, half-screamed voice adds another layer of darkness as well. All together, its somewhere in between solo Neil Young and early Avett Brothers. While the sonic focus is tight, the arrangements do vary slightly. The EP starts out with a dirge like[...]

Sleater Kinney – Live in Paris

February 3, 2017

With a career spanning over 20 years, Sleater-Kinney has left an indelible mark on modern alternative music. As pioneers of the riot grrrl movement, they helped usher in a new era of female powered rock that is edgy, raw and empowering. However, even after a long career, there are still some things they haven’t done. Their latest release for Sub Pop is the first ever live album in the band’s tenure. Live In Paris was recorded on March 20, 2015 at La Cigale in Paris, France. It was during the tour in support of their killer eighth studio album, No Cities to Love. Sleater-Kinney’s live shows are highly energetic and all out in your face, and that vibe isn’t lost here. In capturing this sold-out evening, the record showcases the group’s anthemic and abrasive style well. The dynamic between the four women packs a heavy punch, one that’s been cultivated[...]

Lambchop – FLOTUS

February 1, 2017

Lampchop is a unique band with a path like none other. They’ve taken on genre after genre throughout their journey – first traditional country, then post-rock, soul, lounge and so on. FLOTUS (For Love Often Turns Us Still) is their latest effort, and the only one that I’ve listened to thus far. Their twelfth studio album is a touchy, electronic folk/lounge jam with difficult-to-hear lyrical smatterings. Nonetheless, FLOTUS marks a substantial piece from the near triple-decade-old group. In Song 2, “Directions to the Can,” the main features are the oohs and ahs and the close to gibberish, effected vocals of Kurt Wagner. The smooshy hi hat queues one of greater velocity alongside the rest of the drumbeat. “Take it on the chin,” can be heard most of any lyrics. A simple song, yet beautiful and enticing. “Writer” seems to be a statement piece pointing out the diminishing qualities, or sometimes evolutionary[...]

Julie Byrne – Not Even Happiness

January 27, 2017

There’s something about the songcraft of downstate-based singer-songwriter Julie Byrne that appeals to more than just the ears. Her music, at once spectral and tangible, whisks the listener to Byrne’s weightless place of soft melodies and personal experience. And it is this very suspension in which Byrne spends most of her latest album, Not Even Happiness. A sprawling musical simplicity contrasts the album’s deepest exploration of feeling, in what can be considered one of the most striking collections of songs so far this year. Musically, Byrne channels artists like Cat Power, Leonard Cohen, and Sufjan Stevens, all of whom with music that shares innate, personal elements. Not Even Happiness uses that element liberally, with tracks that explore the places, namely the Pacific Northwest, and feelings of Byrne’s most recent years. The expansive skies and ebbing tides of this record almost purposefully paint it a faint blue, with songs that breathe[...]

Flo Morrissey and Matthew E. White – Gentlewoman, Ruby Man

January 25, 2017

Spacebomb Records has made a name for itself developing a polished sound reminiscent of ‘70s psych-soul. On this latest release, label founder Matthew E. White teams up with English singer-songwriter Flo Morrissey to deliver a batch of interesting covers, ranging from a Hare Krishna mantra (“Govindam”) to the theme from Grease. Titled Gentlewoman, Ruby Man, it’s a trip that’s equal parts sun-drenched and fuzzed out. Traditionally, when a female and a male singer get together to tackle an album worth of covers, the songs are usually well-known hits presented as romantic duets. This record is not traditional, and finds Morrissey and White trading singing duties and playing off of each other in unique ways. White’s understated voice has a low whisper to it, and it compliments the lilting and ethereal tone of Morrissey’s. Not to mention, there are a few deep cuts here by lesser-known artists, including tracks originally done[...]

Various Artists – The Hamilton Mixtape

December 19, 2016

There’s no doubt that Lin-Manuel Miranda’s Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award winning Hamilton: An American Musical has been one of the biggest cultural events in recent memory. The musical and its songs have been able to permeate almost every corner of pop culture, both here and abroad. On this new release, Miranda presents his treatment of the historical figure’s story in its originally conceived format: a mixtape. The Hamilton Mixtape, while a far cry from the flawless grandeur of the musical, serves as a suitable companion piece to the Broadway hit. A slew of industry big shots and indie stars come together to spin the well-known songs into a new context. The tracks themselves range from straightforward covers of the songs to completely reworked and reimagined takes on them. Miranda also threw in two new songs, demos of songs cut from the musical (“Valley Forge” and “Cabinet Battle 3″). Most[...]

