Album Reviews

Sweet Freedom – Divilmint

June 20, 2023

Lots of bands grind the cover game for years and years, playing the hits to fans in bars, at private parties, or at the state fair. Hours and hours of practice, honing the rough edges of a carefully curated group of songs, all to bring some much-deserved enjoyment to a drunken bachelorette party or someone’s employer’s happy hour event. It’s a good time (mostly, I’m speaking from experience) and you’re making money doing what you love after all. Enter Kilkenny-based band Sweet Freedom (SF), who know all about the cover grind. As they put it, they’ve “completed cover band mode on the Expert setting several times over,” which means they’ve certainly closed out the night with “Hey Jude,” “Desperado,” or maybe even “Closing Time…” Probably too many times to count. They’ve decided it’s time to “take a punt on the originals scene,” so we’ve been gifted with their latest offering, Divilmint. Released[...]

The Last Domino – Two Thirds Of Our Lives

June 19, 2023

Multi-instrumentalist The Last Domino, also known as one-man-band John Orr, has been working on his latest album, Two Thirds Of Our Lives, for the last eleven(!) years. It’s fitting that the long-awaited album has such an aptly-named title – released on its namesake (February 3rd, of 2023 – 2/3 in every sense of the word), the album is a conceptual look at how we spend our lives… Asleep, awake, and alive. The Indianapolis-born, LA-based artist jam packs Lives with ’90s adjacent riffing – heavy buzzsaw guitars; ear-shredding drum bombast; and a thudding, grungy bass presence can be found everywhere. Orr’s menacing vocal presence is omnipresent, sauntering and slinking through his songs like a snake slithering through the shadows before striking at lightning speed. Album opener “One Third: Asleep” channels Nine Inch Nails with it’s haunting delayed guitar and electronic elements. Orr embodies the deep baritone of Trent Reznor and/or Depeche Mode here[...]

Helen Kelter Skelter – Chroma Crawl

June 18, 2023

It’s been an odd and unpredictable few years for Oklahoma-based act Helen Kelter Skelter (HKS). And yet, it’s an all too familiar story. Tours get scrapped, shows get cancelled, trajectory runs askew, and futures seem bleak (I’m talking about the pandemic, in case you couldn’t read between the lines)… Luckily, it hasn’t stopped these psyched-out Oklahomans from doing what they do best. Crafting stonerish, psychedelic-infused, heavy music made for speeding down the highway or deeply enjoying the trip on your substance of choice. A decade into their career, HKS is here with their latest EP, a five-song blast of heavy guitars and droning vibes they’ve entitled Chroma Crawl. Over the course of 19 minutes, you’ll be taken on a trip through the sun-scorched Oklahoma desert. This Buffalonian blogger is wondering aloud if there are even deserts in Oklahoma (we only have endless mountains of snow here), but if there isn’t,[...]

Jon-Olov Woxlin – JUNK TRUNK

June 18, 2023

When you hear the Americana-soaked music coming from Jon-Olov Woxlin, your initial impression might be that of a man living in the southern United States (think Mississippi or Louisiana or something like that). In actuality, Jon-Olov is from Gothenburg, Sweden, making his distinctive brand of mile-a-minute folk all the more unique. His latest offering, the 12-song JUNK TRUNK, highlights Jon-Olov’s penchant for cleverly-worded folk rock with an onus placed on spontaneity. Expect bouncing basslines, plenty of acoustic guitar strumming, and Jon-Olov’s ear-catching baritone throughout – each track on this album is simply three instruments and Jon-Olov’s vocals. It’s stark and it’s simple, but it works for Jon-Olov & co. Album opener “Exit Sign Explicit” finds Jon-Olov borderline rapping overtop an acoustic guitar backbone. Are his songs political? Are they religious? It’s hard to tell while he’s spitting lyrics at a surprisingly brisk pace… What’s even more surprising is that this[...]

Jovi Skyler – Nothing To Do

June 11, 2023

The latest ten-track LP released by Jovi Skyler titled Nothing To Do brings back the spirit of the ’90s spirit with the added bonus of a warped psychotropic feel. The album grabs your attention with its thunderous guitar riffs, pounding drums, and fierce vocals that make one feel empowered. From the moment the opening track blasts through the speakers, it becomes clear that this album is a force to be reckoned with. Jovi takes his fans on a journey through introspective ballads, adrenaline-fueled anthems, and everything in between. Opening track, “If You Think So” sounds like The Beatles mixed with Nirvana and a touch of Sonic Youth (and also a hint of Kurt Vile) – spindly riffs lay overtop super-intense drum rolls while Jovi huffs and whispers in a way that would make 1993 proud. His lyrics to “Think” explore themes of love in relationships, even though they might not[...]

