Music
Review: The Hold Steady – Teeth Dreams
It’s a straightforward rock n’ roll record with a punk vibe and a 1970s rock aftertaste. This is partly due to the addition of guitarist Steve Selvidge, and partly because the session was overseen by producer Nick Raskulinecz (Foo Fighters, Rush). … read more
Review: Helm – The Hollow Organ EP
This album’s melodic yet uneasy synth and echoing chains of chaotic noise are carefully tucked in the background of an unsettling world. If you are a fan of Blizzard’s Diablo 2 soundtrack, I would highly recommend this album. … read more
Review: Hauschka – Abandoned City
When I listened to the album, all I could think of is how great of a soundtrack this would be for a post-apocalyptic movie. Piano is the main instrument, along with computer-generated drumbeats, which are incredibly organic sounding, and various strings being plucked to provide an interesting texture. … read more
Review: Guided By Voices – Motivational Jumpsuit
“The biggest fish in the smallest pond?” he asks in “Littlest League,” seeming to question his indie-rock legend status. Pollard seems bent on creating works that are more and more self-assured and, in some small way, monumental, even when he doesn’t always knock one out of the park. … read more
Review: The Gaslight Anthem – The B-Sides
If you haven’t at least gone through Gaslight’s more polished releases, this is not for you, and is not designed to be your first Gaslight experience. They take a shot at The Rolling Stones’ “Tumbling Dice,” which is an uphill battle they manage quite well. … read more
Review: Gardens & Villa – Dunes
Much like their eponymous 2011 debut, the new Gardens & Villa album frequently combines lead singer and guitarist Chris Lynch’s flute playing with the synths of Adam Rasmussen that recalls the early-’80s styling of this amalgam, with mostly successful results. … read more
Review: Gacha – When The Watchman Saw The Light
This six-part album is a compendium of percussion, gentle guitars and ethereal vocals provided by the lovely Natalie “TBA” Beridze. Gacha’s album seems, to me, like the Georgian’s take on the progression from light into darkness. … read more
Review: Flying Lotus – Ideas+drafts+loops
Ideas+drafts+loops has nods to Steven Ellison’s signature, off-beat styling, but is also full of experiments and collaborations that show how flexible Flying Lotus is as an artist. There is a lot going on with I+d+l, and with 24 tracks, it is a psychedelic delve into the mind of an electronically inspired madman … read more
Review: Epic Problem – Lines
Hailing from Derbyshire, England, this four-piece band (who take their name from a Minor Threat song) is one of the few worth listening to in modern street punk. I knew almost immediately I was going to like this album in the first 30 seconds of the opening track, “Lines.” … read more
Review: Empty Flowers – The Air You Found
It is not often that I hear traditional rock mixed with ambient electronic themes and can say I enjoy it. Empty Flowers showed me that the two can be beautifully united into an ocean of imagery. … read more