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Our latest album reviews, featuring the records we've most enjoyed (or not) over the past few weeks.

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Browse our album reviews according to score: Highest (9.5/10 or more) or Lowest (2/10 or less)

Uranium Club

Infants Under The Bulb
Anti Fade Records, Static Shock Records (2024)

Do you take your punk with saxophone? Do you like post-angular guitars and rhythmic, near-spoken vocals? If so, Uranium Club is probably right for you. Apparently they call this egg punk nowadays. I would have called it art-punk. It definitely runs in the left-of-the-dial, DIY punk world, but has that glasses-wearing, proud-of-your-weirdness element that makes it hard to pin down to a single descriptor. It sounds like Wire and The Fall and maybe a touch of Lifter Puller and Shellac…kind of. In many ways it reminds me of No Wave era, but with modern production and some surprises along the way, all connected by hypnotic, head-nodding rhythms. It has the dynamic creativity of ‘80s Touch & Go and the personality of early punk. While it wanders fertile creative ground, there’s just enough traditional song structure to keep cohesive and digestible. The band get right into the thick of it with “Small Grey Man.” It has that Lifter Puller-like storytelling yarn thing going on, but the music is more anxious, almost stream-of-conscious. In this song (but not all of them), a saxophone weaves it all together, a steady melodic presence that connects the disparate points. Then a second vocalist pops in, … Read more

The Phase Problem

The Power Of Positive Thinking
Brassneck Records (2024)

I spent a good part of the late ‘90s annoyed at the abundance of Ramonescore. I’ll stand by my word: … Read more

Totally Slow

The Darkness Intercepts
Refresh Records (2024)

I find Totally Slow a hard band to categorize. Their brand of melodic, hard punk is familiar and comforting -- … Read more

Steamachine

City of Death
Records Workshop (2023)

City Of Death is the third album from Polish noise makers Steamachine. Having dabbled in a few metal styles over … Read more

Faulty Cognitions

Somehow, We Are Here
Cercle Social Records (2024)

The opening track on Somehow, We Are Here is a statement. Yes, Faulty Cognitions is a punk band with members … Read more

Lussuria

Under Crumbled Stairs
Hospital Productions (2024)

Jim Mroz is no stranger to the darkest dungeons of the human mind. These locked doors of the psyche are … Read more

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One from the archives

Corrosion of Conformity

Self Titled
Candlelight (2012)

The mighty COC have returned. In the past few years the band returned to the musical landscape by reforming their original and much beloved lineup. That is the lineup that wrote the much lauded classic Animosity. Records under such pretenses could go a few ways. Will the band return playing a rehashed version of old songs? Will they reach far beyond their grasp and create something boring and trite just to prove they have the skills to do so? Well with the return of Mike Dean the band not only stay true to the Animosity style crossover that they made their name on but, they also manage to grow beyond that taking tricks learned by the other COC lineup and incorporating them into the songs.Needless to say what the band … Read more

More album reviews

Pearl Jam

Dark Matter
Monkey Wrench, Republic (2024)

When Pearl Jam dropped Gigaton in 2020 - a mere two weeks after the world shut down, there was a lot of fear and uncertainty about what track we were on as a society, and even as a species. We clung to whatever north star could guide us through those dark times. So it really says something that still, four … Read more

Dog Date

Zinger
Pop Wig Records (2024)

The first song on this album is named “Nirvana.” It’s a fitting nod to an obvious influence, though a Mudhoney reference might honestly be more apt. Going into this record, based solely on the lead single (“Nuff Said), I was expecting more of a brash, garage-punk sound with Dog Date. My first impressions weren’t totally off base, but add a … Read more

Spiritual Cramp

Spiritual Cramp
Blue Grape Music (2023)

Some bands are visual, yeah? You need to see them live, in person, to truly experience them. You need to see the costumes, the theatrics, the flashing lights and, yes, the sweat running down their faces. Spiritual Cramp are like this, but, uh, not? Not the costumes, not the theatrics, not the flashing lights (I’ll stay mum about the sweat). … Read more

Planet B

Fiction Prediction
Three One G (2024)

