Recent reviews

Our latest album reviews, featuring the records we've most enjoyed (or not) over the past few weeks.

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Browse our album reviews according to score: Highest (9.5/10 or more) or Lowest (2/10 or less)

David Bowie

A New Career in a New Town
Parlophone (2017)

I have successfully broken my brain trying to find something new to say about David Bowie. I believe it to be absolutely impossible to speak in new terms on what the musician, actor, artist, and fashion icon meant to the the worlds he showed up in. Countless of us who mourned his death have done so with some type of memoriam, in written word or performance, that hopefully helps to drive the grieving process. Bowie was fearless, continually pushing his art to new heights and new audiences. He proved throughout his career that he could write the poppiest of hits, or the most avant-garde ambient music, and everything in-between. Bowie would borrow from everywhere renting sounds like taking books from a library eventually assuming them as his own in an original and inspiring way. This is no better seen on the third boxed set released from Parlophone entitled 1977 - 1982 A New Career in a New Town which showcases his time spent working in Berlin with Iggy Pop, Brian Eno, and Tony Visconti. The boxset puts on blast remastered versions of The Berlin Trilogy of records that include Low, Heroes, and Lodger, ending with Scary Monsters (and Super Creeps). … Read more

The Damned

Don't You Wish That We Were Dead
Three Count Films (2016)

Wes Orshoski, who is not unknown among documentary aficionados as he directed Lemmy, which sheds light on the times of … Read more

Brooke Bentham

This Rapture EP
All Points (2017)

Even though 21-year-old Brooke Bentham is firmly entrenched in the burgeoning South London music scene, her music sounds as though … Read more

Trachimbrod

Leda
Dog Knight Records/Zegema Beach Records/Through Love Records (2017)

Would you have told me 20 years ago I would enjoy music like Trachimbrod I would have stared at you … Read more

Acephalix

Decreation
20 Buck Spin (2017)

Setting out with a retro vision of death metal glory alongside a punk sensitivity, Acephalix erupted into the scene with … Read more

Various Artists

ESC Life / Remedy - split EP
PDV Records/Laserlife Record/LastExit Music/Ill in the Head (2017)

This is a sweet and short three track 7’’ released by two befriended bands. This EP had me interested when … Read more

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One from the archives

A Storm of Light

Nations To Flames
Southern Lord (2013)

A band reinventing itself is not an uncommon occurrence, but a successful reinvention is, and the more drastic the shift, the less likely it is to succeed. There are some notable success stories, but let's face it, not every band can have the graceful chance of being, say, Anathema. One of the most recent bands to take the chance and reinvent themselves are metal legends A Storm of Light, and while the shift is less drastic than most, it leaves them carrying a huge burden for success. They were put on the map for their doom-laden post-metal musings, and their recent album, Nations to Flames, takes everything about their past and throws it out the door.Given the bloated, droning compositions that defined the majority of their catalogue, calling Nations to … Read more

More album reviews

Various Artists

Sad Vacation: The Last Days of Sid And Nancy DVD
MVD Visual (2017)

Ah, Sid Vicious.The sung hero of my formative years and fashion sense of the time (including pad lock necklace and safety pin piercing, inspiration for much mischief and muse for many often amazingly bizarre lyrical explorations of punk bands, e.g. the German’s OHL formal and very polite plea “Hey Sid Vicious, wir benötigen Sie!” and The Exploited’s plaidoyer that could … Read more

Sciatic Nerve

Sciatic Nerve
Anxious And Angry/ Gunner Records (2017)

Sciatic Nerve is a band that doesn’t care what you think. They don’t have “band sound,” or so the press release claims. To get all meta on them, their stated brand-less concept is a concept itself. But I digress. The important thing is that it’s a group of long-time friends who came together to have fun and play music. That’s … Read more

The Capitalist Kids

Brand Damage
Eccentric Pop Records (2017)

Even with a name like Capitalist Kids, the Austin band has always been more about love songs in the vein of Mr. T Experience and Lookout Records before hitting the political sauce. Well, the Drumpf era has hit us all in undeniable ways. Brand Damage is the band’s fourth full-length and here, relationships fall apart and the rivers of political … Read more