Taking Meds – My Life as a Bro

December 9, 2016

Pieces of punk, a pinch of indie, a bit of math rock, and bitter pathos get thrown together to form the sonic base for Rochester, NY four-piece, Taking Meds. Released November 4th via Broken World Media, the band’s full-length debut record, My Life as a Bro is a sonic endeavor that seeks to incorporate math rock inspired riffs with the indie-punk sound that various members in Taking Meds had been playing with in their previous band, Such Gold. Lead vocalist and guitarist, Skylar Sarkis, who left Such Gold in 2013, along with current Such Gold members, lead guitarist and vocalist, Ben Kotin, bassist, Jon Markson, and drummer, Matt Battle. Taking Meds started when Sarkis was a part of Such Gold where he along with Kotin started experimenting with math rock style guitar compositions. My Life as a Bro opens with “Taking Meds” which gets up and going quickly. Full of[...]

Childish Gambino – “Awaken, My Love!”

December 8, 2016

Donald Glover has been proving a lot recently that he is one of the more prolific creative minds out there today. He’s a successful stand-up and comedic performer, a skilled dramatic actor, a writer/director/producer/star of an acclaimed new television show Atlanta, and of course, a rapper/hip-hop artist. Under the stage name Childish Gambino he already has a handful of releases under his belt, gaining scores of fans with his unique and frenetic style. His latest offering, however, is completely out of left field. After keeping the recording process a virtual airtight secret, he has surprised everyone with a big departure from his alt. hip-hop style we’ve come to know. His third full-length record “Awaken, My Love!” is steeped in soul, R&B, funk and psychedelic rock. It bares a deep resemblance to the funkadelic movement of the ‘70s that combined the popularity of psychedlia in rock ‘n’ roll music with the[...]

Izzy True – Nope

December 2, 2016

Ithaca, NY based indie-punk quartet, Izzy True blends an intoxicating cocktail of catchy, sweet melodies and emotive lyrics to form their debut full length record, Nope. Released in August on New Jersey punk label, Don Giovanni Records, Izzy True don’t strain themselves with trying to be different for the sake of being different. Instead, the four piece use their separate identities to create a sound they can feel good about calling their own. Headed by frontwoman and guitarist, Isabel Reidy,, her brother and lead guitarist,Silas Reidy, bassist, Jon Samuels, and drummer, Angela Devivo. Lead singer, Isabel started making music originally under the name, Fight A Scary Dog, a bluegrassy, indie-folk project. The four members of the band came together first as close friends and played in the Ithaca Underground, an arts and music community in the Ithaca area. Here the band met with co-founder of Don Giovanni Records, Joe Steinhardt.[...]

Cannon the Brave – Cannon the Brave EP

December 1, 2016

Cannon the Brave is an indie pop outfit from Albany, NY who take their name from Allyson Smith’s superhero alter ego. The group originated as a songwriting outlet between twin sisters Allyson and Whitney Smith, eventually adding three members to support the act’s growing sound (Eric Margan, Mike Campana and Brian Beverly). The project is roughly a year-and-a-half old and have a mantra that aims to bring out the best in themselves and those they touch. The first song off the self-titled EP, “The Only Thing I Need,” spills in with a lovely, old-sounding piano statement. Deep ohs warmly wrap themselves around you. “I was afraid of what I would become…” is sung amidst powerful chordal keys. Smith shares truth in telling her audience that all you need is inside of you. “Sometimes” kicks with background falsettos and groovy bass drum. Smith’s voice is the type that is in between talking and[...]

A Tribe Called Quest – We got it from Here… Thank You 4 Your service

November 29, 2016

Of the many “comebacks” this year, A Tribe Called Quest’s is perhaps at the top of them the list. After an 18-year hiatus due to different member conflicts, the legendary hip-hop trio returned with one of its best efforts, titled We got it from Here… Thank You 4 Your service. 2016 has been a year marked by many heartbreaking losses in the music community, and ATCQ were no exception. Founding member and principal MC Phife Dawg passed away earlier this year, but thankfully he had recorded several verses for the album beforehand. After almost two decades apart, you would think that the pioneering group would have some rust to shake off. But on We got it from Here…, they’ve recaptured that same old energy, and sound just as fresh as their mid-90’s peak. It has the vibe of a classic ATCQ record, while still sounding modern; there is not a[...]