Justin Pearson. The only person who you could hear Mike Patton say “Goddamn, that guy’s in a lot of bands”. And it’s true. The list of groups Pearson has been a part of reads longer than his lyric sheets. But within the myriad of music the man has released, Planet B is somewhat of an anomaly. There are synths. There … Read more

Vial

Burnout
Get Better Records (2024)

They’re calling Vial indie-punk on the press releases I’m seeing. That’s probably as fair a description as any, as the DIY punk band covers a lot of sonic ground. What’s impressive is that on burnout, their second record, that varied sound all feels unified. The 10 songs here go from indie rock to angry punk to grungy to bouncy but, … Read more

The Jesus And Mary Chain

Glasgow Eyes
Fuzz Club Records (2024)

What I enjoy most about the Jesus and Mary Chain is arguably also their biggest flaw. The band’s slacker energy meets wall of feedback with a surprisingly melodic twist has always worked for me, but it kind of blurs together after a while. It’s kind of rainy day music – hence the classic “Happy When It Rains” off 1987’s Darklands. … Read more

Kim Gordon

The Collective
Matador (2024)

Since the demise of Sonic Youth in 2011, Kim Gordon has stayed active through multiple outlets, through all of which she has rejuvenated her experimental outlook. Alongside Bill Nace in Body / Head, they have explored the no-wave aesthetic in its full glory, through minimalism and noise. But, it is also her solo project that has found Gordon at her … Read more

Viva Belgrado

Cancionero De Los Cielos
Fueled By Salmorejo (2024)

Somehow I never reviewed Viva Belgrado before, even though I have followed them since their debut album Flores, Carne. Somehow I was always a bit late to the show and thought: ok, this time I am too late, but next time I will catch this release on time! Well, the band just released their fourth full length and guess what? … Read more

DWNKILL

Time Will Tell
Street Noise Production (2023)

DWNKILL are a band born of the monotony of the Covid pandemic which gave the band plenty of time to write, rehearse and perfect their sound. Hailing from Houston, Texas, DWNKILL are the brain child of identical twin brothers, Jesse (vocals) and Josh (drums) Rodriguez. Recruiting childhood friends Connor Clements (guitar) and Dylan McEwan (bass) their line up was complete … Read more

Chelsea Wolfe

She Reaches Out To She Reaches Out To She
Loma Vista Recordings (2024)

Since the 2010 release of her debut album, The Grime and The Glow, Chelsea Wolfe has steadily become one of the prominent figures in the dark intersection between gothic, doom, and folk. Not only has she amassed a discography without any true blemishes, but she has also transcended to other genres (in her collaboration with Converge in Bloodmoon: I) but … Read more

Sweat

Love Child
Vitriol (2024)

Sweat hit the ground running with their debut, working up a lather on Gotta Give It Up. Two years later, the California trio is back and they still seem plenty angry. Their second LP, Love Child may have a charming title but it has just as much fire as their debut. It follows a similar style while showing more nuance … Read more

Bad Idols

Popstar
Say-10 (2023)

With the billion or so punk subgenres and comeback cycles, it’s interesting to me that more bands aren’t playing this style of Crimpshrine-inspired East Bay punk. Popstar by Bad Idols is crunchy yet melodic. It’s generally pop-structured but with gruff and deeply personal lyrics. Let’s just say the word “I” is prevalent throughout this 12-song record. I’ll also add that … Read more

The Sleeveens

The Sleeveens
Dirtnap (2024)

You know how most records start out with an absolute banger? It sets a mood, for sure, but it often feels like the band doesn’t top it as the full album plays out. I’m definitely not saying that The Sleeveens deliver a dud with the first song here, “Give My Regards To The Dancing Girls,” but I am saying that … Read more

The Umbrellas

Fairweather Friend
Slumberland Records (2024)

Slumberland is one of those labels I note, but haven’t really dove into. The Umbrellas fit my expectations of the label’s sound though. It’s distinctly modern songwriting, but with a wave of sounds from yesterday. I’ll call this power-pop washed in the folk and psyche rock of the ‘60s, with a bit of twee and British invasion and dreamy indie … Read more

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Browse our album reviews according to score: Highest (9.5/10 or more) or Lowest (2/10 or less)

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