Authors: Darcy Wouters-Russell
Review: Mwahaha
Mwahaha’s self-titled debut is a full-on electro-psych, pretentious jam session that left me feeling adrift and unsatisfied. … read more
Review: Lower Plenty – Hard Rubbish
The Aussie quartet Lower Plenty seem to muster up some characteristically American blues tones in Hard Rubbish. Recorded solely on eight-track reel-to-reel tape, the album has a very raw but warming feel, despite its overwhelming melancholia. … read more
Review: Kal Marks – Life is Murder
I really didn’t think I would grow to like, let alone love and respect Shane’s unconventional vocals, but they make this album a solid piece that is unlike anything I’ve heard recently. … read more
Review: Horsehands
Boston-based Horsehands are an experiment with an old, familiar sound that is miraculously unlike anything you’ve ever heard. … read more
Review: Como Asesinar A Felipes – Comenzara de Nuevo
Comenzara de Nuevo, or Begin Again, is the mind-blowing US debut of progressive Chilean hybrid Como Asesinar A Felipes. Combining elements of hip hop and jazz with an underlying Latin-American flair, this album is full of complex layers and a strong message of change. … read more
Review: Beat Mark
rance’s Beat Mark invoke the lazy, Brit-pop sound of the mid-80s with their debut album, Howls of Joy, 13 rushed tracks that leave much to be desired in the world of tone and song structure. … read more
Brother Ali Featuring Blank Tape Beloved @ Urban Lounge 10.15...
Ali doesn’t waste time between songs giving the audience instructions on what direction their hands should wave––he transitions from song to song flawlessly. The absence of the usual bullshit chitchat between songs creates and maintains that line of awe and respect between the audience and the performer, making Ali’s stage presence even more reverent. … read more
Mr. Gnome @ Bar Deluxe 10.31 with Totem & Taboo,...
Mr. Gnome are a simple guitar and drum duo from Cleveland, Ohio that have the fullest sound I’ve ever heard out of a two-piece. Their last full-length album, Madness in Miniature, released a year ago and contains some of the most high-energy songs imaginable out of two people. … read more
Crushed Out @ The Garage 11.02
Crushed Out are a humble blues/surf/garage rock duo from New York, and their new album, Want To Give, pays homage to the pioneers of American Delta Blues and Rock n’ Roll. … read more
Bleeding Rainbow with Akron/Family, A Place To Bury Strangers @...
Philly-based, shoegaze four-piece Bleeding Rainbow blew into Urban Lounge with as much energy and force as the first big snow storm of the year––which was just hours away from whiting out the city. … read more