Following the indistinctive alt-rock direction and too-polished production of their 2014 fifth LP, Do Not Engage, this Vancouver drums-and-guitar duo’s sixth LP is their most exhilarating, explosive album to date.
Whether on the move or sedentary, listening to the intensely atmospheric Illinois River Valley Blues will awaken your inner roughneck traveler/wanderer.
Melbourne, Australia’s Brad Pot deliver a positively scorching debut full-length that continues the legacy of Oz punk greatness.
Singer Bonomo’s vocals have a timeless soulful quality; not designed to stun with prowess, but commune with an introspective intimacy rare today.
Daring electronic pop noir artist Ramsey enthralls with her darkly rich, powerfully raw, and riveting debut EP.
New Jersey’s legendary The Feelies are back after a 6 year rest, and In Between continues their subdued yet compelling sound.
I’m not sure what prompted former United States of Existence/The Jigsaw Seen drummer Schwartz to reissue this upbeat, Supertramp/Hall & Oates-like 2014 digital single as a 7”. But I still “really like” it.
Despite drummer/founder Joseph Joseph’s replacing of departed keyboardist Molly Pamela with bassist Nicholas Gunzburg as this Cleveland experimental duo’s “other half” in 2015, Junk is as spastic and strident as their previous releases.
On their fourth full-length album, there’s no big shake ups in terms of style, but rather the band continues to explore the darkest corners of their own trademarked sound and expand the fullness of its production.
Shoulder and hand injuries have shelved Atlanta guitarist Richard Coker’s punk and folk career, but his instrumental synth LPs keep coming – Fey is his eighth since 2012.
I described this 20-year-old Columbus collective’s 2009 second LP More Fiend as “ominous, trance-inducing space-rock, with hints of metal, psychedelic, and Eastern influences.” That could similarly sum up this new six-song, 43-minute fourth.
In the 1920s and ’30s, Hayes McMullan played blues around his home in the Mississippi Delta.
Nomadic songwriter Wilson Getchell (Wall-Eyed) lands in North Carolina to form the perfect band for his eclectic talent.
On their debut EP, Ocean Blues, this band from Bristol, UK manages to combine the sunniest of vocal harmonies with the gloomiest of Gothic melodies.
“Robert excels at everything he touches, ranging from chiming jangle pop and on to gritty post punk. His work always is a standout, and his voice is unmistakable.”
In Sprout’s conquest to bridge a semblance of meaning between our youth and its relation to maturity, he may have hit the mark with his greatest accuracy yet.
Never ones to stay quiet for long, Los Angeles rock’n‘roll heroes Dr. Boogie drop a song into cyberspace just to remind us that they’re still kicking.
For those still tentative about diving into this atypical, atmospheric Bristol, PA trio’s 2016 fourth LP This Gilded Age, this double A-side 7” of two of its tunes is a tempting toe-dip.
Music Under Sea has neither an entire foot in the music of the 60s or the pop today it inspired, but will nevertheless have fans who love either.
Birmingham, AL’s Remy Zero released three major label LPs during their original 14-year run, before disbanding in 2003. This new trio comprises two original RZ members, along with their touring guitarist/drummer, and preserves RZ’s penchant for brawny alterna-rock.
Brooklyn-based alternative rock band Vaureen displays its captivating range with a 3-song cycle of psych-rock, sludge rock, and shoegaze-tinged post-rock.
Texas-born-and-bred Bell again avoids modern country clichés on her fifth LP, and first since 2010’s Perfectly Legal: Songs of Sex, Love and Murder.
On this hard-hitting new single, about serial killer Aileen Wuornos, London’s provocative, powerfully-piped Distras breaks free from stringent punk structures. It blends a ‘60s British Invasion/Merseybeat and girl-group sound with more contemporary, crunchy power pop.
Holbrook, Long Island’s Foresterr brave the fashion punks, cover bands and emo-kids-who-think-they’re-hardcore dominating their local scene with an uncompromising brand of spastic noise rock.
