Authors: Ryan Michael Painter
Review: Thee Heavenly Music Association – Shaping the Invisible
It is beautiful, moving but without the sonic bite of the original and as a result the emotional release never comes and you’re left with something twisting inside that wants to break out. … read more
Review: The Kills – Ash & Ice
The Kills = Raveonettes – Phil Spector + The Rolling Stones
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Review: The Shore – Self-Title
THE SHORE THE SHORE Maverick In a time when labels are scrambling to capitalize on the space Coldplay has left while they record their new album with UK bands like Snow Patrol and Keane it seems fitting that the most suitable replacement should be from California. Not that The Shore are going to be confused
Review: The Thrills – Let’s Bottle Bohemia
THE THRILLS LET’S BOTTLE BOHEMIA Virgin The Thrills debut So Much for the City was greeted with so many fantastic reviews, awards and a wallop of hype that you’d think they’d invented rock’n’roll. I was unimpressed. For Let’s Bottle Bohemia I wiped the slate clean, ignored the inevitable hype and the result? They’re a good
Review: The Prodogy – Always Out Numbered, Never Out Gunned
THE PRODIGY ALWAYS OUT NUMBERED, NEVER OUT GUNNED Maverick You couldn’t help but feel like this album was never going to come. A year or two’s worth of rumors, a single that subsequently led to silence, line-up changes in the supporting cast and then suddenly here it is. Always Out Numbered, Never Out Gunned is supposed
Review: The Violettes – Self-Titled
THE VIOLETTES THE VIOLETTES www.theviolettes.com From the opening rolling cascades of sound of “Blue Hearted Fool,” it is quite clear that The Violettes are a shoegaze delight with fantastic production that allows for the chaos of sound to swell without giving the songs a cheap wash of undefined sound. That is, until the groove kicks
Review: The Poison Arrows – EP
THE POISON ARROWS EP File 13 “Trailer Park” is a tease with its smacking around of sound and distorted blips and buried vocals. It’s a BRMC record stolen by Suicide and slaughtered in Pro Tools. Bloody hell, it’s Primal Scream reborn! Well, if they’d only kick it in and go somewhere, which they never
Review: The Local Division – Pure Electric Light E.P.
THE LOCAL DIVISION PURE ELECTRIC LIGHT E.P. Aeronaut Records Singer Ian Christian and guitarist Mati met at a Mark Gardener (Ride) show. The only problem was that Ian lived in the UK and Mati was from Los Angeles. Regardless, they’ve released this rather interesting E.P. The first two tracks lift the early heavy strumming from
Review: The Static Age – Neon Nights Electric Lives
The Static Age Neon Nights Electric Lives Tarantulas Having toured with AFI, you might expect something with a little more of a punk rock kick from The Static Age, but I was pleasantly surprised to find that they’re actually closer to Catherine Wheel than Davey Havok & Co. Not that you can’t find the smallest
Review: The Perishers – Let There Be Morning
I’d actually love to see them dominate top 40 radio—it would be a vast improvement. It just wouldn’t be nearly as seductive as A Rush of Blood or O.K. Computer. … read more