Using a banjo to peddle eir wares, Josh Small makes for a very American and alternative look on what is traditionally folk music. Not subscribing to the elitist feel of a number of Devendra Banhart-related CDs, Josh Small has the feeling on eir first track “Pushing Boulders” of one of the dime-a-dozen acoustic guitarists. What is different for me is eir heavy use of profanity in eir tracks; instead…
Starting out “The Pieces We Keep” with some of the most tight playing I’ve heard on a disc recently, we are assaulted by sizzling guitar licks. Covering the same type of topics that numerous bands have covered for years, A Small Victory still yet tears down the paradigm of the post-punk or “emo” band to resurrect it on their own terms. Mark’s vocals roll out on the disc like…
The Mississippi septet Rosco Bandana are the product of teenage rebellion and its consequences; of lost love, false starts and, above all, lasting friendship. They’re what happens when a group of kids take a chance on a long shot and – against all odds – it pays off. There’s also a Blur cover thrown in for good measure. The group began – spiritually, if not specifically – when principle songwriter…
Houston’s own king of genre-bending noise, Michael LaCour AKA Blackie is fresh off a 15 city international tour of France and the Netherlands, three blistering shows at Toronto’s legendary NXNE and one massive performance in Montreal (where he was welcomed with open arms after his two raucous shows at Pop Montreal 2011). The New York Times rightfully picked him as one of five Texas artists to watch for at SXSW…
The trippy and strung-out atmospheric indie music that begins The Barrens’ self-titled LP is much denser than listeners would think. The band has tied together a number of layers that yield different things each time that a listener begins the title. Far from being a single-oriented band, The Barrens make this title much more of a cogent thought than an exercise in episodes. Bottom of a Well has a…
The high amount of energy that begins Vox e Tenebris will immediately draw listeners in, while the band’s alt-rock sound touches upon some of the best acts of the last twenty years. The titular track has a walking bass style that matches the vocals perfectly. The dark/light sound of this interaction opens up nicely to a brash and bold guitar/drum dynamic. The fluid nature of Radio Fallout makes each…
Ringing is a track that immediately ties together the inorganic with the human. The electronic sequencing works at a level alongside more traditional piano lines. What unites these two unique elements is Chou’s vocals. This three-minute introduction to Chou will work perfectly on pop, EDM, or indie rock radio stations. I Know A Place has a similar sun-baked feel to Soak Up the Sun. Shame is a very heartfelt track…
It’s summertime! And French label extraordinaire Kitsuné is celebrating the best time of year with a solar mixed CD selected and mixed by Gildas Loaec & Jerry Bouthier out July 2nd. Packed with sun-drenched vibes to die for, Kitsuné Soleil Mix is a musical invitation to relax by the pool with a cocktail in hand and enjoy the moment thanks to an astute selection of hot new tunes curated by…
Seattle’s ANHEDONIST is set to embark on the Descent Into The Sepulchre West Coast Tour with DEAD CONGREGATION and GRAVE MIASMA this July. The band is touring in support of their full-length debut, Netherwards, which is out now on Dark Descent Records, with vinyl treatment coming soon from Parasitic/Nuclear Winter Records. Check out a stream of the song “Estrangement” at BrooklynVegan.com. Featuring over forty minutes of mesmerizing doom sliced up…
Starting out as the most well-mixed and catchy CD that Lobster has released since “One For The Kids”, Georgia’s A Small Victory have improved their already solid sound for “El Camino”. The vocals of Reppard come out as bombastic as the sizzling guitar solos found on the first track, “Limousines and Cheap Cigars”. The inclusion of an odd time-signature and arrangement push the track from mediocrity to something forever…
To say that Small Arms Dealer is eclectic is to only give a fraction of the picture. There are so many different styles and influences that make themselves known during the band’s opening track on “A Single Unifying Theory” that individuals are just as unsure about where the band is going to take them as they were before even putting on the disc. To their credit, Small Arms Dealer…
Noisy, loud, and oddly catchy, Scotland’s Sluts of Trust play a style of rock that is not immediately recognizable as being influenced by any one specific band. Breakneck tempos meet with screeching leads and brutal rhythm guitars. Moving through a similar sounding style in “Piece O’ You”, which makes the first two tracks join together in some bizarre ritual. Each track is different enough that one’s interest is piqued,…
Commando is the band’s stand out track and is one that will be garnering significant play as listeners find out about it. Far In Between is a track that ties together bits and pieces of a wide array of musical genres. Hints of Weezer, early emotive rock, and punk all unite during this introductory track. Sprinkle a little bit of Psychedelic Furs on the resultant mixture and one will have…
The style of electronic-infused indie rock put forth by Slow Runner reminds listeners of The Anniversary and The Red Hot Valentines. Essentially, Slow Runner would have fit in perfectly with the band scene as of 2000”Break Your Mama’s Back”, the track that opens up the disc is something that is more than just a smart rock song, but something that also is deep in regards to the arrangements that…
The mixture of sludgy rock (a la Foo Fighters) with the polished rock of a band like Weezer and just a hint of emo rock makes Slowride hit off strongly with “A New Day Is Upon Us”. The splashy drums during the track continue the chaos given by the uncertain guitar work that dominates the track. “The Year of the Snake” mixes a pop-emo sensibility with a punk fury that…
Down and dirty with seventies rock is something that a number of bands are trying to do nowadays. Some bands, like The Strokes and Kings of Leon, fail miserably and have to have major label pushes to save any amount of face, while bands like Slowride incorporate rock with bubbly three-chord punk and are overlooked by popular media. Maintaining this balance is hard to do, but D.H. as well…
The style of music that Slow Motion Reign starts out their album with is something that one would not necessarily tie to Serj (from System of a Down). However, one thing does link the two bands, being the ability to rapidly change styles and have that gambit work. Even if Slow Motion Reign has a slow start, they do kick into something much harder during “Twilight Skylight”. This is not…
Even though I have heard of Slow Gherkin before, I had never heard of them until Asian Man sent me their latest CD, “Run Screaming”. Slow Gherkin are definitely a trandescendent treat, as they have weathered the storm that ravaged all of the typical Ska acts of the mid 1990’s. This is due to the fact that Slow Gherkin is no typical band, as they successfully modified indie rock, ska,…
Slick comes out strong, there is no doubt about it. The authoritative “Creased Up” comes through as a fairly Spartan track, with the backing beat that Slick is flowing over not really doing much besides playing at the faintest of registers. What is a definite plus about Slick’s style is that individuals can decipher exactly what ey is saying easily; this is not because of a lack of lingo but…
Summer Wind Descendent is a laid-back track that will immediately draw listeners in through coy instrumentation and captivating female vocals. As the track spins, Flowerglass is able to add and otherwise bolster their sound into something incredibly dense. As listeners continue to listen to the track, more about the band comes into focus. It Takes A Dream To Kill A Dream establishes a down-home and cozy feel to this part…