A follow up to 2013’s Time Honoured Alibi, Late 44 is more of the same great power pop Aubrie’s become known for.
Brooklyn-based bass clarinetist and ISSUE Project Room Artist-in-Residence, Lea Bertucci, teams up with French-born cellist, Leila Bordreuil, for a series of unsettling improvisations that push their respective instruments to their limits.
York, Pennsylvania’s The Owls Are Not What They Seem return with a shortened name and new material that delves further into occult ritual blackness.
Compared with the page-turning novel that Brooklyn one-man wunderkind Tom Curtain’s 2014 debut concept LP/rock opera The Necromancer’s Kids was, the five-song Winter Lite is a superb short story collection.
The pair’s close harmonies and highly crafted writing set the foundation for a work of gentle resonance and surpassing beauty.
In 1966, an Amarillo, TX group called The Illusions moved to Hollywood, CA and auditioned for Lee Hazelwood, who declared them his first signing for Lee Hazelwood Industries under the name The Kitchen Cinq.
From the leaking screams and shouts of the opening track, “The Hydra’s Heart,” the band seems dead set on moving forward even if they have to crawl there inch by inch.
Fredericksburg, VA’s Static Daydream follow their acclaimed 2014 “The Only One” EP (Moon Sounds) with a hazy full-length blast of melodic melancholy.
Smokin’ Voyages, out November 9th, is a fun psychedelic treat for any fan of bands like The Grateful Dead, The Eagles, or Santana.
Japan’s Acid Mothers Temple triumphantly return with their version of Osamu Kitajima’s 1974 prog paean to the Shinto goddess of water, language and music.
Now comes this welcome reissue, which is on beautiful 180 gram yellow marbled vinyl and includes an insert with liner notes, lyrics and rare photos along with a full-color poster.
Washington, D.C.-via-Detroit-based electro-charged female duo, Noon:30, explode with an EP that runs the spectrum of rage – from quiet to crushing.
Sonically, Vile Display of Humanity may seem like a bit of a step back for the back, but in reality it is a stripping back to the heart of the band.
UK-based folk singer/guitarist, Sarah McQuaid, presents her fourth solo album, which shows the songwriter flourishing within her realm.
““Linen Garden Part I” is a wonderful opening track, fronted by guitar and piano and buoyed by layers of treated instruments and the bone-shivering quiver of Aimee Norris’s cello. It is liquid beauty of the highest order, and the presence of the stargazing masters of this genre is icing on the cake.”
“The Sun Dehydrates is soaked with buzzing, heavy guitars that start off ominous and build gradually, joined by cool keyboards on their way to the top. Fizzing out like a shaken soda, the song spirals in all directions like a pinwheel. And then it careens back to Earth, drawn back to simple drums and ringing guitar. Listeners can barely exhale before the song rockets up again, ending in joyful, noisy oblivion.”
Tragically forgotten to the passing of time, French transplant Lizzy Mercier Descloux blossomed in the late ’70s downtown New York art/punk scene amid friends like Patti Smith and Richard Hell.
Paris-via-Newcastle-based producer, Will Archer, aka Slime, places himself on the map with a heady full-length of relaxing trip-hop lounge.
Fresh and brimming with life, the music is rarely stripped or lacking accompaniment, and the unbridled passion presented makes Sperry Alan become the role of a punk folk troubadour.
One of the finest EP’s by ANY rock band anywhere this year.
Lunchbox offer a platter of cavity inducing power pop on their latest Smash Hits EP.
Dandelion Isle is unassuming, and, at times, slight, but it consistently proves to be another thoroughly enjoyable addition to moduS ponY’s already impressive oeuvre.
With clever wordplay and vivid imagery, Richard Grace’s songs express sentiments like an impressionist painting.
Los Angeles, CA-based songwriter, Chelsea Wolfe, delves deeper into electronic darkness on her fifth solo effort.
Experimental composer Steve Holtje weaves an album of haunting soundscapes for a film soundtrack that stands on its own without having to see the movie.
“Their beautiful work is captured here in this comprehensive box set that includes their three studio albums, bonus tracks, and extensive liner notes. It’s been a long time coming, and I hope fans like me who remember those lost days are lining up to buy this, along with newer fans who missed them the first time around.”
“Just Stay” bobs more slowly, like a bird riding the waves on a perfect summer day. The tripped out guitar is just the icing on a many layered cake.”
In a time where niche genres and artists are easily accessed and exploited, Barna Howard is a breath of fresh mountain air.
While this Baltimore indie pop foursome’s attractive 2012 Sundowning EP was a nice appetite whetter, the band finally get around to releasing this proper follow-up entrée to their sterling 2010 debut Break Up, and it’s worth the five-year wait.
Songwriter/actress Eszter Balint (Louie, Trees Lounge) finally returns to music after eleven years with a third album that accentuates her power as a musician.
With almost twenty songs clocking in a total of just forty minutes in length, the four piece bring an explosive, brutal force to the mix on their new album, Present Day Plague.
For three years, London’s Exotic Pylon Records documented England’s experimental underground with a passion for art rarely seen from the business end of the music industry.
Despite the departure of this roaring Chicago foursome’s fervent singer Johnny Pierro in 2013, Saturday Night Loud is electrifying. Crucially, they’ve replaced Pierro with female dynamo Kati Olsen, whose personality, poise, and powerful pipes are invigorating and irresistible.
Italian duo, Snow In Mexico, return with their third four-song EP, which takes their hazy electronic sound further into the neon underground.
Intercontinental mod-psych supergroup, The Safe Distance, follow their stellar debut 7” with a full-length that shows the group becoming more focused in their mission.
Guitarist Debbie Smith (Curve, Echobelly, Snowpony) debuts her new band, Blindness, with a solid full-length that brings her versatility as a musician and songwriter to the forefront.
Ireland’s The Debutantes, featuring Sarah Grimes and Paula Cullen from The September Girls, reissue two songs from their out-of-print self-titled debut cassette on vinyl because they’re that good.
Emotional Response Records showcase their roster with an excellent collection of lo-fi pop nuggets.
Star Wars is the leanest and meanest Wilco has sounded in over a decade.
Philadelphia, PA’s Satellite Hearts continue their exploration of eclectic rock’n‘roll with a powerful sophomore effort that nods heavily to the ’70s.
It’s almost shocking to hear guitars being played this way in 2015. Just when you think the instrument has nowhere left to go, you’re proven wrong by a pair of capable hands. Well, in this case, two pair of capable hands.
Over and Even is a quality record by a singer that has all the power and grace of a Linda Thompson or a Hazel Dickens. Shelley may even be one of the best female folk singers we have in America today
Those in the know have been aware of Tamara Lindeman’s authentic charm for a while, but for the rest of us, her newest creation Loyalty is a revelation.
My Depression Is Always Trying To Kill Me is a beautifully emotional and well rounded work from a musician who wears everything proudly on his sleeve.
“The band seems to still be finding its sea legs, though this is beautiful music that transcends language.”
Winter Calling creates a cinematic, grandiose version of progressive metal, like an epic soundtrack to a film not yet made.
Glam rock surfer goth weirdos, The Barbarellatones, return with a new album that finds songwriter Robbie Quine delving into his darkest territory yet.
