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 also a huge leap in musicality for the Grand Rapids quintet - one that inarguably served to launch the group into new heights as artists.Ushering along it’s successes were the record’s elaborate displays of inventive guitar passages, intelligent compositional structure and of course frontman Jordan Dreyer’s characteristically eloquent and poetic lyricism - that worked to permeate the stoic dolefulness of his bandmates’ musical backdrop with engaging tales of loss, pain and tragedy. This was all pieced together into a central, narrated tapestry of forlorn and acceptance; nuanced and undeniably masterful in its lengthy and often draining execution. With seemingly nowhere to go but down from the near-perfection arranged on Wildlife, it was always going to be an interesting dilemma to ‘top’ what we collectively heard three years ago. While it’s still too early to say if Rooms Of The House … 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 … 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 … 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 … 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 … Read more
