Latest Posts

Thunderegg – C’mon Thunder

May 13, 2014

C’mon Thunder, the new release from San Francisco’s Thunderegg, is the album we just might deserve. Full of lyrical real life experiences, as in the way they actually happen and not the way we thought they would happen, sometimes a creative licence is just a cop out. The California band is led by singer/songwriter Will Georgantas, the artist that Conor Oberst has always dreamed of being.  With an unprecedented output since the mid nineties, and a revolving door of band members (himself being one of the only constants), Georgantas writes the songs you only dreamed of writing at 14. They are chockfull of truth, consequence, and awkwardness. Even if the music you fell in love with as a teen isn’t as relevant as it once was, C’mon Thunder manages to avoid that problem. The album comes on like a tornado: slow and unassuming. Songs like “We Kissed and Ran Some[...]

The Horrors – Luminous

May 8, 2014

Names can be deceiving. In spite of their moniker, The Horrors are about as terrifying-sounding as a hot bath or a warm shower (which post-Psycho still might be scary for some). The band also isn’t light and effervescent enough to be described as Luminous, the title of its fourth full-length record. The weight, depth, and density the British rockers imbue their electronic dreamscapes with are qualities that perhaps cannot be labeled tritely or limited to a few ambiguous adjectives. Even if The Horrors decline to articulate their sonic ethos through their titling, the band seems well aware of its place in a musical lineage. Borrowing heavily from seminal bands like The Stone Roses and Spiritualized, The Horrors specialize in stretching influences to meandering, melodic ends. The squealing shoegaze of “Jealous Sun” is a direct descendant of My Bloody Valentine. And yet, in that song and elsewhere, The Horrors feel less murky[...]

Andrew Jackson Jihad – Christmas Island

May 7, 2014

Andrew Jackson Jihad is the type of group that can make you want to laugh and cry at the same time. Their lyrics are undeniably witty and hit you with a punch, and after settle in with a pinch of reality. Christmas Island, their latest album-length release, is both cryptic and hard-hitting. Lyrically, the words resonate on a dual plane, touching on the beautiful and the ugly. Musically this album stands in line with their previous work, exploring more accompaniment but still following suit in a folk-punk tradition. “Temple Grandin,” the opening track, sets the tone for the rest of the work. Sean Bonnette’s voice comes off sounding more broken and exasperated than usual as he chimes the words, “open up your murder eyes and see the ugly world that spat you out.” It’s set in a lo-fi stage without bleeding together the separate components. In the backdrop, the organ[...]

Lykke Li – I Never Learn

May 6, 2014

The Swedish-bred Lykke Li has an incomparable way of conveying her self-reflecting lyrics on I Never Learn, her third and final installment in what she describes as a trilogy about the whirlwind emotions of a young woman. As was the case for her previous two albums, I Never Learn lets listeners intimately peek inside the mind of one of the most quintessential contemporary, indie soul-pop singers today. Showing that she doesn’t need some sort of complex instrumental setup to shine, the title track is heavily rooted in melodic guitar strokes and Li’s harmonious vocal talents. The song is a hauntingly personal view. “I lie here like a starless lover. I’ll die here as your phantom lover,” Li sings. On “No Rest For the Wicked,” a wholesome representation of simplistic designs with a catchy flare, Li keeps true to classical music traditions by leaning towards the always-powerful instrumentation of a punchy percussion[...]

Damon Albarn – Everyday Robots

May 1, 2014

Damon Albarn, of Blur and Gorillaz fame, has always been a maverick, pushing pop music into fairly atypical, frequently imaginative territory. On his first full-length solo album, the legendary alt-rocker, working from a slower, more subdued, sonic position, has mostly eschewed easy hooks in favor of a meticulously produced palette of gray sounds. Though much of Everyday Robots is rainy day music at its most drizzly, Albarn remains a consummate artist, bringing a certain level of affable whimsy to a somewhat melancholy affair. The record begins eerily on its title track with a 1960 sample from Lord Buckley as the former British comic declares, “They didn’t know where they was going, but they knew where they was, wasn’t it…” In the context of Albarn’s skeptical ruminations on modern technology, the quote provides indirect commentary on our contemporary sense of self, and our present reliance on digital tools to locate and[...]

