Review: Assemblage 23 – Storm

Review: Assemblage 23 – Storm
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ASSEMBLAGE 23 STORM Metropolis 3.5/5 Tom Shear from Assemblage 23 is back with a release loaded with thought-provoking lyrics and melodies that spark something inside of the listener. Shear has found a niche with his talent and has been able to successfully replicate his signature sound with a fresh approach each time without becoming boring

Review: Iszoloscope – Les Gorges Des Limbes

Review: Iszoloscope – Les Gorges Des Limbes
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ISZOLOSCOPE LES GORGES DES LIMBES Ant Zen 4/5 To celebrate the five-year anniversary of Iszoloscope, Yann Faussurier has a five-track treat—Les Gorges Des Limbes. Similar to the dark atmospheres and hollow drones of Aquifère, Les Gorges Des Limbes is just the flipside to his previous release, Au Seuil du Néant, which weaves in and out

Review: The Thrills – Let’s Bottle Bohemia

Review: The Thrills – Let’s Bottle Bohemia
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THE THRILLS LET’S BOTTLE BOHEMIA Virgin The Thrills debut So Much for the City was greeted with so many fantastic reviews, awards and a wallop of hype that you’d think they’d invented rock’n’roll. I was unimpressed. For Let’s Bottle Bohemia I wiped the slate clean, ignored the inevitable hype and the result? They’re a good

Review: The Shore – Self-Title

Review: The Shore – Self-Title
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THE SHORE THE SHORE Maverick In a time when labels are scrambling to capitalize on the space Coldplay has left while they record their new album with UK bands like Snow Patrol and Keane it seems fitting that the most suitable replacement should be from California. Not that The Shore are going to be confused

Review: NamelessNumberHeadman – Your Voice Repeating

Review: NamelessNumberHeadman – Your Voice Repeating
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NAMELESSNUMBERHEADMAN YOUR VOICE REPEATING The Record Machine Quite frankly this is an experiment that at any given moment threatens to go awry. A dose of the Flaming Lips’ bizarre atmospheric kookiness, occasional afternoon drinking binges with acoustic guitars and quiet pianos that from time to time explode into New Order’s rock-electronica before crashing into the

Review: The Waxwings – Let’s Make Our Descent

Review: The Waxwings – Let’s Make Our Descent
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THE WAXWINGS LET’S MAKE OUR DESCENT Rainbow Quartz Although you can hear the garage influences Detroit’s The Waxwings pull a few tricks from the glory days of the Rolling Stones by way of the Dandy Warhols rather than jumping The White Stripes bandwagon. Not that there isn’t any blues to be found, there’s more than

Review: Communiqué – Poison Arrows

Review: Communiqué – Poison Arrows
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COMMUNIQUE POISON ARROWS Lookout Had Duran Duran grown up listening to themselves and pop punk rather than the glam appeal of Bowie, T-Rex or Roxy Music and stole their image from a less fashionable Interpol over David Sylvian they would have looked and sounded like Communiqué. Well you might also have to add a bit

Review: Singapore Sling – Life Is Killing My Rock’N’Roll

Review: Singapore Sling – Life Is Killing My Rock’N’Roll
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SINGAPORE SLING LIFE IS KILLING MY ROCK’N’ROLL Stinky Singapore Sling’s debut album, The Curse of Singapore Sling, was greeted by over-anxious critics who hailed this Icelandic import as the rising sun. I was numbered among those critics. This isn’t to say they weren’t worthy of a little attention. Their sonic wall of distorted haze was

Localized: Victrola

Localized: Victrola
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Localized is a monthly showcase of local bands. This 8th of October, we bring you (although you clearly don’t deserve it) On Vibrato and Victrola. This would be a good time to mope over your last ineffectual and failed relationship or to pensively sip a beer and consider the hypothetical events following. As always, the

Localized: On Vibrato

Localized: On Vibrato
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Localized is a monthly showcase of local bands. This 8th of October, we bring you (although you clearly don’t deserve it) On Vibrato and Victrola. This would be a good time to mope over your last ineffectual and failed relationship or to pensively sip a beer and consider the hypothetical events following. As always, the