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Screaming Females – Ugly (Don Giovanni)
Please see my full review here.
Spiritualized – Sweet Heart Sweet Light (Fat Possum)
On initial listens, this is as strong of an album as 2008’s Songs in A&E and at times it reminds me of Let it Come Down and even his magnum opus, 1997’s Ladies and Gentlemen We Are Floating in Space.
Mrs. Magician – Strange Heaven (Swami)
Though it’s on Swami, this album reminds me a lot of the recent work of The Fresh and Onlys. That’s a very good fan.
Chain and the Gang with Bleeding Rainbow and Coasting – PhilaMOCA (Philadelphia) – April 13, 2012
Look for a review up soon!
Burning Sensation – Burning Sensation (Vertex)
I still can’t stop playing this. Simply put, this is the best modern hardcore/punk record I’ve heard in ages and has to be heard to be believed. Stream it here.
Penelope Houston – On Market Street (Devoted Ruins)
This is quite a busy time for Penelope Houston between this excellent solo album coming out last month and The Avengers Lp FINALLY getting the deluxe 2 CD reissue treatment is so deserves (it’s out on Water Music next month). Anyway, the title track is the clear highlight here, but all of it is nothing less than great.
This is the other band of Fiona Campbell, drummer extraordinaire from the amazing Vivian Girls. It’s a guitar/drums duo with Madison Farmer and though not quite as grimy and flat-out pummeling as their earlier singles, this debut full-length from late last year trades some scuzz for pronounced pop hooks that at times invite comparisons to Vivian Girls themselves or perhaps fellow Vivian Girl Katy Goodman‘s La Sera project.
Frankie Rose – “Know Me” EP (Slumberland)
The A-side is the album version from the amazing Interstellar. Instead of another song, the B-side is a remix of the A-side done by Interstellar producer Le Chev. I’m not usually a fan of remixes, but since I love the production on Interstellar, I was hoping that this remix would win me over. Unfortunately, that’s not the case here. It’s OK, but dull and obliterates the song’s guitar hook and melody (its biggest strengths other than Rose’s breathy vocals).
Golden Gurls – Typo Magic (self-released)
These “gurls” are really three guys from Baltimore who probably moonlight as a Superchunk tribute band, but who write catchy songs of their own in that classic ’90s indie rock style. Their bandcamp page (where you can hear this entire album) lists Sonic Youth, Bedhead, Dinosaur Jr and Seam as influences and those artists aren’t far off as well. At times, though, this even reminds me of earlier Death Cab for Cutie.
Dr. John – Locked Down (Nonesuch)
I’m admittedly no Dr. John aficionado, but hearing “Revolution” on a local radio station prompted me to check out this full-length. Produced by Dan Auerbach of The Black Keys, this is a flat-out stunningly vital and fresh-sounding album from the 71 year old, New Orleans legend.
