How the hell do you take a genre as overworked as pop music and make it interesting? If your name happens to be Jonathan Bates, then you do this “by purposefully doing everything slightly wrong.” The result is his debut album, Big Black Delta's BBDLP1.This stems mainly from Bates's insistence on mixing styles in ways that don't always make sense. The single “Capsize” combines lazily plodding dance music with slashing work in the string section. “Dreary Moon” takes the traditional rock ballad form and makes it much more ethereal. Especially towards the end of the album, Bates seems to drop any pretence of a pop album entirely in favour of blatant genre-mixing. “PB3” forays into drone and “Roost” is a gospel track modified beyond recognition. “Put the Gun on the Floor” is probably the most straightforward track on this album, and even that strays significantly out of the norm, combining heavy, industrial 4/4 songwriting with massively distorted vocals, tipsy leads, and slightly-out-of-phase backing. Bates is certainly still a master of the pop music form. In fact, “IFUCKINGLOVEYOU” may just be the best fucking pop song I have ever heard. Everything about it feels like the perfect song to dance to, … Read more
You know there are those moments in songs where everything is just so perfect that you don’t want it to … Read more
Don't be turned away by the album cover! I assure you, this review has absolutely minimal content involving werwolves. Probably. … Read more
Approaching the closure to their set last weekend at the Electric Factory in Philadelphia, the London born Alberta Cross kept … Read more
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The first time I listened to this EP I was waiting for it to properly start. I was already halfway through the second track before realising this was it. I was clearly not in the mood for this type of spacey music. Trying it again a couple of days later gave some better results. American Klezmische is the second installment of the In The Running Series. The first installment is the split of Solilians and Skyjelly. Solilians are a band that merge cosmic ambient, klezmer and folk. And depending on your source also space rock. That last denominator got me of on the wrong foot as I can hardly find any space rock on this EP (perhaps third track "Stratoshmear" could be classified as such). The sound of these genres … Read more
You, Me, & Everyone We Know came to my attention with the announcement of their break-up earlier this year. I didn't give them a listen until their post-humous EP, Things Are Really Weird Right Now. I was taken aback, as I wasn't expecting something as poppy as this from Topshelf Records. That isn't necessarily a bad thing though.The first song … Read more
Ah, another offering from A Death Cinematic in the form of an “EP” (I put this in quotes because it plays longer than some LPs by some bands) entitled Your Fate Twisting In Its Crushing Moments; and just as with previous releases, this comes with some of the most intriguing packaging, again, hand made cover consists of a hand printed … Read more
You can stop staring at your watch with misplaced optimism; there's still no news from Tool on their fifth album, and A Perfect Circle have reiterated their vow not to work on an album-length project again. So then what exactly, you might ask, is everyone's favourite rock-star-turned-vintner doing, if not fronting one of his established bands? As it turns out, … Read more
People say that the best works of art are born of intense pain and immense suffering and history proves this out to some extent (without getting into some existential debate with myself over the validity of the statement, it serves the purposes of this little pseudo repartee); now, Giles Corey (both the project and the album) is the tortured work … Read more
Noise By Numbers are a group of Chicago punk veterans, and Over Leavitt gives a nice first impression. The sepia-tinged sunset photo of an industrial district gives a relatable, down to earth feel. On the flipside there’s a photo of the band playing a house show. Sure, they’ve put their sweat equity into the scene, but there’s no sense of … Read more
Before i get done writing this review i may have listened to this record 5 times, possibly more. That is listening to this record once for each inch of vinyl it is pressed onto. Those familiar with Hatewaves from their 7 inch release last year should know the bands' pedigree within hardcore and metal and probably would have bought this … Read more
Powerwolves had been running around the northeast for a little while now. While this is not important in itself, the band does take their sound from a lineage of past Boston area bands. The most recognizable would have to be The Hope Conspiracy, while this is readily noticeable it comes through only in the style of the vocals. The band … Read more
I don't know about you, but a band with a name like 'Scale the Summit' evokes some pretty specific musical imagery for me--huge guitar lines, tons of stylistic shifts, and a definite sense of grandeur all come to mind. What's cool is that's exactly what the Texan instrumental progressive metal quartet sounds like. If you're not following me here, try … Read more
How many national music treasures come from the United States? You know those ones that are still alive that you can point to and say that our musical culture would be less without their contribution, and I mean, yeah, there is Bob Dylan, possibly the Boss, Iggy Pop; but I would be willing to place one Thomas Alan Waits up … Read more
Clash Battle Guilt Pride is Polar Bear Club’s third release and second on Bridge Nine. The veteran band sets their tone early with “Pawner,” a sparse, sprawling song with big hitting moments where vocalist Jimmy Stadt runs the gamut of emotions. While the tempo lulls are a bit under spoken for the heavy-minded group, the emotive bursts of “I gotta … Read more
On the Stormy Petrel World Tour in 2010 bassist Graeme Philliskirk made an arrangement with The Arthouse in Melbourne, Australia to record Leatherface’s set, unbeknownst to the rest of the band. This recording led to Viva La Arthouse, a record that captures Leatherface live and without the self-awareness you’ll often hear on such releases. In addition, it serves to document … Read more
Dream pop as a genre seems to have made a slight comeback in recent years. While this may be due to many factors more bands are embracing the harmonies of The Cocteau Twins and Chapterhouse. This seems to be a good thing as many of these bands bring other little things into their music as well (Atlas Sound, The Pains … Read more
It’s Seriousness indeed for The Blind Shake. The Minneapolis three-piece plays concise, to the point garage rock. From their matching trek suits to drummer Dave Roper’s emphatic beats, the band has an air of professional dedication when they take the stage that’s distinct in a genre that seems to pride itself on sloppiness. The band has been alternating records between … Read more
Triac has had a rather long history much of which seems unnoticed by those who aren't on top of their game. Over the course of a handful of releases and a massive appearance on Volume 2 of the "This Comp Kills Fascists" series the band have made themselves known to the metal underground worldwide. Where does this leave the band? … Read more
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