Bree Davies
Contributions
HEALTH goes totally danceable while maintaining their harsh, turbulent sound on 'Death Magic'
HEALTH Death Magic In a surprising turn in HEALTH’s niche-noise career, the band have gone totally danceable for the long-awaited Death Magic. The L.A. group’s harsh, turbulent sound is still there—tracks wracked with punishing beats, squealing synths and guitars. But songs like “L.A. Looks” and “Flesh World” show off something new: the elevation of Jake Duzsik's voice […]
Best Coast - Fade Away EP
Best Coast Fade Away EP Fade Away sounds like a reclamation record for Bethany Cosentino; never before has the California girl come off so confident vocally, even as she openly second guesses herself in songs like “Who Have I Become?” and “Fear Of My Identity.” Cosentino and musical partner Bobb Bruno still balance the fuzz […]
Cherie Lily - The Dripping Wet EP
Cherie Lily The Dripping Wet EP Best known for being a fitness guru responsible for transforming the traditional workout into a legitimate art form, a turn as a pop vocalist seems like the next logical step for Cherie Lily. On her first proper, non-remix EP, Dripping Wet (her first release on husband Andrew W.K.’s Steev Mike […]
We Are The Union - You Can't Hide The Sun
We Are The Union You Can’t Hide The Sun The resemblance between We Are The Union and a ska-punk prototype like Less Than Jake is uncanny—but the similarities in horn-constructed harmonies and true-to-life lyrics don’t define them. There’s freshness to WATU’s approach, one that, since the band’s inception in 2005, continues to push the well-worn […]
That's Outrageous! - Psycho
Psycho Sometimes, a band’s strength is revealed not with a first big break, but in a persevering second—and That’s Outrageous! nail it. With only a hotly circulated demo recording to their name and not a single gig under their belt, the Poughkeepsie group was picked up by Rise Records in 2011. They released their debut […]
I Was Totally Destroying It - Vexations
I Was Totally Destroying It Vexations In their five years together, I Was Totally Destroying It have been as hard-touring as they have been prolific; the band’s fourth full-length, Vexations, comes off as a product of hard work, polished to near-studio perfection. From the opening title track, each piece falls in a matchless line—wavering keyboards […]
Animal Collective - Centipede Hz
Animal Collective Centipede Hz A listener can drop in at almost any point in Animal Collective’s decade-plus career and find a likeable piece of music with which to connect. 2007’s Strawberry Jam was most accessible through the primal screams of “Fireworks”; 2009’s Merriweather Post Pavilion had the thumping “My Girls.” But on the band’s ninth […]