May 31, 2007

The Life And Times The Magician EP [4/5] If Dischord hadn’t picked up the U.S. distribution of the Life And Times’ new five-song EP The Magician, you would’ve needed a passport and 1,365 yen to pick up the latest from Allen Epley’s post-Shiner project. (That’s, like, 273 yen per song-so thank you, Ian MacKaye.) Clocking...

Gliss Love The Virgins [3.5/5] “Innocent Eyes,” the fourth song on Gliss’ debut full-length, Love The Virgins, should be a mission statement: A co-ed come-hither driven by distorted bass and Victoria Cecilia’s muted, mushy harmonies, it embodies dirty, back-of-the-club, cigarette-and-booze-driven make-out sessions better than their contemporaries (and former tour partners) Black Rebel Motorcycle Club. This...

Bob Egan The Glorious Decline [3.5/5] What happens when one of Wilco’s former touring guitarists arms himself with a mobile recording studio and travels around the country, recording nicotine-throated missives in hotel rooms and basements? The kind of chamber-folk that every Iron And Wine knock-off acoustic band would kill to play, that’s what. But Americana...

New Trust Dark Is The Path That Lies Before Us [3.5/5] The New Trust are the fast-moving, forward-thinking Velvet Teen offshoot centered around that band’s bassist, Josh Staples, and his wife, guitarist Sara Sanger. Relying on thoughtful writing, wiry, discordant guitars and nimble bass-all of which they deliver with punchy post-punk aplomb-the New Trust are...

Damiera M(US)IC [3/5] Damiera’s debut, M(US)IC, is a lean and focused collection of flying time signatures and frontman David Raymond’s soaring vocal volleys. But instead of pushing those elements to the extent of their considerable talents, Damiera occasionally leave us wishing they’d further penetrate their untapped potential. While comparisons to some of Equal Vision’s other...

Clinic Visitations [3/5] One of the most instantly recognizable U.K. bands to emerge this decade, Clinic has cornered the market on melodica-accented, dance-groove-driven, psychedelic surf rock. The Liverpool-based group’s singular sound provides welcome respite from their increasingly interchangeable mid-paced, melancholic countrymen. However, while initiated listeners can identify Clinic within a few bars, even serious fans...

Christians & Lions More Songs For Dreamsleepers & The Very Awake [4/5] There are times where Christians & Lions’ acoustic-guitar-fueled approach to alt-country could just about pass for the Old 97’s with Ben Potrykus as the new Rhett Miller, spitting out phrases as cleverly turned as the one that sends the train-beat-driven “Stay Warm” out...

Piebald Accidental Gentlemen [3/5] Piebald, dark and gloomy? Well, kind of. Whereas 2004’s All Ears, All Eyes, All The Time burst from its seams with glee and joy, the band’s fifth proper studio release, Accidental Gentlemen, takes on a bit more somber tone-well, somber for Piebald, at least. In “There’s Always Something Better To Do,”...

Ultra Dolphins Mar [3.5/5] The release of Mar has been quite a long time in the making. Recorded over a year ago, the newest effort from Ultra Dolphins is as raucous and schizophrenic as you might expect from the band, and what’s lost on convention is made up with in unyielding energy and sense of...