video review

  • On this title track from one of Grouper’s two new albums, Liz Harris creates “vastness,” and packs it into three minutes of arpeggios and ghostly vocals. The lo-fi production makes the music really smudgy and obscured, but there’s still something therapeutic about the repetition and textures here. Listening

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  • On their latest album, the Antlers work to improve the lo-fi recording quality they were dealing with on their last album, and they definitely succeed in that department. The instruments and the mix sound absolutely fantastic. But there are more changes. First off, the storytelling that made their past LP

  • 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

  • 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,

  • afrobeat

    Tune-Yards’ sophomore LP, for some, will be a true exercise in patience. Merrill Garbus’ vocals can be a serious strain on the ears, and the amount of instrumentation she’s packed into this album borders on migraine-inducing. But all of this album’s quirks can easily become strengths on the

  • Rotten Sound’s Curse is a loud record. No one can deny that. They have the speedy blast beats, vocals, and guitar riffs every grindcore band should have. However, this LP loses a lot of potential energy in its extremely regulated recording. I know the in-the-moment sound bands like Terrorizer