Andrew Paley
Scattered Light
Highwires (2020)
"The world's on fire and I don't feel a thing at all." Sung with a breezy nonchalance, Andrew Paley's prescient lyrics on "Caroline", including the admission "I've been raging at headlines", sound like they were written at the exact moment you're hearing them. On his second album Scattered Light, following 2016's Sirens, the Chicago-based musician looks to the future with … Read more
Andrew Paley
Sirens
Paper + Plastick/Make My Day (2016)
Perhaps best known as the frontman of Vermont post-punk band The Static Age, Andrew Paley has never been shy about his penchant for playing solo acoustic songs. Where The Static Age's sound is sound is distantly confrontational and awash with the vivid colours of late nights, Paley's solo work has mostly been more reflective and vulnerable, like the sounds of … Read more
Andrew W.K.
55 Cadillac
Skyscraper Music Maker (2009)
If I were to comprise a short list of individuals that I would love to sit down and just have an open-ended conversation with, Andrew W.K. would be at the head of that list. No doubt in my mind. For whatever reason, everything that he does has me on the edge of my seat. The multi-talented W.K. returns with 55 … Read more
Andrew W.K.
Close Calls With Brick Walls
Universal/Dope Entertainment/Load (2006)
Andrew W.K. is the latest Renaissance man in the world of music. Like others before him, John Lennon and Henry Rollins among others, W.K.'s influence has flourished beyond the boundaries of his musical output. And while many may still see W.K. as "the party guy," his stature in the public eye is much more than that of a one-hit-wonder. He … Read more
Andrew W.K.
The Wolf
Island (2003)
I'll keep this short so you kids will understand me. I want the time back I spent listening to this. I feel cheated, robbed, and insulted. This is neither fun nor funny. It's devoid of any worth. It's stupid, it's banal, it's bland. So why does it get a 1.3? Two reasons: one point for not being pop-punk, a point … Read more
Angel Blake
Angel Blake
Metal Blade (2006)
The Crown was a good band; Angel Blake, not so much. Guitarist Marko Tervonen's decision to record a solo album seemed like an interesting move at the time. Writing all the music and performing all the instruments offered him the chance to really show what he was made of. Unfortunately, what he's apparently made of is the same milquetoast mediocrity … Read more
Angel Eyes
...and for a Roof a Sky Full of Stars
Underground Communiqué (2007)
Let me get to this straight away; I love the movie, The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly, so naming yourself after Lee Van Cleef's character in that movie, makes you a-okay in my book. and for a Roof a Sky Full of Stars is the third record from Angel Eyes, following 2005's Something to Do with Death and their … Read more
Angel Eyes
Midwestern
Mylene Sheath (2010)
Having more than a passing appreciation for spaghetti western films, particularly the Man With No Name trilogy A Fistful Of Dollars, For A Few Dollars More, and the truly epic The Good, The Bad, And The Ugly), I am compelled to check out any band or group that carries any of that iconography or is themed similarly, if only to … Read more
Angel Eyes
Something to Do with Death
Underground Communiqué (2005)
There's not a whole lot you can say about Angel Eyes that hasn't already been said about Isis. If Isis were an actual person, Angel Eyes would be its impressionable, suppler younger brother. The latter always gazing starry-eyed at the former with a love and devotion to rival the strongest of bonds. Ok, that's a stretch, but they really do … Read more
Angel Olsen
My Woman
Jagjaguwar (2016)
Angel Olsen has been very active since the release of her debut cassette Strange Cacti, revealing a very promising work. Her dark indie folk/rock tone had a haunting effect, which peaked with Half Way Home and the excellent Burn Your Fire For No Witness. The delicate folk tones of Olsen were engulfed by a healthy dose of reverb, ample amount … Read more
Angels and Airwaves
We Don't Need to Whisper
Geffen (2006)
So Tom DeLonge finally got his way. Apparently sick of the scatological humor of Blink 182 and ill-received attempts at maturity, the band broke up and he was free to record the album that would be "the greatest album of [his] career." Hyperbole aside, this record is, according to DeLonge, "more than an album, and more than just a cool … Read more
Angels of Light
We are Him
Young God (2007)
When Michael Gira disbanded Swans in 1997, he declared himself free of the connotations that came with being in that group who were considered the loudest band and invoked the ire of noise ordinances everywhere. Angels of Light is Gira's project of the last ten years that is the polar opposite to the expectations that were heaped upon him while … Read more
Angus McSix
Angus McSix and the Sword of Power.
Napalm (2023)
The story of this album is forged thusly; after heroically dying in the greatest battle of all time at the hands of goblins, Prince Angus awakes in the underworld, realm of martyrs. Remembering that his homeland of Scotland and, indeed the galaxy, are still under threat he endeavours to return. After loseing his hammer he finds the mighty sword of … Read more
Ani DiFranco
Educated Guess
Righteous Babe (2005)
Ani DiFranco is, without a doubt, one of the most active singer/songwriters in music today. Since her 1990 debut, she's put out about 20 other releases on her very own label. Needless to say, she's a very hard worker and an even better writer. Over the years, her albums have featured a vast array of other instruments to help transform … Read more
Animal Collective
Strawberry Jam
Domino (2007)
Strawberry Jam is so far the commercially successful album by Animal Collective to date. This album peaked at #72 on the Billboard Top 200 Charts even though it leaked in mid-July of this year. Animal Collective has had coverage in Rolling Stone Magazine, ring tones, the works. Beyond the mountain of success, popularity, and capitalism, Animal Collective delivered on this … Read more
Animal Collective
Sung Tongs
Fat Cat (2004)
So here I am. Thinking of everything else I could be doing that does not include listening to the never-ending song by the Animal Collective. Forward. Sorry! I really do like them, they are doing "Something Different" and "Breaking New Ground", even. They're interesting, cryptic... in fact, this is the perfect record to add to your collection to prove just … Read more
Animosity
Animal
Black Market Activities (2007)
Animosity has proven that metal can truly reign supreme again in the Bay Area. Following the initial burst of thrash metal that drew the attention of every person with long hair and a will to bang their head, the metal scene of San Francisco and its surrounding areas fell off and almost completely dissipated. Granted, in its absence we were … Read more
Ann Beretta
Old Scars, New Blood
Say-10 (2017)
There’s a lot of analysis when listening to Old Scars, New Blood. When singer Rob Huddleston sings, “Nothing ever changes/ Nothing ever stays the same” in “Fairweather,” it seems to epitomize the experience of this record, a re-recording of 13 songs by the recently born again Ann Beretta.I can’t decide if this album is a great idea, modernizing a reformed … Read more
