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Barren Harvest

Subtle Cruelties
Handmade Birds (2014)

It is quite difficult to define what Barren Harvest is offering in Subtle Cruelties. The duet of Jessica Way of Worm Ouroboros and Lenny Smith of Atriarch and Trees has found an intriguing way to present a neo folk album. But, it seems like there is always something underlying the initial folky sound of the album with its majestic melancholic … Read more

200 Words Or Less

Tweak Bird

Any Ol' Way
Lets Pretend (2014)

Tweak Bird is the Los Angeles sludge-pop duo of Caleb Benjamin and Ashton Leech. Their stoner/garage rock crossover sound has enabled them to share the stage with acts ranging from art metal quartet Tool to cheeky indie poppers Best Coast.The duo’s latest release, Any Ol’ Way, combines the gritty metal of Kyuss with the indie psychedelia of Tame Impala. The … Read more

200 Words Or Less

WAR//PLAGUE

Primal
Profane Existence (2013)

WAR//PLAGUE always come a little different each time out. Primal is their fifth release (and the seventh single in the Profane Existence Single Series) and one that shows the Minneapolis quartet stripping away the evolved crust and blackened characteristics of their previous material in favor of a sound that is more, well, primal. Jamming an airtight metal-punk attack into its … Read more

Tweens

Tweens
French Kiss (2014)

I heard about Tweens as a Vacation side project. Well, they’ve dwarfed that band’s popularity already, so it’s the last I’ll use that term. The Cincinnati three-piece released their self-titled debut earlier in April on French Kiss Records, and they’ve been hitting the supporting tour scene hard, including dates on the Breeders’ recent Last Splash tour.So how does a band … Read more

The Bellicose Minds

The Spine
Black Water (2013)

Whole genres are made off the backs of originators. Sometimes these genres become forgotten for awhile or just bogged down with repetition and simplicity. Every once in awhile a band sheds mere aping to become something interesting, yet familiar. Something clearly within genre stereotypes but with their own sense of interpretation. The Bellicose Minds are one of those on the … Read more

Architecture in Helsinki

NOW + 4EVA
Casual Workout (2014)

I haven't been following Architecture in Helsinki too much since the underwhelming, Places Like This. In 2011 they released, Moment Bends, which almost completely flew under my radar. I once again almost missed another album cycle with their new record, Now + 4EVA. Following their sophomore output, In Case We Die, the group began to lean more towards synth-pop and … Read more

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

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