This is a band not content to simply plow the garage punk furrow – the writing is simply too skilled, melodic and ambitious for sitting comfortably in that much-beloved but limited niche.
The Man Who Sold Himself is challenging music, no question, but that challenge is worth meeting.
Straight out of a after-hours basement cabaret, Amour Obscur give us a glimpse into their upcoming Vic Thrill-produced full-length.
Gleeful lo-fi pop-punkers Rabbit Troupe are from New Jersey and are the breezy and fun summer high kick of 2012.
A repackaging of fIREHOSE’s major-label albums plus related B-sides and EPs proves that their surprising signing to Columbia was no fluke for either the band or the label.
Powell & The Exports have served up a fine brand of soulful, catchy rock that grows on you more with every listen.
Nest of Vipers refines the band’s timeless classic rock sound, giving it just enough polish to stand out from similar retro rock acts, but not enough to diminish the raw performances.
The mastermind behind SubtractiveLAD delivers his hinted-at solo debut album, and it’s a stunning departure from the ambient and neoclassical work of the past.
A 33% reduction (in time, not quality) of Beach House’s enduring classic Teen Dream? Let’s look back and see.
Too often we get stuck talking about the same few bands, but the self-evident secret about The Stevens is that they’re as good as anyone.
Norway’s Gazpacho continues to evolve into one of modern progressive rock’s most potent bands.
It had been a long five years, waiting for any release from Airiel, and this has not been a disappointment. Would a full-length be preferable? Yes, but in this case, quality trumps quantity.
Do you like weird, loose, open-ended, acid-psych hippy folk?
Second album from Tortoise member and experimental guitarist balance bombast and drone.
Pink Eye showcases the true eclecticism of Instagon, compiling fully improvised noise and music from 1998, 2007 and 2011.
Inspired by the stories of Canadian World War I vets, Elliott BROOD digs deep into its own emotional imagination on its third full-length.
Singer/songwriter Loudon Wainwright III is as accomplished an author as you could wish for on any subject, but he’s always at his best when he turns a sardonic eye towards his own life.
In a remarkable career that has embraced punk, post-punk, new wave, psychedelia, pop, rock, waltzes and more, the Stranglers are thriving in 2012, while many legendary peers such as the Clash, Ramones and Sex Pistols, are long gone.
She could sing the phone book and frankly I’d be OK with it, but thankfully the songs here are rich, melodically developed, rewarding and very soulful.
Children of the Bomb is a bona fide electronic classic composed with integrity and produced without pretension.
After a decade of silence,the once highly prolific Jim Rao breaks his silence with a dozen—yes, a dozen—new albums released over the past few weeks; this one is merely a microcosm for the Orange Cake Mix scene, and a great introduction to a long-thought-lost artist.
J. Tillmann leaves Fleet Foxes and his solo sound behind, in favor of a rollicking, straightforward style that is, simply, a delight for the listener.
The story behind Dopesmoker, the final LP in the life of pioneering stoner sludge trio Sleep, is one of perseverance not usually associated with such dedicated grass aficionados.
The recollection she continues to whistle up is primarily of herself, which is not to call her selfish or uninspired, but to say that the voice remains, ageless and immune to authority.
A lot of energy come out of the duo on the fourth entry in their 7” series.
James Jackson Toth reissues last year’s surprising Southern Rock genre jump, with a second disc that contains the album in demo form. Surprisingly, these rough takes only make the case of this album’s strengths.
Preteen Zenith is the new project from The Polyphonic Spree’s mastermind Tim DeLaughter; the resulting record is a prog-pop delight and his heaviest, most psychedelic record to date.
As I think most fans of Dinosaur Jr would, I went into my first listen with great trepidation.
In a genre as rife with clichés as stoner/doom metal, it’s nice to hear a band who actually get it.
A recently unearthed live performance by string mastermind Sandy Bull highlights the late composers’ skill, as well as his humorous side.
There’s no mistaking the debt Ringo Deathstarr owes to My Bloody Valentine.
It may come a shock to those that cower in the corner when the New York trio roars by that Wreck is damn near accessible.
This feels like a natural progression from Castle Talk and is the band’s best album to date.
Sub Pop has issued a bold, compelling experimental hip-hop album that is as unique as anything you’ll hear this year.
Moot Point perfectly encapsulates the experience of LA life for the outsiders who don’t buy into the fairy tale.
East Coast indiepop orchestra Cuddle Magic’s third album is their most nuanced and colorful.
Ambient drone with more in common with post-rock. Records like this, when done well (as this certainly was), become kind of a Choose Your Own Adventure.
One of the beautiful things about rock music is that there’s no need to reinvent the wheel every time – simply understanding a style and doing it well is enough.
Astral Gunk are four Sackville-based musical miscreants blazing out of New Brunswick and just being totally fresher than anyone.
This is absolutely one of the best metal releases I’ve ever heard, and one that deserves to be heard by anybody who appreciates metal in any way.
Mellow Bravo never met a strain of guitar rock it didn’t like.
Since the death of Elliott Smith, there is been a gaping hole in my musical heart for a singer/songwriter of gorgeous emo rock. Here, Rocky Votolato submits his application.
Jawdropping new cassette-only release from all around badass Nashville label Jeffery Drag. Ghost Dance, from small town Missouri are captured here spitting blood and starting fires in the infamous confines of underground Nashy venue, Mt Swag.
A brief cross-section of material from Austin’s answer to Jay Reatard.
This album is loose enough to feel human, yet tight enough to please the IDM nerds, bangers and post rockers alike.
The music on Terrorstorm is perhaps best summed up by the album’s third track, “Black Thrash Assault,” where grooving thrash metal riffage converges with grim black metal vocals and tight blast beats.
