Black Moth Super Rainbow - Eating Us
Eating Us What if 'shroom-gobbling IDM geniuses Boards Of Canada became simultaneously transfixed by the warbly Mellotron in the Beatles' ominously blissful "Strawberry Fields Forever" and possessed by the whimsical spirit of early electronic music wiz Bruce Haack? It would sound like the weird-winged flights of fancy by Black Moth Super Rainbow. These Pennsylvanians have...
In The Red - Volume 2
Volume 2 Mike Hale is a dude. He fronted influential and heavily awesome Gainesville, Florida, punks Gunmoll until they disbanded in 2003. Since then, he's kept busy with a strong body of solo work and a passionate dedication to touring. In The Red are Hale's return to full-band rock 'n' roll, and what they lack...
THENEWNO2 - You Are Here
THENEWNO2 – You Are Here In all fairness, you cannot compare Dhani Harrison's first proper album to the work of his father, Beatles guitarist George Harrison. But frankly, that lineage is the only reason a record this mediocre would be getting any attention at all. Most bands would be able to skirt the spotlight while...
Sights And Sounds - Monolith
Monolith The full-length debut from Sights And Sounds is the kind of record you'd expect a band to make at the peak of their career. Beautiful and expansive, the Canadian four-piece–featuring Comeback Kid's Andrew Neufeld on vocals-construct layered and intensely atmospheric works drenched in gorgeous melodies. The resulting album is perhaps the perfect distillation of...
Super Furry Animals - Dark Days/Light Years
Dark Days/Light Years Whether recording entirely in Welsh or chewing celery and carrots with Sir Paul McCartney (who chomped percussively on 2001's Rings Around The World), Super Furry Animals have always been most effective when at their most adventurous. This makes Dark Days/Light Years a most welcome addition to the SFA canon, as it eliminates much of the...
Youth Group - The Night Is Ours
The Night Is Ours There's a point on Youth Group's third full-length when vocalist Toby Martin sings, "I understand that the root of pain is beauty." That line is an apt description of the ideology behind The Night Is Ours. (There's also a line in the same song, "In My Dreams," about dressing up like Allen...
Various Artists - The Nurse Who Loved Me: A Tribute To Failure
The Nurse Who Loved Me: A Tribute To Failure It's fitting that this Failure tribute is full of hidden gems and undiscovered talent–after all, that describes the career of the beloved cult space-rockers. In fact, Paramore's fantastic version of "Stuck On You" (an impressive showcase for Hayley Williams' vocal range) isn't the best tune on Nurse....
Kevin Devine & The Goddamn Band - Brother's Blood
Brother’s Blood Kevin Devine's cycle of self-reactions reaches its best results yet with Brother's Blood, a wildly varied affair featuring hushed acoustic/electric ditties and cathartic, jagged howlers. If the falters of 2006's major-label outing, Put Your Ghost To Rest, could be attributed to a muted dynamism and consistent quasi-folk flair, Brother's Blood answers those concerns immediately. Devine wastes little...
Artist Vs Poet - Damn Rough Night
Damn Rough Night EP The four ultra-catchy songs on this digital teaser EP by up-and-coming Dallas quintet Artist Vs Poet offer irrefutable evidence that it is possible to write quality, radio-ready pop-rock songs in 2009 that don't have pseudo-unfettered screaming in them. Indeed, when vocalist Tarcy Thomason reaches the top of his range, he sounds...