Pearl Jam – Gigaton

March 31, 2020

These days, the only time you ever hear the word ‘grunge’ in and around music is as part of the sentence ‘grunge is dead.’ That’s not exactly true, but or is it a large-scale exaggeration. It’s now more than twenty-five years since Nirvana’s Kurt Cobain took his own life, and the sad anniversary of that event last year was the first time mainstream media outlets had written about grunge in forever. To them, Nirvana was the whole grunge scene. Without Cobain, the scene was gone. Those of you with your ear to the ground and a more open mind will know that was never the case. Grunge carried on and still carries on to this day, and the biggest name still active in the field is Pearl Jam. It’s been a very long time since Pearl Jam released an album (2013’s ‘Lightning Bolt,’ which attracted fair-to-good reviews), but now they’re[...]

Pop Punk’s Not Dead: Goo Goo Dolls Serves Up a Miracle Pill

January 17, 2020

If you’ve never heard of the Goo Goo Dolls, then let’s get you up to speed. The Goo Goo Dolls were formed in 1986 by Buffalo natives Johnny Rzeznik, Robby Takac, and George Tutuska. The Goo Goo Dolls would go on to enjoy a successful music career, as they churned out notable hits that ruled the airwaves in the late-1990s such as Iris and Slide. Both songs reached the top 10 of the Billboard Top 100 during their respective runs on the charts. Unlike other bands of that era, the Goo Goo Dolls have put together a pretty sizable body of work that encompassed the mid-2010s, with their last album Boxes being released in 2016. In fact, the band has been pretty active, as the Goo Goo Dolls were last on the road back in 2017 as part of their Long Way Home tour with Phillip Phillips. More recently, the[...]

Full Body – Always There

November 27, 2019

Waste not, want not. If one uses their provisions wisely they will never be in need. Rochester-based band Full Body apply those wise words to their musical prowess, and it resulted for them in a wide ranging new album, Always There. Following their much applauded debut record, What’s Good?, Full Body have created a separate, and at times manic, new world. Full Body found themselves recording their sophomore effort away from their home turf. They tracked down to Headroom Studios in the bustling city of brotherly love, Philadelphia, PA, and worked with engineer and producer Scoops Dardaris. Track number one, “Small Voice (Still),” kicks the album off with slow sludge drums accompanied by metallic and beautiful guitar chord picking. Vocals hover over the main melody, and lead singer Dylan Vaisey long-windedly sings the main character’s motivation with the simplistic self-centered line, “I’m here for myself.” “Small Voice (Still)” lays down[...]

Ever Onward Debuts New EP

September 24, 2019

It’s not very often you hear post rock coming out of Western New York, let alone some serious musical landscapes that can take you on a journey from start to finish. Ever Onward,  the brainchild of Colin Berardini, readies for a big 2020 with the release of his three song EP, Learning to Breathe. The EP has a very powerful motif and is extremely cohesive from top to bottom. The ambient drones and soft piano hooks act as the sonic glue which really makes this an easy listen from start to finish. The record, which is self-described by Berardini to represent the journey of a relationship from it’s very beginning through to marriage, and all the stages in between. Learning to Breathe begins with “Disposition.” This song serves as the perfect introduction as it begins with swirling synth drones and builds with guitars and keys as it finally erupts at the 2:40[...]

The Flaming Lips – King’s Mouth

April 26, 2019

Two years have passed since Oklahoma’s Flaming Lips last graced us with an album, with the last arriving in the shape of ‘Oczy Moldy.’ Calling anything the Flaming Lips do ‘offbeat’ at this point is a complete redundancy, but some of the criticism they received for that release doesn’t seem to have stung them in the slightest. If anything, they’ve only become more obscure and experimental. The Flaming Lips are, of course, anything but a band of young up and comers. They’ve been with us since the late 1980s and should by rights be settling into middle age comfortably, and sitting back on their riches. That isn’t really the way of this band, though. While high-art concepts and openly pretentious visual and musical ideas are usually the preserve of the young, the Flaming Lips are still showing bands half their age how to employ such notions effectively. Make no mistake;[...]