Rallidae

Turned, And Was
Gold Bolus Recordings (2016)

The other week a friend and I went to a jazz club - the Lilypad in Cambridge, MA. We didn’t know who was playing there that night - we were mostly looking for a way to kill time after stuffing ourselves with Indian food - but it turned out to be pianist Burton Greene. I hadn’t heard of Greene - … Read more

Raymond Pettibon

A Pen of all Work
Phaidon (2017)

Chances are that if you are remotely into underground culture, you will have quite a few records, shirts or other things adorned with artwork by Raymond Pettibon.For nigh to thirty years, Raymond Pettibon has been creating art that not only comments but has become an integral part of American culture and its implications. With a view from a unique angle, … Read more

Bell Witch

Mirror Reaper
Profound Lore (2017)

Beginning the dissection of a record is often the most difficult thing to do when it comes to writing a review. Knowing how to start, to draw in your reader and keep them interested is tough; you know what you want to say, how the record makes you feel and you may even have an insight into the intentions of … Read more

Succumb

Succumb
Flenser (2017)

Established in 2014 as Cloak, this California-based extreme metal act produced an interesting hybrid take on black/death metal. Changing the name of the band in 2017, after their debut demo as Cloak, and bringing on board drummer Harry Cantwell, known from his work with Slough Feg and Bosse-de-Nage, the quartet left behind its black metal affinity in order to focus … Read more

Spinifex Gum

Spinifex Gum
My Shore Productions (2017)

Spinifex resin is a gum coating of some species of Spinifex grasses. The resin was traditionally used in tool making by Australian Aborigines. To produce the gum, the spinifex is threshed until the resin particles fall free. These particles are heated until they fuse together to form a moldable black tar, which is worked, while warm. When set, this gum … Read more

Myteri

Myteri
Alerta Antifascista (2017)

How do you keep up to date with new music? I have the luxury of being a reviewer. I’m informed on a constant basis (and get to cherry pick the releases I wish to review. Seriously, I love this job!), but next to that I keep an eye out for certain labels. There’s a couple of labels that are very … Read more

Worriers

Survival Pop
Side One Dummy (2017)

It seems like Worriers nailed down their sound on day one, when they rose from the ashes of The Measure S.A.. The Lauren Denitzio-fronted group plays a melodic and quirky style of indie-poppish-punk. On Survival Pop, that sound takes a stronger pop turn, with ear-pleasing hooks paired to politically-charged and empowering lyricism. In many ways, this record is a call … Read more

Grit

Diamond EP
Distro-y Records (2017)

These past few weeks have been very busy weeks for me. My girlfriend moved in. Happy news for me and her of course. Moving her stuff, renovating my home, vivid discussions on what to keep and what to get rid off all took their time. Most of the work is done now and all the effort we put in it … Read more

Black Anvil

As Was
Relapse (2017)

Black Metal as a musical genre is not known for it's subtlety. The pendulum will usually swing between low-fi heavily distorted guitar and blast-beats or overwrought, overproduced operatic epics. But Black Anvil is a band of a different color. Hailing from NYC, they've managed to make a more accessible Black Metal sound without sacrificing any of the chief tenets that … Read more

Liam Gallagher

As You Were
Warner Bros. (2017)

Beady Eye was not a bad band. Au contraire. If you harbour a weak spot for Oasis, aim at an objective viewpoint and take a break from you loyalty to the Chief Noel, it proves to be difficult to not like their two albums, however, a lot of Oasis aficionados managed exactly that.As You Were is Liam Gallagher’s new album. … Read more

Monolord

Rust
Riding Easy (2017)

Sweden’s Monolord worship at the altar of the riff and on third effort Rust that riff comes downtuned, weighty and driven by bass. Vocals are hazy at best, which only adds to the ceremonial vibrations that Monolord deliver on a record that delves into darkness on its way to the end. Predecessor Vænir from 2015 was found to be lacking … Read more

Reviews by score
Browse our album reviews according to score: Highest (9.5/10 or more) or Lowest (2/10 or less)