Review: Lauren Mann & The Fairly Odd Folk

Review: Lauren Mann & The Fairly Odd Folk
By

Over Land and Sea starts out with a force that immediately captures your attention. … read more

Review: Judy Kang

Review: Judy Kang
By

A comparison to Bjork is not the way to my heart; her music is like listening to a fax machine have a nervous breakdown. … read more

Review: John Cale – Shifty Adventures In Nookie Wood

Review: John Cale – Shifty Adventures In Nookie Wood
By

John Cale
Shifty Adventures in Nookie Wood
Double Six
Street: 10.01.12
John Cale = Bauhaus + The Velvet Underground x Brian Eno
Stand back, kids … at 70, sporting pink dye in his white hair, legend John Cale (The Velvet Underground and too many others to name) is rockin’, and not in a rockin’ chair, son. This album is chockful of his smooth and unmistakable voice––like the voice Jim Morrison might have grown into––his standard drone and his louche lyrics that rival Leonard Cohen’s for their depth. You don’t so much listen to Nookie Woods as you get grabbed and bodily hauled in for some very shifty adventures, indeed. The opener, “I Wanna Talk 2 U,” a collaboration with hip-hop producer Danger Mouse, explodes out of your speakers. The masterful “Hemmingway” rattles you with its building intensity, while “Face to the Sky” is a gorgeous melding of electronic and organic elements, a swooping, woozy nod to Dali’s Car and Bowie. But lest all this ancient name-dropping makes you think the album is a throwback, worry not: there’s nothing old-fashioned about it. Cale seems committed to moving forward with music, playing around with over-processed autotune on “December Rain,” but he’s not afraid of organic acoustic sounds, as on “Mary.” If you don’t already know Cale, it’s time you met him, and a trip to the Nookie Woods is a fine place to start. –Madelyn Boudreaux … read more

Review: Iron Reagan

Review: Iron Reagan
By

Iron Reagan will initially be recognized for its membership, which counts two members of Municipal Waste and two members of Darkest Hour in its ranks, but this should be eclipsed by their music. … read more

Review: Iceage

Review: Iceage
By

Like dying in a dream or Francis Bacon’s paintings, Iceage have delivered a bittersweet roller-coaster stomach lurch with their sophomore release, which drives forward in a disjointed dance with opener “Ecstasy.” … read more

Review: Hypocrisy

Review: Hypocrisy
By

With a new record, Hypocrisy hits the road this spring in the ol’ USA to support it and all that goodness. … read more

Review: Horsehands

Review: Horsehands
By

Boston-based Horsehands are an experiment with an old, familiar sound that is miraculously unlike anything you’ve ever heard. … read more

Review: High Priest of Saturn

Review: High Priest of Saturn
By

A classic case of stoner doom by numbers, High Priest of Saturn imitate all the basic components of their chosen genre, but fail to add anything substantial or unique to the mix. Highly hailed with comparisons to Black Sabbath and Electric Wizard, the band’s self-titled debut only resembles these bands by the most generous comparison.  … read more

Review: Greg Boring

Review: Greg Boring
By

Greg Boring are from Brisbane, Australia, and they make improvisational analog synth psychedelia. Heavy Syrup, the group’s debut LP, was an interesting listen, and even more interesting in its compositional techniques. In its recording process, the album’s songs were outlined but improvised.  … read more

Review: Gold Fields

Review: Gold Fields
By

I want to enjoy this Aussie dance-rock, but something about it reminds me a little too much of being 15 and angst-ily blasting Panic! At The Disco. My teenage insecurities aside, the fast rock chords combined with perky electro-beats and male pop vocals that are the basis of Gold Fields are pretty decent—if not boy-band quality.  … read more