My Dad Vs. Yours
Little Symphonies
MDVY (2011)
They must be putting something in the water in Canada if the staggering amount of great bands to have appeared from the Great White North in recent years is any indication. For those of you that are mentally compiling a list, then prepare to add yet another with the post-rock group My Dad Vs. Yours. Virtually disappearing after their first, … Read more
My Morning Jacket
Circuital
ATO (2011)
My Morning Jacket’s latest release titled Circuital, especially because of the first single “Holdin on to Black Metal,” has been called something of a long departure from their previous album, but Jim James and company remain consistent where it counts: in making great, rounded, listenable records. Circuital is chock-full of repetitious, exhaustive lyrics and chord progressions, but it more than … Read more
Nadja & Picastro
Fool, Redeemer
Broken Spine (2011)
Hate me for it, but this release was the one that kind of soured me on Nadja and (in particular) all of their collaborations because, right from the word “go”, Fool, Redeemer was an absolute chore to sit through my first full listening “party” of the album; now, let me be up front and declare that given my obsession with … Read more
Negative Plane
Stained Glass Revelations
Ajna Offensive (2011)
Negative Plane are certainly not a new band. Having released their prior full length 5 years ago the band seemed to have disappeared for quite some time. Many times when this happens bands tend to forget their original purpose or just forget music altogether. Thankfully for us, the music consuming public, the band have returned to become something stronger. The … Read more
Nekrasov
The Ever-Present
Crucial Blast (2011)
Nekrasov as an artist has made a name for himself over the past few years. Working in a rather limited, hard to define genre (Black Noise) and managing to inadvertently become one of the flagship artists in the current crop of artists in this genre. Black Noise itself is best defined by the over arching characteristics of it. That being … Read more
Nick 13
Self Titled
Sugar Hill (2011)
Many were intrigued when Tiger Army frontman, Nick 13, first announced he’d be releasing a solo country album. It was a sound that fans were already familiar with from Tiger Army songs like “Outlaw Heart” and “The Long Road.” However, I’m not sure everyone was prepared for the genuine country vibe that Nick 13 managed to execute on this record. … Read more
Night Birds
The Other Side Of Darkness
Grave Mistake (2011)
The hype had been building for Night Birds’ debut. They’ve released three 7”s and the band, feature ex-members of The Ergs!, Hunchback, and Psyched to Die, and put on a great show at Fest 9 in Gainesville. When that much hype builds, often it comes tumbling back to earth when the actual product is released. Not so for The Other … Read more
Nightgaun
Absurdity Of Meaning
Primitive Future (2011)
There are a number of adjectives that would accurately describe Tempe, AZ’s Nightgaun—noisy, filthy, retching, etc.—but perhaps none more fitting than “raw.” Continuing the chiropteran-themed imagery first displayed on their impressive self-titled 7” debut, the cover art for Absurdity of Meaning— a crude depiction of a bat being stabbed through the sternum with a switchblade—provides a strong indication of the … Read more
Ninja Gun
Roman Nose
Sabot Productions (2011)
Ninja Gun draws from a lot of sources, playing in the Suburban Home-style market of alt country derived from obtuse punk influences. They tend to eschew chord progressions in favor of soft music and easy articulation built from the steady, honest delivery of their frontman Johnathan Coody. Roman Nose is their latest EP, this one coming from Sabot Productions. Ninja … Read more
Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds
Self Titled
Sour Mash (2011)
In the past two years there has been some speculation about the Gallagher brothers. Even during their career as Oasis the speculation was there. Many questioned with all of their issues who was the real talent driving the band. Well this is the year that the question gets answered. With the release of This record as well as the Beady … Read more
Noise By Numbers
Over Leavitt
Jump Start (2011)
Noise By Numbers are a group of Chicago punk veterans, and Over Leavitt gives a nice first impression. The sepia-tinged sunset photo of an industrial district gives a relatable, down to earth feel. On the flipside there’s a photo of the band playing a house show. Sure, they’ve put their sweat equity into the scene, but there’s no sense of … Read more
Nordic Nomadic
Worldwide Skyline
Tee Pee (2011)
Nordic Nomadic resides as generally a solo project. This project taken on by the lead singer of Ontario based psych metal band Quest For Fire as a way of creating songs that are more plaintive and slightly more psychedelic than his main project. So it doesn't seem too surprising that Tee Pee records would be the label releasing this record. … Read more
Nothington
Borrowed Time
Red Scare Industries (2011)
I’ll be honest, I missed Roads Bridges & Ruins, even after guitarist Chris Matulich said it would be quite a transition from All In. While I liked All In, for whatever reason I never got to its follow-up. 2011’s Borrowed Time is surely a reflection of the evolution in between. The Social Distortion influence is more tempered (though it’s still … Read more
NunFuckRitual
In Bondage To The Serpent
Debemur Morti (2011)
Just look at that album cover. It's stuff like this, guys, that explain why we can't have nice things. Good thing I'm not religious, or I'd cry blasphemy in a heartbeat. Thankfully for my interest in black metal, I possess no easily offended sensibilities and can share with you the shockingly-named NunFuckRitual. Given that all of the band members have … Read more
Old Accusers
Of And Beyond
Independent (2011)
Technical prowess and hardcore usually do not go hand in hand. It seems that many bands in the genre succumb to the generic characteristics of heavy music, both musically and lyrically. However, on rare occasions there are bands that come along and throw out all modern convention and really think outside of the mosh pit. Sharon, Pennsylvania’s Old Accusers is … Read more
Old Man Markley
Guts N' Teeth
Fat Wreck Chords (2011)
Fat hasn’t been releasing many new bands lately. Thus, when they do expand the roster for a debut, it draws some attention. Guts n’Teeth comes from the eight-piece California band Old Man Markley, named after washboard player Ryan Markley who, in truth, is quite young. Other members have been/are in bands such as Youth Brigade and Angel City Outcasts. But … Read more
Omega Massif
Karpatia
Denovali (2011)
Holy shit.Let me put the rest of this review in context. The day I discovered post-metal was the day I was told to listen to Isis' seminal album Oceanic. For an hour I could do nothing but sit still and listen in awe to such beauty. It started my long-standing interest in the genre, though to this day no album … Read more
Omnium Gatherum
New World Shadows
Lifeforce (2011)
As I listen to New World Shadows, the latest opus from Finland's Omnium Gatherum, I am awash in triumphant and majestic riffs that are far prettier than anything that a sub-genre of death metal should ever produce. But therein lies the rub. The reason I stay up at nights listening to New World Shadows followed by Scream Bloody Gore. These … Read more
