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Banner Pilot

Souvenir
Fat Wreck Chords (2014)

Often when a critic writes of a band not changing its sound it’s meant in the negative light: art should be about exploring new boundaries and punching the listener in the face with something new. But sometimes it’s not.Banner Pilot have been kicking out raspy pop-punk jams for the better part of a decade now—since 2005—and in that time they’ve … Read more

The Pains of Being Pure at Heart

Days of Abandon
Yebo Music (2014)

Five years removed from a self-titled debut released on the legendary Slumberland Records label that to many, signaled the return of sugary indie pop and shoegaze, New York City-based group The Pains of Being Pure at Heart return with 2014’s Days of Abandon, an album that demonstrates that lead singer and guitarist Kip Berman has all but perfected his songwriting … Read more

Roaming Herds of Buffalo

Alien Canyons
Independent (2013)

Self-released in November of 2013, Roaming Herds of Buffalo’s Alien Canyons is the band’s second release to date. The Seattle-based group has described this outing as a “collaborative project” in their web-based press kit, although I’m not sure what to conclude from this vague statement. Maybe everyone played everything and everyone got songwriting credits? Maybe the band considers these types … Read more

Various Artists

Crybaby/Casual - Split EP
Secret Audio Club (2014)

I hate to simplify the role of the split 7”—they’re about way more than this, in truth—but one of the greatest purposes the split 7” plays is in introducing yourself to new bands. Most of the time, the pairings are based on similar sounds or friendships and it’s a good way to branch out and find new groups. This split … Read more

Chad VanGaalen

Shrink Dust
Sub Pop (2014)

It’s 11 o’clock on a Saturday night. You’re lying in your bed, craving some late night music. You want something dreamy, but not Panda Bear dreamy; something minimal, but not Bonnie ‘Prince’ Billy minimal; something that comfortably sits in the middle of it all. Try out Chad VanGaalen.The Calgary singer/songwriter has been making awesome psych folk since 2001. After a … Read more

Meg Myers

Make A Shadow
Atlantic (2014)

Though many have tried to position singer/songwriter Meg Myers as the latest in the line of angsty female singers that includes the likes of Fiona Apple, the alarming level of bitterness and near hostility found in the lyrics of theMake a Shadow EP, the second release from the ferocious former Jehovah’s Witness, almost puts her in a different league entirely. … Read more

The Trouble With Templeton

Rookie
Bella Union (2014)

All good stories need an emphatic storyteller to bring the characters to life. Beyond one dimensional storyboards where all film ideas begin and draft-upon-draft of song lyrics harbouring a vision, the most important part of any creative endeavour is when these ideas are brought out of their enshrouded beginnings, and the storyteller tells us why these characters should matter to … Read more

Bl'ast!

Blood!
Southern Lord (2013)

Southern Californias' Bl'ast are certainly not new by any stretch but possibly forgotten by most to the annals of time. Hardcore is a scene that attempts to treasure the past while forgetting certain standard bearers and originators as suits the times. Southern Lord has managed to unearth a forgotten chapter of hardcore history with this record of forgotten and remastered … Read more

La Dispute

Rooms Of The House
Better Living (2014)

La Dispute’s 2011 post-hardcore masterpiece Wildlife was not only the highlight release of that year, but one of the finest records that I myself have humbly observed. Personal accolades aside, this opinion is one shared by many others, and not without due reason. Wildlife represented at the time of it's release not only an extended display of unbridled emotionality, but … Read more

The Bare Minimum

Hit After Hit
Independent (2014)

Oh, to be a fly on the wall during one of Toronto-based The Bare Miniumum's practices. It's generally an added bonus to discover that a band has a sense of humor about themselves, but with these guys it's seemingly the only thing they're concerned with. In interviews, the band presents themselves as lots of things. At times, they're an unconcerned … Read more

Rudimentary Peni

Cacophony (Re-issue)
Outer Himilayan (2013)

In the darkest recesses of some of our minds lies an unspeakable and unknowable terror, and some artists have brushed against that darkness throughout time (some recent examples might be H.P. Lovecraft, Francis Bacon, and a select few others) and Cacophony is a perfect illustration for the madness induced by such brushes with our inner demons; although nowhere near as … Read more

Signals Midwest

Light On The Lake
Tiny Engines (2013)

I’ve sat on this review for a while, waiting for that easy-to-describe-it moment to hit me. With Signals Midwest, I don’t know if that’s going to happen. The Cleveland band uses their Midwestern sensibility in their sound—it’s gritty, honest, and non-showy—but it’s also too distinct to tie to a geographic area. The band uses a punk influence throughout while playing … Read more

John Frusciante

Enclosure
Record Collection (2014)

Though he’s primarily known for being the former, on-again, off-again guitarist for Red Hot Chili Peppers, John Frusciante has long pursued a solo career that’s been full of peaks and valleys. After releasing a pair of somewhat fascinating, but difficult-to-listen-to albums in the 1990s, Frusciante hit his stride as a solo artist in the early 2000s, at one point releasing … Read more

Skrillex

Recess
Atlantic (2014)

Electronic musician Skrillex’s 2014 debut full length album Recess (released on the Atlantic label) starts with a track called “All’s Fair in Love and Brostep.” That says almost everything one needs to know about the album, prompting a WTF reaction from all except those people already firmly in the pro-Skrillex camp. The song title also hints at the juvenile mentality … Read more

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