Authors: Ryan Michael Painter
Review: The Upwelling – Self-Titled
The Upwelling Self-Titled TheUpwelling The Upwelling are the first unsigned band to get Virgin Megatore’s “Virgin Recommends” sticker stuck to their CD, and while it isn’t hard to see why Virgin would endorse them with a sound that lands right between Jimmy Eat World and next week’s British soft-pop contender I don’t know that I
Review: The Great Depression – Unconscious Pilot
THE GREAT DEPRESSION UNCONSCIOUS PILOT Princess As the name of the band might suggest, The Great Depression, this lot create music with a predominantly mellow and melancholy tone. Not to say that there isn’t some lovely drum work to keep things from bottoming out and the occasional piano bit to swing away from the cascading
Review: The Black Swans – Who will Walk In The...
THE BLACK SWANS WHO WILL WALK IN THE DARKNESS WITH YOU? Delmore Recording Society Having recently listened to The Tiger Lillies masterpiece Shockheaded Peter: A Junk Opera I was primed for a slice of this overtly theatrical debut release from Jerry DeCicca and Co. What makes Shockheaded Peter brilliant is that even though it is
Review: The Hidden Cameras – Mississauga, Goddam
THE HIDDEN CAMERAS MISSISSAUGA, GODDAM Rough Trade Oh dear, The Hidden Cameras sounds like a rather twisted wreck of the flamboyant sexuality of the Scissor Sisters with the dark wit and tangled allusions to debauchery of The Beautiful South, the sing-along retro-chic of Belle and Sebastian and the awkward humanity found in all things by
Review: The Dead Science – Bird Bones in the Bughouse
The Dead Science Bird Bones in the Bughouse Absolutely Kosher The drummer plays in a jerky, attacking motion that reminds me of Tori Amos. The vocals are hushed, falsetto and reaching for a dramatic beauty that falls between the dissonance of the guitars and stand-up bass. It’s mutant jazz on downers twitching along in
Review: The Cloud Room – Self-Titled
The Cloud Room Self-Titled Gigantic Music Street: 04.19 The Cloud Room = new wave + post-punk + New York City It’s hard to get your head around this album. There is evidence that suggests that it is simply a concoction of everything popular in independent music these days. At one turn you’ve got the bouncy
Review: Terrorfakt – Cold Steel World
TERRORFAKT COLD STEEL WORLD Metropolis 4/5 If you’re not familiar with them already, then now is a good time to discover the caustic rhythms and dance-club war-zone created by Terrorfakt. With only the second release, Cold Steel World, they have raised the bar for acts to follow. Simple yet powerful rhythms compose each of the
Review: Sugur Rós – Von
SIGUR RÓS VON One Little Indian There’s this band from Iceland. No, not the Sugarcubes. The other band, Sigur Rós—perhaps you’ve heard of them? Well, this is their first album that up until this point hasn’t been officially available in America. It sounds like a nightmare, a rolling psychotic grind into the sparseness of darkness
Review: The Angels of Light – Other People
The Angels of Light Other People Young God Michael Gira (Swans) returns with an album that is familiar while remaining a departure from what you might expect: Other People. Gone are the grandiose epics and hypnotic peaks replaced by a starkness that finally allows a glimpse of the brilliance without the antics getting in the
Review: Strange Boutique – The Collection 1988-1994
STRANGE BOUTIQUE THE COLLECTION 1988-1994 Metropolis Faith and the Muse is certainly a fine band with their ethereal rock and theatricality, but I’ve always felt that Monica Richards’ best work was locked in a secret capsule called Strange Boutique. The sound isn’t all that far removed from Faith and the Muse; I always felt like