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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)

Andrew Paley

Sirens
Paper + Plastick/Make My Day (2016)

Perhaps best known as the frontman of Vermont post-punk band The Static Age, Andrew Paley has never been shy about his penchant for playing solo acoustic songs. Where The Static Age's sound is sound is distantly confrontational and awash with the vivid colours of late nights, Paley's solo work has mostly been more reflective and vulnerable, like the sounds of a folk singer filtering through a desolate log cabin during a dark winter evening.Paley regularly writes his own solo material between tours and when working on material for The Static Age, so when this ever-growing catalogue of songs seemed too precious to go unheard Sirens was born. This album is collection of songs gathered from recordings in Chicago, and also a log cabin in the woods in Vermont where Paley grew up, alongside tracks that were part of 2014's limited release Songs for Dorian Gray EP.Sirens launches us into a world where a number of characters take centre stage, and the songs take on the form of directly addressed instances of reassurance and general musings. On "Take Cover" violins become a heartbeat lines the chorus, while Paley promises: "I will make it all better someday, someway". Sirens sees the singer … Read more

Enmeshed

The Egesal
Independent (2016)

There is very little information available about who Enmeshed is, other than that they are a four piece band, releasing … Read more

Bad Sports

Living with Secrets
Dirtnap (2016)

Bad Sports are coming into their own. They’ve always been a solid Denton, TX hyphen-rock band but on their new … Read more

Video/DVD Review

Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds

One More Time With Feeling
Independent (2016)

There is no pain so great as the memory of joy in present grief - that is how ancient Greek … Read more

NOFX

First Ditch Effort
Fat Wreck Chords (2016)

It’s probably been a decade (maybe two) since anyone reviewed a NOFX record without starting out by talking about “knowing … Read more

The Melvins

Basses Loaded
Ipecac (2016)

The Melvins are becoming one of the most prolific bands of any in recent memory. One could speculate on the … Read more

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One from the archives

Biznaga

Gran Pantalla
Slovenly (2020)

Gran Pantalla is the third LP from Spain’s Biznaga. It’s predecessor, Sentido Del Espectáculo, was quite successful in Spain and numero tres comes with the lofty promise in the press material as “If Joe Strummer were actually from Granada, The Clash would have sounded something like this.” It’s also the band’s first record featuring collaborative songwriting, instead of each writer contributing their own material along the journey.Of course it doesn’t live up to The Clash, because that’s just silly. But for somebody with an elementary grasp of the Spanish language and an ear for The Clash, I do enjoy this.Gran Pantalla translates to “Big Screen.” This pulls from many, many sources. It’s almost always forward-moving and energetic. It’s not high strung or concise, necessarily, but with a clear trajectory. It’s … Read more

More album reviews

Mark Sultan

BBQ
In The Red (2016)

Mark Sultan has long gone by two stage names: his own, and BBQ (of King Khan & The BBQ Show). Most solo work has been truly solo: just Sultan, his guitar and his drums. That’s right: he’s a one-man band instead of a “singer-songwriter.” On BBQ, Sultan merges both names and both worlds.While I’m familiar with his work, for the … Read more

Hannahband

Quitting Will Improve Your Health
Blackwire Records/Lesstalk Records (2016)

If you asked me how I feel about two-piece bands, I’d say I’m not really a fan. But there’s some disconnect as I find myself listening to quite a few of them, really. A lot of the time I praise the arrangement for their ability to find a full sound in limited instrumentation. With Hannahband it’s something different, an ability … Read more

200 Words Or Less

Bloody Hammers

Lovely Sort of Death
Napalm (2016)

Bloody Hammers hail from North Carolina and specialize in doom. The band was founded by Anders Manga, who remains the main songwriter and performer - recruiting others only for tours. Manga's partner-in-dirge is keyboardist, Devalia and while she has been with Manga since the beginning, it would seem she is poised to assume a larger role with the band's music.Providing … Read more

Gojira

Magma
Roadrunner (2016)

Gojira are an anomaly. Not because they're form France, though French metal is somewhat of a rarity - but Gojira are one of the few bands that have long held the respect of fans, peers and critics alike. This will not change with Magma, the band's sixth album. If anything, their ascension in this regard is most likely assured with … Read more