Mystic Braves – Desert Island

April 30, 2014

Mystic Braves is one of those groups that tend to ramble on. Since their last, self titled album, they haven’t quite figured out how to stray from their original sound, which is a western-influenced, rawhide feel. For starters, I’m not asking that a group create dramatically new content with each work, but when I can’t tell the difference between song A and song B, there’s a cog missing in the clock. On Desert Island, guitar licks are swinging in the wind like a pair of balls too big for their boxers. Indeed, this is good music to listen to if you’re driving or trying to get through the day at work. It’s casual surf rock, almost like they didn’t know what to play when they started, so they decided to rehash the same motif heard in groups like Tame Impala and Ariel’s Pink Haunted Graffiti. On “I Want You Back,” they[...]

tUnE-yArDs – Nikki Nack

April 29, 2014

If ARTPOP was a small trip into Lady Gaga’s creative mind that tried to combine art and pop culture into one musical form, then tUnE-yArDs’ new album, Nikki Nack, is a full on exploration of pop culture sweetly crafted into an unorthodox collection of rhythms and beats. The omni-present creative force behind tUnE-yArDs, Merrill Garbus, who also doubles as lead vocalist and a multi-instrumentalist, decided to switch the production team behind her third album, making it one of her most sonically pleasing to date. What has always stood out in Garbus’ music is her almost childlike appearance in accompanying music videos. One of her trippiest to date, in which she tackles the issues of undrinkable water in a very Saturday morning cartoon kind of fashion to mask the harsh topics at hand, is for “Water Fountain.” Garbus flaunts her signature quirky personality through multiple eccentric poses and places her restless stamp of importance on[...]

Gucci Mane and Young Thug – Young Thugga Mane La Flare

April 25, 2014

With the release of Young Thugga Mane La Flare, two of the biggest trap stars in the game in Young Thug and Gucci Mane take on a project full of banging club tracks. Young Thug is the up and coming Atlanta artist that has been making waves with hit club singles like “Danny Glover” and “Stoner,” who has received the co-sign from the Trap God himself. Gucci, renowned for his consistency on his free projects, comes through with another solid effort on this tape, exchanging verses and choruses with Thugga throughout. Young Thug’s distinctly unique flow his on display throughout the project, as expected. On the mixtape’s second track “Bricks,” his squeaky sing-songy autotune effort on the chorus contributes to one of the more memorable and catchy songs on the whole tape. He is the shining star on this thing, as his charisma and true originality are impossible to ignore. Simply[...]

Chad VanGaalen – Shrink Dust

April 24, 2014

As a newcomer to the land of Chad VanGaalen, Shrink Dust is quite the brazen introduction to the Albertan singer-songwriter’s musical ethos. Known for his imaginative lyrics, full of sci-fi world-building, offbeat preoccupations, and demented wordplay, VanGaalen is on his fifth full-length oddity with the Flemish Eye record label. A compelling cross between OK Computer-era Radiohead and the delicate indie-folk of Daniel Johnston, VanGaalen’s approach feels both richly realized and disarmingly sincere. His latest work is awkwardly arresting from its starting lyric: “Cut off both my hands and threw them in the sand / Watched them swim away from me like a pair of bloody crabs.” The starting track is a mild ditty, however, compared to the howling desperation of its follow-up, the drum-driven “Where Are You?”.  After a bit more experimental dabbling, the album quickly backs away from immediate Radiohead comparisons, blending the countrified with the psychedelic (VanGaalen claims The Flying[...]

Medeski, Martin, & Wood + Nels Cline – Woodstock Sessions Vol. 2

April 23, 2014

Medeski, Martin, & Wood sure like their fair share of jazz guitarists. Recently, they teamed up with Nels Cline, who if you weren’t aware of, is the guitarist for one of the U.S.’ most famous bands, Wilco. On this collaboration, Woodstock Sessions Vol. 2, the group channels a free-flowing, experimental canyon of sound. Take “Doors of Deception,” the opening track. It begins with a series of atonal noises and misaligned percussion that seems to backtrack in on itself. A clear influence here is avant-garde artists John Zorn and John Coltrane. On songs such as “Mezcal” and “Los Blank,” the members flow back into a more tangible composition. “Mezcal” opens with gritty guitar crunches and a smooth, spidery pat-down of percussion. Even though the sound moves into a chaotic tumble and epiphany section, it mimics the effects of what really great tequila can do to a man or woman (see: “Tequila[...]

