Natural Child’s 1971 is an attitude-heavy set of rock tunes that emulate everything from power pop to the kind of classic rock they play on the AM band. Stylistically, this LP is all over the place, which is kind of surprising since the 7” EP I reviewed of theirs
On their debut full-length on Deathwish, Deafheaven take their seamless blend of black metal, post-rock, and post-hardcore to a new level of musicianship and recording quality. Though this may not be the most original black metal record on the block–yes, a lot of groups have been putting tons of
On their latest album, Explosions In the Sky gives the appearance of evolution with some added instrumentation: acoustic guitar, strings, hums, looped percussion, and other miscellaneous noises. However, the band hasn’t really altered their playing style or sonic qualities that much. The mood has changed a little, but this
On their latest album, the Beastie Boys still sound like they’re at the top of their game–which is fantastic considering their age. There’s a kinetic energy between the three of them that’s difficult to explain. I know these guys aren’t for everybody, but there’s
On their latest album CunninLyngusits bring some seriously cinematic production. All of the atmospheric textures make the perfect setting for lyrical themes dealing with dreams. Of course, “dreaming” isn’t limited to what you see in your sleep. This LP delves into fantasies of all shapes and sizes: sexual, violent,
The overarching theme on Apocalypse seems clear, but the chapters in this story are kind of vague, making it difficult for me to really get into this album. As usual, the instrumentation behind Callahan’s deadpan vocals is simple and honest. It serves mostly as a stage for his poetic
On their third album, Ponytail turns the noise down and pumps the musicianship up. While this album isn’t as harsh or mind-melting at 2008’s Ice Cream Spiritual, this new album–aptly titled Do Whatever You Want All the Time–shows the band letting their improvisational flags fly. These
Every time a Kills album comes on, I feel a bunch of involuntary reflexes coming on: my eyes squint, my lips tighten, and my shoulders start to shrug. I’m just unsure of why this music should appeal to me. I could certainly see myself latching onto the noisy distortion,
Download: Curren$y- Covert Coup via 2dopeboyz Admittedly, I slept on New Orleans rapper Curren$y last year when he released Pilot Talk one and two. His extremely laid back–some would say “blunted”–delivery on the mic was really leaving me underwhelmed. He’s got a new tape out,
Wormrot’s brand of grindcore will probably strike most people as being old school. Their dedication to thrash metal riffs and a natural-sounding production style calls back to the genre’s salad days in the 80s. But not everything here is from the past. The band’s intensity and speedy