Hate Club – A Clear Mistake

April 9, 2019

Albany’s Hate Club are keeping their torches lit. Their latest effort, A Clear Mistake, marks their fourth release in only two years. Besides highlighting their admirable work ethic, A Clear Mistake presents a conceptual recording of a difficult aspect of the human condition; Mistakes and Regrets. The cover art, flames engulfing a home, signify the watershed moment of life irrevocably changing, and sets the stage for the aptly named first track, “Hot Take.” Chugging drums from Ian Kerr-Mace build throughout the verse, while Noah Bondy tells a hard truth, “Relationships sour, we count down the hours alone”. The chorus opens up in Nirvana-esq fashion, with an equally tough pill to swallow, but lubricated with harmonies by Bondy and Audrey Goodemote, “All your favorite bands have moved away.” Track two, “Earth Signs,” a structurally rich song with a 1/2 time signature intro and bare bones bassline verse from Alex Brooks then[...]

Bruiser & Bicycle – Woods Come Find Me

March 7, 2019

Any musician knows the trials and tribulations of being in a band, perhaps no one better than the remaining two members of Albany psych-folk act Bruiser & Bicycle. Their latest album, Woods Come Find Me, is a transition of sorts. It’s a step away from their full-fledged rock band roots. They are a duo now, and they have accepted their fate as a two-piece. Sure, only having two band members certainly brings its own set of limitations… But the opportunity has come for co-songwriters and multi-instrumentalists Nick Whittemore and Keegan Graziane to spread their wings – they’ve used this chance to reinvent themselves, and in doing so, explore themes of existentialism, transitional disorientation, and restless spirits. Say what you will about the current state of indie rock – but Woods Come Find Me, with all its exploration of suspended animation and arrested development, exists in a sort of time warp. Imagine it’s 2005 again –[...]

RYMO Releases Folksy Debut LP, Pinko Punk

October 10, 2018

Acoustic singer/songwriter RYMO (aka Ryan Morris) wears the DIY badge of honor proudly. Having grown up learning the spectrum of musical performance and production, Morris has now settled down in his native Nashville studio, ready to hit the ground running. Pinko Punk is the first full release from this TN wunderkind, a nine-song lesson in dynamics and delicateness, peppered with a few obscenities for good measure. LP opener “Sideways” is a lovely introduction to RYMO’s gentle acoustic folk. Laced with a plunking water-droplet-synth, the song slowly crescendos until it is fleshed out with the most dynamically appropriate of drumbeats. Perhaps most notable in this otherwise lighthearted-sounding song is RYMO’s choice of chorus – “Well, fuck me sideways…” It’s a unique (but very satisfying) juxtaposition of soft acoustic folk and foul-mouthed poetry. Despite the nautical theme, “3 Day Cruise” trades water-droplets for airy synth pads. Songs like “Cruise” and track two, “When She Leaves”[...]

SLUGS – Cool World

September 4, 2018

Los Angeles-based band SLUGS have released their second EP titled Cool World, and it may just be the perfect summer album. A refreshing take on the classic rock sound our parents taught us to love, Cool World demonstrates an appreciation for the origins of the genre, as well as its promising future. From front to back, this 6-track album will have listeners’ full attention with little effort. There are elements reminiscent of well-known bands such as Dead Sara, Royal Blood, and Weezer (check out “Curveball” specifically for this reference) in choices of guitar tones and vocals. However, the interpretation of the genre itself is something we see developing in upcoming bands (some local examples include Cooler, Ellsworth). At its foundation, the music is still rock. Yet, there’s something wholly different about the songs by these emerging artists. To accurately depict this difference is challenging, because the distinction seems to entirely[...]

Mammoth Grinder – Cosmic Crypt

February 21, 2018

It’s been five long, painfully quiet years, but Austin death metal trio, Mammoth Grinder, is back via Relapse Records with a new album, Cosmic Crypt, that will haunt your dreams. Since coalescing in 2006, Chris Ulsh (Power Trip, Impalers), Mark Bronzino (Iron Reagan) and Ryan Parrish (Iron Reagan, Darkest Hour) have plagued the world with their awesomely unholy and bangover-inducing punk infected death metal. Cosmic Crypt, their sophomore full-length, is a non-stop, bruising and frenetic 11-track offering that casts a macabre spell on your eardrums. Each chaotic song bears the weight of crushing blackness as the album propels you faster and faster through an infinite abyss fueled by an evil that transcends space and time. It’s fast, it’s heavy and it’ll give you whiplash. The songwriting and musicianship behind Cosmic Crypt is thrilling and amplified by the band’s crisp self-recordings and Arthur Rizk’s (Power Trip, Sepultura, Inquisition) mixing. Ulsh’s doomy[...]