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Kodiak

Self Titled (Collection)
Denovali (2011)

Even in this so-called digital age of information where anyone can have anything delivered right to their mobile phones in the blink of an eye, there are still moments where items, music, movies from outside of your physical domain slip by completely unnoticed; and, quite frankly, this whole circumstance is proof to me that there is still some mystery left … Read more

Airs

Gloomlights
Music Ruins Lives (2011)

Gloomlights appears as a double disc spectacular. One hour forty-two minutes, and eighteen tracks of pure pop/shoegazey/synthy melancholia - each disc bringing a distinct taste and sound to the table. Airs are a duo based on opposing sides of America, making music in the rawest sense and recording everything themselves. Each release being something a little bit special considering the … Read more

Chuck Ragan

Covering Ground
Side One Dummy (2011)

With guest spots from Brian Fallon (Gaslight Anthem), Chris Phillips (Squirrel Nut Zippers), Frank Turner, Audra Mae, Rick Steff and Todd Neene (Lucero), and Christopher Thorn (Blind Melon), it would be easy to think of Covering Ground as one of those records that builds itself around special appearances and musical specialties that can’t be re-produced live. Instead, Chuck Ragan’s lengthy … Read more

Big Black Delta

BBDLP1
Coming Home (2011)

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. … Read more

Get Rad

Choose Your Own Adventure
Halo of Flies (2011)

Choose Your Own Adventure is the latest offering from Midwestern hardcore punk four-piece Get Rad.“Be the Wave” is the first track. Seeing as how Get Rad is from Milwaukee, WI I’m not convinced the song is about surfing though. I suppose it could be a metaphor for skateboarding. Perhaps the wave is actually made of concrete? That means if you … Read more

Light Bearer

Lapsus
Halo OF Flies/Alerta Antifascista (2011)

You know there are those moments in songs where everything is just so perfect that you don’t want it to end? You do? Fantastic. Light Bearer have this in spades and none more so than on "Prelapsus," a track so soaring in tone that the sense of elation is enough to make even me crack a smile. But let’s not … Read more

Nekrasov

The Ever-Present
Crucial Blast (2011)

Nekrasov as an artist has made a name for himself over the past few years. Working in a rather limited, hard to define genre (Black Noise) and managing to inadvertently become one of the flagship artists in the current crop of artists in this genre. Black Noise itself is best defined by the over arching characteristics of it. That being … Read more

Seed From The Geisha

Talk Peace to the Wolf
M&O Music (2011)

Don't be turned away by the album cover! I assure you, this review has absolutely minimal content involving werwolves. Probably. I'm actually writing this introduction prior to finishing the last fifth or so of the review, so it's entirely conceivable I could change my mind. Let's assume I don't so that I can talk about the excellent debut from the … Read more

Alberta Cross

The Rolling Thunder
ATO (2011)

Approaching the closure to their set last weekend at the Electric Factory in Philadelphia, the London born Alberta Cross kept spirits alive, playing “…one from the new album.” The rejuvenating “Money For the Weekend” boosted energy throughout the venue, and does just that as the opener to the band’s recent EP, The Rolling Thunder.Opening for Portugal. The Man in support … Read more

You, Me, & Everyone We Know

Things Are Really Weird Right Now
Topshelf (2011)

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

A Death Cinematic

Your Fate Twisting, Epic In Its Crushing Moments
Simple Box Construction (2011)

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

Puscifer

Conditions of My Parole
Puscifer Entertainment (2011)

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

Giles Corey

Self Titled
Enemies List Home Recordings (2011)

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

Over Leavitt
Jump Start (2011)

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

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