Old Wounds
From Where We Came is Where We'll Rest
Glory Kid (2013)
New Jersey's Old Wounds come out of the gate bolting for the finish. After a handful of eps and a few choice covers the band finally releases their full length debut on the public. The band play a style of hardcore that combines the demonic, metallic thrust of Disembodied and the barely contained rage and guitar noise torture of Kiss … Read more
Olekranon
Danaus
Inam Records (2013)
When a band or label is as difficult to track down as Olekranon or Inam Records, then you know you're in for an experience. The chap behind Olekranon - Ryan Huber - is also the chap behind the label but getting a hold of them via the magic of the internet has proved to be a fruitless endeavour. There's a … Read more
Om
Addis Dubplate
Drag City (2013)
Everyone's favourite stoner rock band with a flair for the religious Om has been on a roll lately, releasing the incredible Advaitic Songs just last year. But they aren't stopping anytime soon--in addition to a planned single from frontman Al Cisneros to hit later this year, two of the band's tracks from their latest release have been handled by British … Read more
Om
Gethsemane Dubplate
Drag City (2013)
Everyone's favourite stoner rock band with a flair for the religious Om has been on a roll lately, releasing the incredible Advaitic Songs just last year. But they aren't stopping anytime soon--in addition to a planned single from frontman Al Cisneros to hit later this year, two of the band's tracks from their latest release have been handled by British … Read more
One Hundred Year Ocean
Where Were You While We Were Getting High?
Broken World Media (2013)
Where Were You While We Were Getting High?, the latest release from the seven-member Connecticut indie-emo band One Hundred Year Ocean, is a four-track collection of massive, breathtaking sonic concoctions.The EP starts with the slow, slightly depressing “Hospital Town”. “Soco Amaretto Bud Light Lime” immediately follows with a faster tempo and brighter feel. “Apples” preserves the happy vibe with upbeat … Read more
Oranssi Pazuzu
Valonielu
Svart Records/20 Buck Spin (2013)
Oranssi Pazuzu are claiming to be coming from Finland… truth is that a more likely point of origin for this band is outer space. Even their name has an intriguing story behind it, with the band taking the word “Oranssi”, which means orange, as a reference to the first light rays in the big bang, and following with the name … Read more
Orchestre de Trenos
Critique of Musical Reason
Independent (2013)
Let's talk about cajones for a minute.Immanuel Kant's Critique of Pure Reason, aside from being a formidable, densely written, obtuse tome, is one of the most important books in the history of philosophy. But the reason philosophy students still struggle through semester-long courses in order to scratch the surface of this nigh-impregnable monolith isn't for the blind satisfaction of having … Read more
Ormen Lange
Black
Stayposi (2013)
Chicagoan quartet Ormen Lange (probably named after the mightiest Viking longship, not the natural gas field on the Norwegian continental shelf) are far from a unique band--how many lightly progressive sorta instrumental artists can you name off the top of your head? Probably enough to feel as disillusioned as I. But despite my admitted jadedness with the genre, I still … Read more
Palms
Self Titled
Ipecac (2013)
Isis may have disbanded in 2010, but that's far from the last we've heard from its members. Though many of them have joined other bands, they have mostly stayed separate from one another, with no more than two ever appearing in the same place. But of course, that's what makes Palms so intriguing--featuring three fifths of Isis (Jeff Caxide, Aaron … Read more
Papermoons
No Love
Deep Elm (2013)
The press blurb that accompanies Texas-based indie folk duo Papermoons' sophomore album No Love claims that "the idea that you can say a whole lot more without screaming or shouting" is solidified in this LP. No Love is 10 tracks of smouldering, cleverly composed melodies with occasional gushes of shimmering electric guitars. Written during the five years after Papermoons' debut … Read more
Paramore
Self Titled
Fueled By Ramen (2013)
It makes sense that this is Paramore’s self-titled album, even though it’s their fourth full-length. Everything you know or have heard about Paramore, put all of those pre-conceived notions in your time capsule for 2009, because that’s not them anymore. This is the two remaining original members’ (Taylor York joined the band after the Farro departure) time to show everyone … Read more
Pearl Jam
Lightning Bolt
Republic (2013)
Nobody and I mean NOBODY involved with or familiar with the Seattle scene back in 1991 would have guessed that Pearl Jam would be, with the exception of Puget Sound stalwarts Mudhoney, the last band standing. They were the upstarts, the Johnny-Come-Latelys that took a long time to gain the respect from their peers. After almost all of their peers … Read more
Pelican
Forever Becoming
Southern Lord (2013)
It has been about four years since the release of What We All Come to Need, what was in my opinion the only weak moment in Pelican’s career. The Ataraxia/Taraxis EP, released in 2012, gave a first idea of the shape of things to come and now Forever Becoming has finally landed.Pelican was never a band that would stay in … Read more
Pharmakon
Abandon
Sacred Bones (2013)
Phamarkon is a deep black pit inviting you to fall in. If you do, you will never want to climb out again. The girl behind the name Pharmakon is Margaret Chardiet, a not so typical 22-year-old from New York, active in the city’s underground diy scene, who embodies the sound of said darkness. According to an interview of hers (http://janepain.wordpress.com/2012/04/0 … Read more
Pinkish Black
Razed To The Ground
Century Media (2013)
Last year's self titled record from Pinkish Black was a distinctly (un)pleasant surprise from a duo that have been making music together for a substantial length of time. Pinkish Black took the critical world by storm with their debut and the record was, quite rightly, considered a breath of fresh air within the darker confines of the musical spectrum. Pinkish … Read more
Pissed Jeans
Honeys
Sub Pop (2013)
I enjoyed King of Jeans. It wasn’t great and it didn’t break much ground, but it was a solid play that I still throw on from time to time. What I find peculiar with its follow-up, Honeys, is that I don’t find myself thinking back to the last record often. Instead I mostly think about how I should be listening … Read more
Plow United
Marching Band
Jump Start (2013)
After a run from 1992-1998, Plow United reformed in 2011 and they return with new material in the form of Marching Band (Jump Start Records). Plow United hasn’t just re-formed, they’ve written the best 1990s record of the 2010s. Brian McKee’s voice has matured with the years and the songs are tighter and more polished than their early output. Some … Read more
Pomegranate Tiger
Entities
Independent (2013)
Canadian musicians Pomegranate Tiger are quite hard to pigeonhole. On the surface, they play an intensely confusing variety of proggy instrumetal that takes technicality to epic-length proportions, quite reminiscent of bands like Electro Quarterstaff or Canvas Solaris. But going a bit deeper, they also have a propensity for writing soaring, triumphal melodies that should sound familiar to fans of Scale … Read more
