Music
Review: Pure X – Crawling Up The Stairs
Where Crawling up the Stairs doesn’t confront immediately with a sense of deep self-loathing, it seethes. Pure X is disarming in the way Nate Grace and Jesse Jenkin’s songs belie their distressed core by being quite pretty and non-confrontational. … read more
Review: Poeina Suddarth – Happy Whore
Poeina Suddarth’s vocal range is insane. Her sharp-yet-sweet voice travels everywhere from upbeat skit-skat jazz on “Natural Disaster,” all the way to relaxed grass-plains country sounds on “Gasoline” and “White Mr. Beauty.” … read more
Review: Polly Scattergood – Arrows
What a refreshing and novel concept for an album in 2013: songs of heart break and loneliness without any cloying traces of hip-hop or rapping on them. The very talented Scattergood bares her heart completely for her sophomore album and that young, … read more
Review: Paper Dragons – Die To Please
Some of the more snotty sounding vocals in the modern punk scene, Paper Dragons’ Die To Please is a fast and unforgiving album. While sticking close to punk cannon, this album (originally released in 2007) kicks out some aggressive jams—you can almost hear the sweat dripping through your headphones. … read more
Review: Nude Pop – Splintered Selves EP
After listening to this album a few times, I was reminded of bands like The Killers. With its slower pacing and alternative edge, this band produces a smooth EP that accurately represents the sound of the Pacific Northwest by using classic rock instruments to create a laid-back and relaxing sound. … read more
Review: Nikki Hill – Here’s Nikki Hill
Nikki and Matt Hill are proof positive that when two talented people marry and come together creatively good things are going to happen. Nikki has all the swagger of ‘50s and ‘60s R&B soul artists, and every bit of the power and punch of the male blues shouters of the same era. … read more
Review: Neon Indian – Errata Anex EP
The first three tracks on ERRATA ANEX are clubbish-sounding. They all have the same idea, with similar tempos and distorted clips of Neon Indian over heavily remixed original instrumentals. … read more
Review: Morningbell – Boa Noite
Portuguese for “good night,” Boa Noite takes on the theme of wishing someone goodnight, and translates that colloquialism into multiple layers throughout the album. Just as saying “goodnight” can hold multitudes of connotations, the girth of the orchestral arrangements present throughout Boa Noite that reaches across a wide range of emotions and genres. … read more
Review: Midnight Oil – Essential Oils
Similar to The Essential Clash, although with better pun usage, Essential Oils’ double-disc-load takes you on a tour spanning an entire Midnight Oil lifetime—from second-wave punk through poppy new wave. … read more
Review: Sharks – Selfhood
There is a certain blissfulness that comes with simple music. UK-based Sharks’ latest release, Selfhood, is a record that reminds me of a simpler time in music. … read more