Ever since the single “Kill For Love” dropped in October of last year, anticipation was through the roof for Chromatics’ forthcoming release. It only further heightened impatience for the record that Ryan Gosling’s Drive happened to be released last fall as well, which made synth-heavy, ’80s-leaning jams that much cooler. Yet Chromatics was perfecting this sound long [...]
Archive for Category: "Album Reviews"
The Men: Open Your Heart
It’s about time. With Open Your Heart, the no frills, no-holds-barred rock music has finally staked its claim as a force to be reckoned with in 2012. At a time when music is shifting towards a more electronic, finely tuned approach, The Men have elected to take listeners’ eardrums hostage with a barrage of uninhibited [...]
Julia Holter: Ekstasis
In this day and age, it is relatively easy for an artist to amass a whirlwind of internet buzz and hype, especially in the indie music world. With this comes the inevitability that some new musicians will falter under the intense scrutiny and anticipation, or become prematurely heralded before they have fully blossomed as a [...]
Sleigh Bells: Reign of Terror
From the first onslaught of sound that emerges from “True Guitar Shred,” the overall tone and purpose of the album is made abundantly clear. It is an introduction to the record which serves as a warning that the pop-leaning sing-a-longs that pervaded Treats are about to take a back seat to a darker, more rock-oriented [...]
Cloud Nothings: Attack on Memory
Intensity. That is the first word that comes to mind after a listen to Cloud Nothing’s new work, Attack on Memory. Lead singer and creator of Cloud Nothings, Dylan Baldi, had repeatedly stated in interviews that this album was a far more aggressive piece in comparison to the band’s past two outings. He has also [...]
Hectic Zeniths: Self-Titled
Electronic music and one-man composers have been a recurring theme throughout 2011. Some have broken from the pack and gained considerable buzz, while others continue to flounder in the large pool of obscurity. Besides the obvious intangible factors such as good timing and (simply put) luck, there is one specific element that most electronic artists [...]
Jónsi: We Bought a Zoo
To call the We Bought a Zoo soundtrack a mood piece would be slightly redundant. As a soundtrack, it is understood that it must act precisely as a complement to the movie’s visual imagery, an enhancement to the atmosphere. Who better to aurally bring to life a movie filled with natural imagery than the frontman [...]
Korallreven: An Album By Korallreven
Marcus Joons and Daniel Tjäder, the creative brainpower behind the hypnotic, uplifting sound of Korallreven, craft possibly the most tranquil, existential record of the year. The Swedish duo have released two mixtapes over the course of the past year in order to properly introduce themselves before their debut, and the strategy has garnered them quite [...]
Cass McCombs: Humor Risk
Two full length LPs in one year? Is that even fathomable in 2011? It seems that Cass McCombs does not subscribe to any current trends or media protocol, and that’s just the way his fans would have it. With a sorrowful croon reminiscent of a ‘60s AM pop artist and painstakingly detailed approach to every [...]
Atlas Sound: Parallax
Few artists have worked harder to establish their place in the music world than Bradford Cox. In this day and age, artists can release a handful of songs to the internet and stir up a torrential media frenzy. Who would have guessed that Cox has been creating music for over ten years? After the breakthrough [...]
Tom Waits: Bad As Me
It is an acquired taste, like a fine wine. Or considering the nature of Tom Waits, more like a bourbon. His voice is not for the faint of heart. Rough, acerbic and guttural, Waits’ yelps and growls are utterly vitriolic, and he delivers them with a vehement conviction. This conviction is essentially what endears Tom [...]
