Lucinda Williams
Little Honey
Lost Highway (2008)
The last time Lucinda Williams released an album, it was a waste of time for everyone. West was slow, drab, and devoid of any catchy melodies, and it gave me serious doubt as to whether she should continue making music or not. But Lucinda has pulled a total about-face, and stepped up her game. Ignoring LL Cool J's advice, I … Read more
Lucinda Williams
West
Lost Highway (2007)
Ever wonder what it sounds like when a bunch of people are falling asleep while recording an album? Or how about the sound of an artist totally giving up on their craft, but still making music? Well, you're in luck because Lucinda Williams has released West, an album that does all of that and more! Lucinda Williams has previously been … Read more
Lucta
Eterna Lotta
Static Shock Records (2024)
Lucta come from Milan, IT and play heavy, fast hardcore that sounds straight out of 1984. It’s aggressive, while also feeling unpredictable and a little bit unstable, like it could break into pure chaos at any moment. There are some metallic flourishes, kicking off with a minute-plus heavy atmospheric instrumental lead in the intro track, “Sacrificio,” but then it shifts … Read more
Lunaire
With the Same Smiles as Those Days
Independent (2012)
Australia’s Lunaire first released a well-received demo in 2010 which was followed up by a lauded split with the American cross-coast project Airs. Now Lunaire offer their first EP, With the Same Smile as Those Days, which continues the quartet’s dreamy post-rock from earlier releases and steps forward as a band to watch out for. The four track EP combines … Read more
Lungs
Lungs
Esucha!/Self Inflicted (2009)
Being a firm believer that one's environment can affect one's mood and demeanor and then subsequently affect the music that one creates, it is always interesting to hear music from bands, groups, and people from areas that are not considered to be musical hotbeds. Isolation can cause some interesting music. Lungs hail from Minneapolis, Minnesota, and although consideration exists for … Read more
Lupe Fiasco
Food & Liquor
Atlantic (2006)
"Yes, yes, yes. Guess who's on third? Lupe still like Lupin the Third." Little did we know that our introduction to Lupe Fiasco on Kanye West's "Touch the Sky" was merely a taste of what this Chicago native had to offer. While not a complete unknown, Lupe's previous appearances had mostly fallen under the radar. After numerous Internet leaks and … Read more
Lussuria
Under Crumbled Stairs
Hospital Productions (2024)
Jim Mroz is no stranger to the darkest dungeons of the human mind. These locked doors of the psyche are a common destination for his project Lussuria, through which Mroz has quietly amassed an impeccable discography. And so another immersive chapter of harrowing music sprouts forth with Under Crumbled Stairs, with Lussuria extending their phantom limbs to touch upon numerous … Read more
Lustmord
Much Unseen Is Also Here
PELAGIC RECORDS (2024)
Lustmord, the reluctant pioneer of the dark ambient scene has returned with another expansive work of existential dread in Much Unseen Is Also Here. His arsenal of industrial components, field recordings, and sampling are engineered to evoke a true sense of cosmic horror. While many extreme music acts embrace the terrifying aspects of the Lovecraftian literary corpus, few can transmit … Read more
Luther
Let's Get You Somewhere Else
Chunksaah (2012)
Philadelphia’s Luther have been quick to grab attention. The band, formed just two years ago, has played on some high profile tours and just signed with Chunksaah Records to release their debut full-length after last year’s Siblings and Sevens EP. The new full-length, Let’s Get You Somewhere Else was recorded by the Bouncing Souls’ Pete Steinkopf.A four-piece, Luther play an … Read more
Luther
Siblings & Sevens
Black Numbers (2011)
I remember seeing Luther a few months back at a small venue in Pittsburgh where The Menzingers were headlining. I was really stoked to finally see them live and not all that surprised that half the crowd was outside smoking when they played first. Seeing them live left me with almost the exact impression their EP Siblings and Sevens left … Read more
Luz de Gas
Luz de Gas
Iron Lung (2021)
So many punk albums start strong and lose their energy by the end. This self-titled debut does the opposite, intentionally starting slow and building up tension with an instrumental and then gaining momentum all the way through. It seems the Santiago, Chile-based band released this demo last year and it’s made the rounds, now getting a USA cassette release via … Read more
Lvcifyre
Svn Eater
Dark Descent Records (2014)
London’s Lvcifyre have been slowly, murkily climbing towards the top of the local death metal scene for a number of years now and while their inception occurred sometime in 2007, the band didn’t release their debut – The Calling Depths – until 2011. It’s surprising then, that they took much less time to create Svn Eater but when you have … Read more
LVMRKS
Pale Fairytale
LVMRKS (2013)
For a band whose onesheet opens with the pointed “[includes former] member of …And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead during that band’s peak,” one would expect a band with some fire at their core. Instead, LVMRKS are an exercise in banality. The nine songs here trudge along at the same pace without any expression from vocalist … Read more
Lycia
A Line That Connects
Handmade Birds (2015)
Lycia was a band that always seemed to me like they were flying a bit under the radar. With a career spanning for almost thirty years now, the act from Arizona released a series of excellent full-length albums, with A Day In The Stark Corner and Cold particularly standing out. What is more, their presence in the scene was constant … Read more
Lycus
Chasms
Relapse (2016)
Extreme doom/death is not an easy sound to get right. Despite the fact that most bands in the genre will just play slow and release heavy riffs, that is not enough to get someone's attention. There must something deeper in the band's sound in order to give you that feeling of desolation and despair. Lycus is a band that knows … Read more
Lycus
The Tempest
20 Buck Spin (2013)
Amidst heavy guitars, ritualistic drums and enthralling melodies, Lycus raise their head howling. The band from California brings their debut album, Tempest, their first release since their Demo MXII, and they succeed in crafting funeral doom of the highest quality. The slow pace of the songs is enriched with Lycus’s stunning melodies, mournful leads, deep growls as well as howling … Read more
Lymbyc Systym
Carved by Glaciers (Reissue)
Magic Bullet (2009)
Magic Bullet reissued Lymbyc Systym's first release, but with two bonus remixed tracks. The five original songs sound as good as ever. Lymbyc Systym's brand of ethereal electronic noodling has grown since Carved by Glaciers, becoming even more cohesive and brilliantly layered. However, to be able to revisit the band's earliest material is a treat. It's good to learn about … Read more
Lymbyc Systym
Love Your Abuser
Mush (2007)
The limbic system controls a fairly large part of the human brain. It helps us get aroused, remembers important facts, and regulates the sleep cycle, among other cerebral functions. Exchange a few vowels and you end up with Lymbyc Systym. But what could this subtle transformation mean? The Bell brothers of Arizona are Lymbyc Systym; one deals with the keyboards, … Read more