On his debut album, Too Close to the Noise Floor, released last year, Antony Walker effortlessly combines the weirdness and constancy of The Pixies with the larger-than-life pop of XTC.
Madrid, Spain’s Biznaga deliver their first domestic LP of punk rock en Español just in time for the leader of the free world to announce his war against the majority of the Spanish-speaking world.
Alien Angel Super Death doesn’t willingly give away much at first, but it generously rewards listeners who readily approach it with complete emergence.
King Ropes, an indie garage band from Bozeman, Montana, effortlessly couples the inventiveness of The Pixies and the alternative country twang of Wilco with remarkable results.
Joan of Arc have just turned in what is easily their most “challenging” album since “In Rape Terror and Fantasy Sex We Trust”, but the new direction in sound only serves to entice.
“Witness the gorgeous opener “Amaris”, which will thrill dream pop fans and remind you of late period Engineers. Rich with melody and grand passages, it is crammed with sparkling notes that chime pleasantly in your ears.”
I swooned over this fetching Chicago foursome’s “buoyant, shimmery” 2014 second LP Restless Hearts, which followed up their heftier 2010 debut The Spell of Youth. But Beneath manages to best them both.
For a set of solo recordings, it certainly doesn’t play like the work of one individual, and indeed the studio polish gives it a lush, full-bodied feel to the record that only aids Olshefski’s keen pop instincts.
“They have created a winning collection of medium tempo songs, sunny melodies only partially disguising the moody lyrical content.”
While there’s nothing groundbreaking or innovative on this record, Saul Losada erects the foundations on Energy to set himself firmly in the lineage of blues rock’s most individual guitarists.
Electronic noir artist Ramsey offers another slow-burning stunner that features her tormented, yet alluring vocals.
Long-standing NJ-based band Miss Ohio delivers American indie rock at its finest on its new single.
On their 2015 first LP, I heard “Sonics/Shakers-inspired garage rock, Shellac-styled industrial/post-punk, and SLF Inflammable Material-era punk” in this college-aged Nashville band’s sound. That’s still accurate, as Teal contains many of the same characteristics as the full-length.
St. Paul, MN-based Bonar’s follow-up to her 2014 sixth LP Last War is even better, featuring more focused and finely-honed playing. As well, its arrangements are alternately aggressive and atmospheric, thanks to Bonar’s brawny and buoyant backing band.
This New York duo’s dreamy covers of these two familiar classic-rock staples are so assiduously crafted, and Eleanor Kleiner’s singing so stupendous, it’s like you’re hearing each song for the first time.
Thirsty Hearts is an incredibly relevant and powerful record that speaks directly to the uncertain and transitory impasse in which we are currently living in.
“Diverse arrangements and themes abound on this album. Put the needle anywhere, and you’ll be drawn into an intoxicating melodic drift that sweeps you along with it.”
After five years of flying under the radar, Brooklyn’s The Modern Airline finally follow their eponymous 2011 debut full-length with a strong 7” that shows where they’ve been and where they’re going.
“This truly is music for floating away forever into the clouds, an infinite journey with Complekt as the perfect soundtrack. Highly recommended!”
“The Clean need no introduction as they are a long established classic Kiwi pop band on the venerable Flying Nun label.”
A Little More Country just might be the perfect Christmas gift for the country fan longing for traditional Americana and country that doesn’t entirely sacrifice a modern sensibility.
Before Al Jourgensen became defined by the metal industrial sound he pioneered, Ministry began as a synthwave band blending elements of post-punk, goth and electronic krautrock into a unified sound.
While Taberner doesn’t as of yet have the most original of voices, it’s clear from the off that Fallen contains all of the makings for one, and all that remains to be seen is where he goes from here.
A late look at one of the year’s best albums. The internal momentum of Pollock’s discography, seemingly impervious to the passage of time and lack of immediate rewards, remains its most striking feature.
Following the box set documenting Harry Bertoia’s complete Sonambient catalog comes a brand new release of previously unheard recordings that further the legacy of the legendary sculptor/composer.
