A spotlight can show a lot about a person. Over the course of her career Maria Taylor has been, arguably, the driving force behind both the bands Azure Ray and Now It's Overhead, as well as lending her talents to various other artists including Crooked Fingers and Moby. Despite gaining moderate recognition for her work with groups, Taylor's delicate style has always been accompanied, or combined, with the writing talents of others. Her solo effort, 11:11, marks the first time we see Taylor left by herself to explore life on Saddle Creek Records. Fitting comfortably between my copies of Bright Eyes' Lifted and The Postal Service's Give Up, 11:11 borrows ideas from the better parts of Taylor's past, as well as encompassing the familiar sounds of her label mates. The single " Song Beneath a Song" carriers a simple, but effective, tune using three chord guitar melodies backed with light bass. Alternately the track "One for the Shareholder", easily compared to Oberst's "Lover I Don't Have to Love", has a digital aesthetic, though is conducted much better than Bright Eye's Digital Ash in a Digital Urn. The two songs set the tone for the album and we see little variance … Read more
It wasn't too that ago that Killing the Dream was just a band with a demo. Upon first hearing said … Read more
Joie Blaney is, or at least, was a musical anomaly. Under the guise of Joie Dead Blonde Girlfriend, he plays … Read more
When middle-school seemed too far away and Goosebumps represented literature, birthday parties were the fucking shit. I'd eat cake, party … Read more
If you believe the hype currently going around then you must think that the UK music scene is at its … Read more
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Pussygutt is a two-piece ambient droning doom outfit. Well, not exactly but a more accurate description may be given as Pussygutt is a group that works their magic with two actual members and a revolving cast of collaborators as its two masterminds (Brittany McConnell and Blake Green) see fit. She Hid Behind Her Veil is the third album from the group and is one in which Pussygutt further pushes the envelope of their sound by laying out a single forty-five minute track while still incorporating elements that the band has traversed in the past. She Hid Behind Her Veil shows a great deal of promise initially with sheets of guitar noise combining with some eerie guitar tones to create a tense listening experience; the amount of low end bass sound … Read more
At a recent Coliseum show, vocalist/guitarist Ryan Patterson made mention that Glenn Danzig was a big influence and source of inspiration for him for years. On Not of This World both Coliseum and Doomriders pay tribute to that man. Although short by most standards, this split EP packs enough of a wallop that it shames a majority of the full-lengths … Read more
It's rather sad that a band as influential as Ringworm has been reduced to being promoted as 'featuring members of Terror.' By no means is this a knock at Terror, they're a solid band and extremely entertaining in a live setting. But Ringworm is a band that has been around for over a decade. During that time the band released … Read more
I don't like split releases. They annoy me because I would rather hear an EP by the two separate bands to digest it completely before I am being forced to listen to another band's output on the same disc. Also, you never hear anyone say that a split is their favorite record of all time because quite frankly splits just … Read more
At any point in time you may catch me watching television, usually an Aqua Teen Hunger Force DVD, Comedy Central, or Cartoon Network. However, lately, I've been watching The Food Network almost nonstop. No, seriously. So with my diligent viewing of shows like 'Food 911!' and 'Inside Dish with Rachael Ray' I've decided to present you with the following recipe. … Read more
Byla is an ambient duo consisting of members of Dysrhytmia, Behold the Arctopus, and Infidel?/Castro!. The two started to work together in 2003 and have put out their debut full-length this year on Translation Loss Records. Despite the fact that their other bands are known for making either noise (Infidel?/Castro!) or being a technical debauchery (Behold the Arctopus), this band … Read more
We've all heard the stories. Someone leaves your favorite band and the remaining members have two choices.... carry on or pack it in. It doesn't mean shit to a tree why the member left - whether they were kicked out, quit, or had a bus roll over on them, the point is they're gone, and as popular as the band … Read more
If you ask me, there's no musical genre more ripe to be picked from the tree of potential and placed into the basket of commercial acceptance than South African Christian Hardcore (SACH). Yes, a bold and untapped market is just waiting for us to shell out our Krugerrands and spread the joys of Jesus. What's that you say? You're not … Read more
This is the sound of being stalked by some unnamed horror that you are too afraid to turn around and see. The suspense builds and wanes and builds more to the harrowing climax leaving you with only the droning aftermath to contemplate that anxiety attack that you may have just experienced. What a deliciously terrifying opening to an album. Sunn … Read more
I'm a fan of Kill Your Idols, hell I rock their hoodie every cold day in myriad of cold days that I endure in the frozen tundra of Minnesota. I've even been privy to see Kill Your Idols twice in the last five years, which by Twin Cities standards, that's like seeing them every week. Kill Your Idols is a … Read more
Ian Brown is held in high regard by many, many people; which I guess you can sort of expect for the man that was the lead singer of The Stone Roses. With the release of his greatest hits album under the imaginative title The Greatest, Brown is pretty sure of himself and his music. God knows why. Seriously the guy … Read more
If you're craving a throwback to the time when thrash metal was at it's height, then look no further than Municipal Waste's Hazardous Mutation. On their Earache Records debut the Richmond, Virginia four-piece deliver the perfect mixture of 80's thrash, crossover, and hardcore/punk. While the result may be nothing more than what some consider 'twenty years too late,' it is … Read more
Preparation for listening to the new Lightning Bolt record for the first time: ' Call up around a dozen of your closest buddy's and get them to haul ass to your place. ' Splash out your last forty bucks on as much low grade beer as your arms can carry. ' Take the last ten bucks you earned pumping gas … Read more
Tempers of music fans ran high from the day stories were posted on various sites that specific bands were to be covering songs that are heralded as classics in the genres of punk rock and hardcore. A metalcore band covering Bad Brains? A pop-punk band covering the legendary Gorilla Biscuits? Surely this is some sort of joke. Surely not. Say … Read more
As Death Cab for Cutie becomes the mainstream poster boy for indie rock, groups like Dilated Peoples and Atmosphere have become the indie hip hop equivalent. Afterthought seems to ride the line between the mainstream and indie hip-hop sound, wearing the backpack with one strap on, one off, and a drink in his hand. Take It or Leave It is … Read more
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