Label: Nine Mile Records Released: October 16, 2015 I once read that the Detroit music scene of the 1960s was a battle for the airwaves between Motown and garage rock. It’s hard to imagine being envious of Detroit today, but imagine it 50 years ago, having to pick between the MC5 and the Temptations. Can’t imagine it? Well, maybe you… Read more »
Label: Korda Records Released: October 16, 2015 There is something gentle and optimistic about the Innocence Misson’s Hello I Feel the Same that goes beyond the name and title and is not the entire picture. Finger picking over a quiet drone in “Blue and Yellow” support Karen Peris’ almost Nico-esque vocals. There is even some of the emptiness that comes… Read more »
Label: Secret City Records Released: November 6, 2015 Black Matter is an overall haunting affair, but one that rises slowly from its darkness. The dirgey, ambient tones strain slightly against quiet, tribal drums in “Asleep in the Water” while electronic sequencing drifts beneath the ringing dissonance of the title track. The darkness lifts ever so slightly as the album progresses… Read more »
Released: 1985 Label: Proteus Records Ever heard of New Zealand’s the Drongos? Me either. I bought this on a whim out of the used bin of a local record store based solely on the liner notes. The Drongos came to New York City in 1978 and, at a friends’ recommendation, went out and starting busking in the vicinity of Times… Read more »
Label: Equal Vision Released: September 25, 2015 Just when I thought I had the review for this EP done, I woke up with one of their songs in my head (“Pit of My Stomach”). To be honest, I don’t necessarily think that it’s a good thing, because sometimes you also get some songs that you didn’t like stuck all day… Read more »
Label: Topshelf Records Released: June 9, 2015 Listening to Ratboys’ AOID takes me back to the early 80s Paisley Underground sound of jangle and fuzz (both early Bangles and Long Ryders come to mind). Sure the opener is a short anti-folk ditty, but the album quickly finds its 60s/80s stride. It is simply wonderful to enjoy these hooks amidst the… Read more »
Label: One Percent Press Released: November 6, 2015 why+the+wires’ self-described genre is “PunkRockWaltzStompShout.” In a way, any attempt to review this album beyond the concise clarity of that self-examination is pointless. But I’ll give it a shot nonetheless. Flame Failures is a wild and loose affair right out of the gate with two tracks soaring loud and free with perhaps… Read more »
Kindling offer up this melodic wall of noise from their upcoming Galaxies EP on No Idea Records. It may not break any new shoegazer ground, but certainly would not suffer on a mix tape of the genre’s best. Loud guitars and driving rhythms make the ears ring while sweet pop vocals sneak through amking it at once ethereal and earthy…. Read more »
Label: Silber Records Released: September 2015 Hiroshi Sugimoto took a lot of blurry photographs. Some are hauntingly beautiful and others just evade my understanding. It’s hard to say that the latter fails, so much as it seems that I have failed. So it is with Yellow6’s “photographs” as well. The stated goal of No Memories, Just Photographs is to express… Read more »
Label: Image Entertainment Released: September 14, 2010 Some documentaries are for casual fans, others are for more serious fans and others are almost for musicians themselves. This one falls into the latter two categories. There is a bit of narrative that takes him from childhood to the London of 1967 and a bit more that surrounds his death, but the… Read more »