Music
Review: Teenage Bottlerocket – American Deutsch Bag
On “Ich bin Ausländer und Spreche Nicht Gut Deutsch,” they uphold their pop punk style by saying one line throughout the whole song—only this time it’s in German. They then cut to the fast-paced, 60-second, pro-pot track, “I’m the One Smoking Marijuana Motherfucker,” with lyrics emphasizing their juvenile-delinquent mentality. … read more
Review: Superchunk – I Hate Music
It’s a quarter-century since founding the band and starting the Merge Records label, and their rapid-fire pop-punk hasn’t slowed down on this release. The unlikely ode to the Jamaican musician, producer and member of The Skatalites who passed away in 1990 should have been the sing-along pop radio staple of the year. But then, this sound doesn’t have a year—it’s just timeless. … read more
Review: Youth Forgotten – Ghost of A Fallen Empire
Youth Forgotten have a lot of influences: speed metal, thrash, early-’00s metalcore, gothic rock and crossover. When YF combines two genres in one song, it sounds good, but this was quite rare. … read more
Review: Sun Kil Moon – Benji
Mark Kozelek has made a record so confrontational and real, you have to admire it even when it’s a bit much. It’s about how the things that seem “uncool” in life are often what make it worthwhile—a bold, artistic vision that can be a real bummer, honestly. … read more
Review: Spirits and the Melchizedek Children – So Happy, It’s...
So Happy is comprised of deep washes of neo-psychedelic, reverbed-out guitars, spectral folk of a doomed American West and the deep ebb and flow of droning guitars sacred enough to divine gold. … read more
Review: Solander – Monochromatic Memories
If Tumblr had a soundtrack, this would be it. Blending semi-wavering vocals à la Conor Oberst, Solander mixes twangy banjos, majestic cellos and outdoorsy lyrics to accompany all those pictures of skinny, naked girls smoking cigarettes, GIFs from Skins and fog-covered pine trees. … read more
Review: Slough Feg – Digital Resistance
Mike Scalzi continues to tread the thin line between heavy metal and rock n’ roll with his acrobatic guitar work and unconventional songwriting. The whole production sounds warm and organic, contrasting well with the album’s lyrical themes of technological isolation … read more
Review: Sleepers Work – No Turn Before the Shoreline
William Flynn’s bold, new ambient EP contains an array of eclectic trinkets that create an incredible collective of sounds. This album is what I think might be good for ambient beginners, thanks to Flynn’s steadily incorporated rhythm. … read more
Review: Signals Midwest – Light on the Lake
I wouldn’t be surprised if bands like Signals Midwest, The Front Bottoms and other emo-revivalists start getting serious radio play in two years or so. Their mathy rhythms, straightforward guitar-work and harmony-laden vocals are just screaming radio potential. … read more
Review: Sally Seltmann – Hey Daydreamer
Hey Daydreamer is an album full of theatrics. Not only is the instrumentation elaborate, with emphasis on the horns and percussion, but the overall feeling I get from listening to this is uplifting, as she sings about finding strength in independence, throwing out bad influences and living with your mistakes. … read more