Pixies

Head Carrier
Pixies Music (2016)

When the Pixies released 2014's Indie Cindy, it was their first release in the band's history to not include Bassist/Vocalist Kim Deal. It was evident, very evident that without her, it was going to be an uphill climb. Deal's immediate replacement came in the form of Kim Shattuck, formerly of The Muffs. While a very capable musician and vocalist, it … Read more

Hakan

Hakan II
Drunken Sailor (2016)

Hakan is an Italian garage-punk band in the vein of The Marked Men. Like, really in the vein of The Marked Men—MM’s Jeff Burke (also of Radioactivity) even recorded the record and it fits the aforementioned band’s style perfectly.At thirteen songs in twenty-two minutes, Hakan’s II fits the expectation of short, fast and to-the-point. Meanwhile the guitars are hyper fast … Read more

200 Words Or Less

Tricky

Skilled Mechanics
K7 (2016)

When I think think of one word to describe Tricky, it isn't trip-hop, because that's two words, silly. No, the one that always comes to mind, is 'experimental'. Now, that isn't meant in a music critic lazy-label kind of way. It's meant as a true compliment. Tricky is a mad scientist. And like any true scientist working away in the … Read more

200 Words Or Less

Giraffe Tongue Orchestra

Broken Lines
Party Smasher Inc. (2016)

Another week another supergroup, right? Wrong. Nothing is expected on Broken Lines, the debut album from Giraffe Tongue Orchestra (GTO) - the new band featuring Brent Hinds from Mastodon, William DuVall from Alice In Chains, Ben Weinman from Dillinger Escape Plan and Thomas Pridgen, formerly of The Mars Volta.With such an assortment of characters, the over/under on a crazy weird … Read more

Real Numbers

Wordless Wonder
Slumberland Records (2016)

There are a lot of traps in music journalism. Some, like genre, are the same traps that artists fall into. Because of the constrained vocabulary of describing sounds it can be a challenge to speak of a difference between influence, mimicry, and hybrids. So often when a modern band is described as in tune with an early sound, it’s nostalgic … Read more

Darkthrone

Arctic Thunder
Peaceville (2016)

Darkthrone may have been around for nigh on thirty years, but it hasn’t stopped the Norwegian duo from consistently releasing music and constantly changing up their sound to keep them from living too much in the past. Beginning on a more death metal style, before moving on to black metal (and helping to create the whole second wave of black … Read more

200 Words Or Less

Tom Odell

Spending All My Christmas With You EP
Columbia (2016)

Tom Odell's an interesting prospect: The 26-year-old is an Ivor Novello and BRIT award winner with two albums to his name, who mixes piano-laden ballads with affecting pop melodies. His sound is the kind of music that Jools Holland would merrily tap his foot along to after he's three wines deep and yammering on about pianos, so a Tom Odell … Read more

200 Words Or Less

Taylor Hawkins

KOTA e.p.
Independent (2016)

CEO of SPB Inc: "No."Me: "why?"CEO of SPB Inc: "Because we don't include EP's on the top 25 year end list. You were aware of this when you signed the contract"Me: "But sir, while the contract does state as such, if the EP in question is one of the best releases of the year, should it not be included?"CEO of … Read more

A Tribe Called Quest

We Got It From Here...Thank You For Your Service
Epic (2016)

It's been a year of protests. Whether it's regarding the new president-elect, Black Lives Matter, or sitting down during the national anthem, folks are letting their displeasure with the current state of affairs.With that said, it's been a while that anyone has released anything that could be categorized as a protest album. Hell, that might not even be a real … Read more

200 Words Or Less

Red Hot Chili Peppers

The Getaway
Warner Bros. (2016)

The Red Hot Chili Peppers have seen their fair share of detractors over the years. No need to rehash the descriptives here, but the naysayers should give their mouths and keyboards a rest for a while, as The Getaway is the band's strongest album since Blood, Sugar, Sex Magic. Yes, you heard that right. This is the band's strongest album … Read more

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