Chris Parker

Contributions

Bad Veins - The Mess We've Made

Bad Veins The Mess We’ve Made Cincinnati chamber-rock duo Bad Veins follow up their much-buzzed-about self-titled 2009 debut with an album that sonically raises the bar. As frontman Ben Davis has noted in recent interviews, the debut’s songs followed pretty much the same format: strings, break it down, go orchestral, rock it out. (Live, Davis […]

Civil Twilight - Holy Weather

Civil Twilight Holy Weather Civil Twilight sound a lot like mid-period U2 crossed with Peter Gabriel’s moody theatricality; their music is grandiose but much more downbeat. Certainly part of that is frontman Steven McKellar’s breathy, echo-laden vocals and stylistic tics (like cooing oohs and ahhs over the guitar breaks) that suggest a youth spent in […]

I The Mighty - Karma Never Sleeps EP

I The Mighty Karma Never Sleeps EP Karma Never Sleeps is the third EP in five years by San Francisco’s I The Mighty, but they’ve yet to release a full-length. That would be more telling if the quartet didn’t fashion well-crafted arrangements, sporting everything from  a dynamic blend of emo and metal with prog expansiveness […]

Bears - Greater Lakes

Bears Greater Lakes The third full-length by Cleveland indie-pop duo Bears opens up their sound a bit and results in their finest release to date. Charlie McArthur and Craig Ramsey play enough instruments to fill an orchestra pit, knitting together elegant arrangements reminiscent of Belle & Sebastian, the Zombies and the Left Banke. (Live, they […]

The Explosion - Bury Me Standing

The Explosion Bury Me Standing Enthusiastic Boston punkers the Explosion may be long buried, but they won’t go out without one last posthumous shot over the bow. Their long-delayed third album—originally slated for a 2007 release on Virgin Records, then a 2008 release on Paper + Plastick—has finally seen daylight via the Bouncing Souls’ Chunksaah […]

Tennis - Young & Old

Tennis Young & Old The title of Tennis’ sophomore album, Young & Old, is a fitting description for the Denver trio, who's headed by married couple singer/keyboardist Alaina Moore and guitar/bassist Patrick Riley. The young pair met in college, signifying the first part of the album title, while their music harks back a half-century to […]

Rome Romeo - Lucifemme EP

Rome Romeo Lucifemme EP You’d be hard-pressed contextualizing Rome Romeo without referencing Elastica. Slashing post-punk guitar? Check. Punchy, danceable, new-wave rhythms and keyboards? Check. Sultry singer with black eyeshadow smokiness? Check and check. This Montreal quartet aren’t the most prolific crew, though: This two-song 7-inch trails their debut EP by three years and their original […]

John K. Samson - Provincial

John K. Samson Provincial John K. Samson is—alongside John Darnielle (the Mountain Goats) and David Dondero—one of indie rock’s finest lyricists. He’s especially canny at chronicling the subtle advancing anomie and niggling emptiness at the center of modern life. His characters are often lost and resigned, drifting listlessly and taking on water. Provincial, his sophomore […]

Doomtree - No Kings

Doomtree No Kings Doomtree get dance-punked, and though it’s more Daft than wack, the Twin Cities hip-hop collective struggle beneath the weight of the sound. The dark, low-riding rhythms and sonic set pieces are busy and clamorous like G-funk if it suddenly found Justice in a blind alley. They aren’t only loud, but repetitive, squeezing […]
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