One of the odder phenomena in the underground rock scene in the past decade has been the rise of Southern rock bands that aren’t from the South.
Ottawa has a surprising amount of great bands, and has contributed mightily to the collective Canadian tinnitus in it’s generous offering of seriously heavy bands. One band I’ve been enjoying for a few years, Biipiigwan, have perfected the sludgy viking side of things but injected with a very uniquely Canuck vibe, speaking to the hugeness of vast empty space, the inherent doom-feel of the frozen expanse of our ravaged, snow-covered wasteland.
Stylistically, “Please Be My Third Eye” is a bit of a red herring as it’s much more up tempo than most of the material here.
This will be one of my favorite albums of 2012 and heralds the emergence of a brilliant talent in her own right,
There are no Bushes to be burned but still Relapse excels when making a point and drills it into the listener’s head and the loudest voice gets heard.
It’s been five years since Love is Dead, the last record by Michael Rank‘s long-running rock & roll band Snatches of Pink. A lot can happen in five years, and apparently one of those things was the dissolution of Rank’s marriage. The result is Rank pouring out his pain, confusion and, ultimately, acceptance on Kin, the first record by his new outfit Stag.
While it would be disingenuous to say Bowery Beasts combine all the sounds of the Strip on their EP Heavy You, there’s definitely a hybrid mentality at work here.
Death metal isn’t exactly the type of music I seek out but, for the most part, when it’s handed to me for review, I give it a fair listen and usually really enjoy what I hear, as on this filthy slab of vomit.
Led by guitarist Joey Toscano, the trio lays down thick, viscous grooves that keep one foot planted in good, green earth and another on Planet X.
Artwork and a sound not entirely un-reminiscent of a Tim Burton film
Having talent and creativity to spare, this new album shows a new level reached, a plateau where Crunk Witch have reached a commanding zenith of the electronic rock drawing in everything around it like a giant, rock and roll tornado.
Immolith may not be pushing boundaries with their Scandinavian-style black metal but, with solid songs and a genuine affection for the genre, they make a worthy adversary to the masses.
Traditional pop song structures filtered through the artistic mind of Ranaldo make for great results.
Bird delivers an album that invites you in and embraces you in a completely unawkward manner.
Long-running Michigan ambient duo Windy and Carl’s latest album, We Will Always Be, is an absolutely unsurprising album of unhurried, unfettered beauty.
Somewhere in Chicago, an angry man is venting his frustrations into a Zoom hand recorder.
On the title track, he avoids articulating the syllable-final r’s and leaves the ess a hissing pivot between e’s, so the word “hairdresser” ends up almost all vowel. Appropriately so: Despite the scratchy, hard stop rock ‘n’ roll world he inhabits, Hunx has always lived in his vowels.
It was with a sense of great revelation and mystery that I unpacked this simple, spartan new CD from iconoclastic Cleveland songwriting legend Bill Fox .
Big, boisterous hardcore sound collides into pop sensibility and explodes to form The Men’s brilliant third album.
This record beats you like a blunt instrument and finishes you off.
Dustin Wong’s latest album isn’t so much a collection of sixteen songs as much as it is an intricate, delicate sixty-minute musical experience.
Chopstick’s second release for the label is a powerful masterpiece that deserves attention, not only from the noise contingent, but from the modern classical and ambient electronic corners as well.
Don’t let the pimped-out cover fool you; Andre Williams’ latest is a stripped-down affair that pairs down the braggadocio and highlights the man’s greatest ability: storytelling.
Ambiguous words among artfully framed mountains: The art of interpreting cover art.
A half-dozen songs on this digital EP find that Zach Rogue’s “side project” Release the Sunbird is growing comfortably into a very fine band.
One shouldn’t need prodding to listen to this abundantly melodic EP with just the proper amount of fuzz.
Shouldn’t our survival instinct guard against music that weakens the body even as it strengthens the soul?
Australian instrumental rock trio return after several years, and though not an overwhelming return to form, it’s still a welcome return.
Good old-fashioned glam rock is alive and well – or at least its spirit is, as that’s what powers the delightfully decadent Prima Donna.
Northern California’s Liver Cancer deliver something that’s almost more an old hardcore punk record than a typical noise album.
Hot on the heels of their comeback, the brothers Brewis release a wonderful album. Their music still sounds like XTC, but not necessarily in the way you expect…
The UK quartet’s cheerful mix of Blue Cheer acid thuggery, Black Sabbath occult whimsy and Motörhead power riffing sounds tailor-made for headbangers of every stripe.
Some artists can’t describe the complexities of love with less than 69 songs. Rosie Thomas only needs ten songs to do the same.
As indicated by the title, _ Angels of Darkness, Demons of Light II_ is a sequel to Earth‘s identically-named 2011 opus.
The Melismatics are so palatable that even the most sour critic will have a tough time not becoming enamored with their irresistible brand of indie pop.
Adamson gives as much prominence to hooks and melodies as to groove and ambience, putting his cool croon front and center in the arrangements.
Here, two bands from different extreme metal genres from different parts of the globe collaborate by supplying each other with percussion tracks.
If you come across a band called Behold! The Monolith (complete with exclamation point), you can probably be assured you’re not going to hear flutes, choirs or a lush string section.
Shearwater’s eighth album Animal Joy is a sonic departure from their previous work, while a reissue of their third album, Winged Life, is a highlight from whence they came.
Hey, can you feel it, the way it sways you, the hum in your chest?
Ultimately, the question for American fans is: can his voice still cut it?
Shifting back away from the heavier rock of their latest LP, this release delivers some mostly excellent results.
Despite the numerous guest stars, make no mistake. This is very much a Sharon Van Etten album.
The songs don’t so much soar as swirl, but with a grounded center that emphasizes hooks over atmosphere.
The most notable Le Bon in music since Simon. His last name was pure fashion; Cate might not consider herself The Good, but she certainly comes across as musically devout.
After whetting my appetite with the strong Great Britain 7“EP, The London Diehards have delivered a full-length that displays their brute strength in all its boot-kicking glory.
Somewhere in the middle of Thin Lizzy and Iron Maiden, if you will.
A collection of on-the-road demos for The Lemonheads’ underrated Come On Feel The Lemonheads highlights the magic that is Evan Dando.
The album is supposed to evoke the feeling of the end of a relationship. And since it is not as fun as the start led me to believe, I guess that makes sense.
Those expecting the high-octane hard rock of Deep Purple from Roger Glover’s fifth solo album will be surprised, but not disappointed.