Neon Trees – Pop Psychology

April 22, 2014

It was just four short years ago that Utah-bred quartet Neon Trees scored its first hit on the mainstream pop charts with “Animal,” and only two years since the group followed that smash with the irresistibly catchy “Everybody Talks.” The new wave pop group consisting of Chris Allen, Elaine Bradley, Branden Campbell, and Tyler Glenn, who are all decidedly of the Mormon faith, have thrown out some of their religion’s strict ordinances against drinking and sex when creating their latest album Pop Psychology. Lead singer Tyler Glenn’s recent revelation that he is gay, should also go against some of his religious teachings, but promises for an evermore-personal collection of songs lyrically. Pop Psychology‘s first single, the very charming “Sleeping With A Friend,” maintains the group’s sonic presence of peppy pop tracks with a slight retro feel. Even the lyrics serve as the definition of the perfect “friends with benefits” type[...]

Pharoahe Monch – PTSD: Post Traumatic Stress Disorder

April 18, 2014

Pharoahe Monch’s PTSD provides a nice contrast from the usual super lyrical rap album. Monch has mostly been known for his lyrical dexterity and his technical rap skill, and as expected, that is all on display with this theme album. There is great variety in his flows throughout, and on a variety of songs Monch busts out tongue-twisting internal rhyme schemes similar to something MF DOOM would use. Continuing on themes Monch developed in his previous LP W.A.R. (We Are Renegades), this album paints the picture of an artist who has battled with the music industry, and the aftermath of doing so. He talks of drug addiction, mental health, and even goes as far as to draw parallels between the Trayvon Martin incident and his plight in the music scene. Intermittently between tracks a computerized voice will talk to Monch, guiding us through the steps in his therapy. Each song provides a conceptualized[...]

Woods – With Light and with Love

April 17, 2014

With Light and with Love, as its creators must have intended, is light and lovely. Yet for an album offering semi-straightforward psychedelia that seems tamer than Tame Impala, there is a fair amount of sonic playfulness. Joy jumps from each note. Woods, a folk rock quartet based in Brooklyn, are an amiable act, cozy and accessible even as they break into glorious five minute jam sessions by track three. The sixties pop revivalism they engage in throughout their eighth record is consistently pleasant. Band founder Jeremy Earl’s high vocals are cheery and effervescent, tiptoeing over his companions’ guitars with gleeful abandon. Though With Light and with Love may close with an eerie collapse into decaying sounds, overall Woods feel like happiness on record. Even with ambiguous lyrical nods to uncertainty, death (which “brings us close”), and time’s passage, Woods never descend into dread. Their work is sweet and summery, with musical nods to[...]

Japanther – Instant Money Magic

April 16, 2014

“Do it–don’t try it” could be Japanther’s motto. The duo, consisting of Matt Reilly and Ian Vanek, have proven they can keep creating fresh, innovative material again and again. Their approach is just as avant-garde as it is rooted in plain old experimentation. Since forming in 2001 at art-haven Pratt Institute (the place reeks of hard work), they’ve performed at the Whitney Biennial in 2006 and always included an artful touch to their live shows, whether it be inviting a multimedia artist to collaborate with them or putting on a performance art piece. For a group that’s been around the block once or twice, it’s impressive to see their latest release, Instant Money Magic, can be just as brazen as their “coming-out-of-the-closet” albums such as Master Of Pigeons or Don’t Trust Anyone Over 30. The same elements are there–churning, pumping guitar rhythms and stomping drums–but the content has stripped down. It’s disheveled in a good[...]

Ratking – So It Goes

April 9, 2014

Let’s be honest–New York City is still a main hub of culture when it comes to the arts, but it’s changing rapidly. A constant topic of discussion is gentrification, basically, in more simple terms, the ‘neighborhood is changing.’ Defining a ‘New York’ artist sound is nearly impossible, especially in contemporary hip-hop. One can recall an older, east-coast sound, like Wu-Tang or Public Enemy, with  more aggressive, higher beats. Ratking, a NYC-based trio including Wiki, Hak, and their Bushwick-born producer Sporting Life, creates a new New York palette on their latest release So It Goes. Even though the main thread of the album is based upon New York City life, it seems to be more focused on the challenges and shifts between youth and adulthood, seen in the opening song titled “*” that goes on about “Graduated what’s next, well everybody’s askin’/ college, well what do you have planned?” over a[...]