PS I Love You, the heartthrob of the Kingston, Ontario’s indie rock scene, had more than just high expectations placed upon them after the unexpected success of 2010’s Meet Me At The Muster Station. With critical praise and a tour schedule that stretched the world wide, the guitar/drum duo of Paul Saulnier and Benjamin Nelson found themselves amongst the few Canadian bands able to gain considerable international success. It was in this almost surreal experience of musical conquest that PS I Love You’s second LP, Death Dreams, was born. The title track opens things up with a dark instrumental that builds among crashing cymbals and delicate guitar lines into the characteristic sound that brought PS I Love You to where they are today. Death Dreams is much of the same punk influenced garage-rock that Muster Station brought to the table, but with a hint of maturity and progression that keeps things fresh and, once all is said and done, leaves you wanting more and more. Saulnier’s high-pitched, expressive wail is indecipherable at times, but pairs perfectly with his intricate guitar work and Nelson’s frantic, driving drum beats. Together the two move together at a blinding pace, weaving between each reverb-drenched … Read more
It seems more and more as of late bands are taking the lead of the mighty Darkthrone. That is to … Read more
I love old school death metal as much as the next person, so I'm always on the lookout for some … Read more
For those of you that don't recognize the name, Kevin Hufnagel is actually a fairly prolific musician, playing in technical … Read more
Ever since Best Coast released their full length debut, Crazy For You, (Mexican Summer, 2010,) there are two things you … Read more
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The deliciously gloomy album art on Wall of Water's two-track Promo 2015 features what seems to be a long-abandoned roller coaster rotting away in the elements, an image that seems to jive with the downbeat but arresting style of music played by band members Cullen Toner (multi-instrumentalist and vocalist) and Shawn Eldridge (drummer). Keyboard adds to the occasionally almost theatrical effect of opener “Exposure,” a work that alternately delivers clean or growled vocals alongside almost robotic eruptions of kick and snare, while the lengthy “Clairvoyance” meanders through a slowed-down post-rock opening before kicking into overdrive during a pounding middle stretch. The doomy final third of the piece finds agonized vocal and haunting air raid guitar sending things out on an appropriately uneasy note. Full of interesting, continually shifting rhythms and … Read more
Yukon Blonde, an indie/rock band from Kelowna, British Columbia, started off as Alphababy and made their comeback in 2009 with a new band name. Their newest album as Yukon Blonde is called Tiger Talk and can be recognized by their first single "Stairway," a song that is being played on most indie/rock radio stations.The album begins with "My Girl," an … Read more
From the get-go, Welcome Home establishes Red Collar’s infectious brand of up-tempo rock and roll with tenacity and a working-class spirit. Known for their energetic live show that blurs the line between performer and audience, the Durham, North Carolina based band does well to translate that intensity onto a recorded format. Formed by the duo of Jason and Beth Kutchma, … Read more
Splits, in general, are dicey: often two bands (or more) are vaguely similar, making for a decent record but one that usually acts as filler. These releases seem to contain cast-off songs from recent recordings that didn't fit the scope of the album.In this case we have two newer bands that are making waves by creating a sound somewhere between … Read more
Before reading any further, know that DIIV are anything but overwrought. The NYC band’s debut, Oshin, reflects the sort of open air, free-flowing rhythms and harmonics fluent in the thriving genre of dream pop. Naturally, the music isn’t about following along or thinking too hard about it. Everything here is predictable and minimalist. That’s what makes it so enjoyable.Oshin is … Read more
Like many albums, I picked up Royal Thunder's CVI because I heard someone somewhere describe it as progressive metal. Like many of those albums, it turned out to have little to do with the genre. Unlike the majority of those albums, however, I wound up being impressed by this one anyway, and here's why:Royal Thunder may just be the last … Read more
I'll say, Troubled Coast are turning into one of the most steadfast bands I've heard. Their music has been on a consistent incline of musical quality since their debut EP in 2010, and 2012's I've Been Thinking About Leaving You in no way disappoints: it's without a doubt their most mature offering to date.I recall mentioning on my review of … Read more
Pushing the black metal blueprint ever further from its roots, San Franciscan four-piece Bosse-de-Nage deliver a record of complex intensity and distraught emotion with third full length iii. The enigmatic group very rarely play live and are averse to revealing their true identities, yet iii is a deeply personal collection and portrays an increasingly downward spiral and a descent into … Read more
Ever since their debut full length, Sleepwalking, Memphis May Fire have departed from the southern tinged metalcore they were known for, and instead have adopted a more straight forward approach to the genre. This move had alienated a large portion of their audience, and obscured their identity in the process. But fortunately this change in sound has been fully realized … Read more
Having the ability to keep an album under wraps until the band goes out on tour is pretty impressive in this day and age (particularly with the internet and all), and, when Tragedy snuck this album out during a tour, it brought a level of excitement and excitement to their upcoming tour (besides raising the chatter on the internets to … Read more
I wanted to write this entire review as a spoonerism, but my editor slapped me through my computer screen before I could even begin to type it. Though she was probably right to stop me, it would've made reviewing this dod gamned remix album much more interesting. Dross Glop is a series of remixes, originally released as a four-part vinyl … Read more
A lot of bands are waving their 90s flags these days. And I don’t blame them. A) they grew up with the stuff and, B) I’ll take the Alternative Nation over the skinny jeans 20-aught set any day. (Yes, I’m an old man.) Sick Sick Birds are a Baltimore group coming out of the punk scene, although their music doesn’t … Read more
For fans of The English Beat this one was a long time coming. Coming in at a whopping 80 tracks of pure gold, this one has something for everyone. The English Beat’s place in music history is solid, topping the charts in the early eighties with hit after hit and mixing political lyrics with their brand of up tempo music. … Read more
Some bands just don't know when to slow down. California-based dark ambient/electronic musician Crowhurst definitely falls into that category, as he and his small army of guest musicians are about to release his fourteenth (?!) studio album this year, the evocatively titled Aghoree.The album is named after the somewhat less-than-mainstream Hindu sect that can (regretfully) be accurately described using the … Read more
How many people do you know that absolutely love Quicksand (personally, there is not a person that I know who is into music that does not love this band), or, better yet how many people do you know that point to Quicksand as a band or group to be revered, emulated, worshipped, et al (again, there are a multitude of … Read more
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