Upscale Madhouse is a big step up for the band, and it includes some of the year’s best artistic developments in the genre.
There’s nothing revolutionary about Hardcore, but there’s something obviously admirable about the band trying to change their own community for the better through the power of music.
The tour must have been an amazing experience for Braun, because Through Train Windows is one of her purest and most concise statements as an artist yet.
And We Rise_ is produced on a surprisingly grand scale for an album that was essentially recorded all at home by Graves, and it will undoubtedly serve as one of the most uniquely individual artistic statements in the genre in recent years.
It’s not the deepest of music, but there’s a real artistry to Senior’s definition of fun and you’ll be too busy dancing to think of anything else anyway.
In fact, the title of Hungover is misleading, because the EP finds Psychocide with a renewed sense of creativity.
One could argue that in future, Twisted Oak could use a little more production to prevent it from becoming too singer-songwriter-y, but it’s nevertheless a very strong start.
In a sea of self-released lo-fi albums, Colors of Noise manages to stand out from the pack with style, substance, and quality songwriting.
Nothing’s Wrong is a statement of consummate execution and even bolder vision from a true original.
_Singing You This Song” is an album this will definitely provide a sense of comfort and solace for many.
_Journey to the Centre of Yourself” manages to convincingly depict a subject which is difficult to write about without sounding trite, and it feels like the launchpad for future, even greater artistic developments.
It’s difficult to say whether or not their busy recording schedule is a help or a hindrance to their evolution as a band, but one thing is clear: Into the Light shows Crooked Flower with no sign of slowing down and without want of fun or material.
Save Me will immediately appeal to almost any fan of grunge, and many will be surprised to find there is evidently still new ground to cover in the genre.
All the Water is a fantastic work of craftsmanship, and fans finally are given a perfectly executed example of Montgomery’s unique vision.
If there’s a fault at all here, it’s that the EP feels like it should have been fleshed out to a full-length, but fans, for better or for worse, will have to settle for the satisfyingly alluring five songs the band did produce.
There’s a lot of excitement circling Keep Meaning It (clearly the band felt it too while they were making it), and with any luck this album will prove to be their breakthrough.
Cubicle Zombie is a tremendously tight, fully-formed collection of songs that prove the years of work spent finishing it were worth it, and hopefully it won’t be long before McNabb’s next collection of songs.
It isn’t exactly revolutionary in the genre, but it’s infectious in its positivity, and it’s immediately clear that the EP is the work of someone deeply in love with the process of making music.
What’s remarkable about Strange Curses is that Paragano’s vision has been delivered to her audience fully formed.
New Jersey’s Sam Fishman of the band Madison Rising is back with another imposing solo release, End of Time.
As one would expect, Liar for a Muse is quieter than the work with DeLaurentis’s band, but it’s also much more refined and mature as if the artist has a newfound sense of direction.
We Are The Lights That Will Not Go Out is nothing groundbreaking, but it’s the perfect album when you’re in need of an injection positivity.
Overall, it’s the artist’s personality—a confident expression of both good humor and serious artistic intent—which makes Avenue B such an enjoyable, wild ride that never stops to rest for long.
Of All These Things is a work in which the love and care of the musicians’ craft is evident everywhere, and fortunately the pair is already hard at work on a follow up.
With Isolated Thunderstorms a listener should come for Weiss’s own takes on his New York musical idols, but stay for his sensitive and introspective lyricism.
Dear Absentee Creator shows a lot of growth since Astral Cloud Ashes’ first record, and it suggest a consistent progression of devoted artistry.
Tall Pines & Tangled Vines has an undeniable charm and chemistry which is impossible to fabricate.
Alive isn’t experimental in a nature in which one could categorize it as belonging to the avant garde; instead, it’s experimental on a personal level as she continues to search deeper within herself for emotionally honest material.
Yet Here We Are inevitably carries some of the tell-tale traces of youth, and there’s nothing necessarily wrong with that, but it is undoubted that the band will continue to make great leaps forward as they mature.
Waks’ commitment to treating her subjects with authenticity gives the entirety of Tales from a Room a legitimacy rare among debuts.
It’s only been two years since the debut album of NYC’s Jane in Space was released, but thankfully they haven’t waited too long for a follow up EP.
Maxwell James manage to pack a wide array of human emotion into a very short release, making it a compelling listen from the beginning.
The Sun, The Stars, The Moon, and Me is a dynamic collection with the occasionally brilliant moment, and one is left with a desire for the band to continue to create music in the future under a more unified vision.
Fans of Kicklighter will be anxiously waiting to see what Young will do with an orchestra, but Paper Planes is a bittersweet finale from an artist who clearly still has so much to give to the world of pop.
Ultimately, Romantic Stories is richer and far more fulfilling than a mere travelogue.
As the EP is a little ephemeral, it could use some beefing up, but it remains a touching tribute to a cause which deserves far more attention.
The Official may have been a long time coming, but Halfwait have handsomely rewarded their fans for the wait with an album that encapsulates their entire growth as a band up until this point.
In Your Room is commendable for the risks taken, but hopefully it will be lauded more for the quality of Sebastian O’s songwriting.
Many asked what kind of music would come out of the Trump era, and without a doubt Anatomy is an injection of compassion which we so desperately need.
You’d be hard pressed to find many horn sections today finer than the one in Disaster Relief, and this album comes just in time to remedy this summer’s heat wave.
In just four songs, Cordova makes a bold statement at a blisteringly fast pace with Runaway Summer, and sets a precedent for their next full-length album, whatever that may be.
The covers obviously can’t compare to the originals, but In the Light of Led Zeppelin does a more than commendable job of proving the elasticity of a well-written song and that recording another artist’s work doesn’t have to mean a faithful reproduction.
For an album recorded at a practice space, there is an accomplished aspect to Basement Recordings regardless of its very unpolished state.
By looking back through the history of world and pop music, James Labrosse ends up creating something with Orange Night that is both fresh and exciting.
Ultimately, And the Stars Above is music which one can easily put on in the background while carrying on with one’s day, but it also invites close listening and individual interpretation.
Dork Matter isn’t a great leap forward for The Thirds, but it makes the case once again that they are very capable of writing subtly mature pop with a brand of confessional lyricism rare in their scene.
Strange Culprits captures a band still finding their footing, but there’s plenty of glimpses of a strong, captivating identity to warrant numerous listens.