Frog’s second LP Kind of Blah is one that swings from highs to lows, from poppy pep to slowed down sadness and it encompasses every other emotion within it’s short running time that any of us would know. Opener “All Dogs Go To Heaven” is a guitar led-piece that showcases the duo’s bittersweet indie pop and sets out their intent to lift you up before bringing you down. “Fucking” rides waves of preppy energy while “Wish Upon a Bar” takes the pace back down and incorporates echoing organs and a steady ramping up of layers of sound to give the song a boost towards its closing stages. It’s a trick that flows sublimely through the bands second album – beautiful moments of despair contrast with otherwise perky garage rock progressions but underneath it all is the grime of New York, a feeling the members know all too well about their home city. Kind of Blah was apparently recorded in a disused bowling alley, and the lack of polish across the record serves this album perfectly. Not many albums could get away with the rough edges that pepper frog’s music, but Kind of Blah would suffer from being cleaned up, the … Read more
Little Sister is an East Bay post-punk group with a passionate and well-deserved local following. The trio consists of Monbon … Read more
June, 1997.Hanson's Mmmbop was at the top of the charts. Hype was building for James Cameron's soon-to-be-released new film Titanic. … Read more
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Once upon a time, while on a late evening binge of marijuana and cartoons, a young adult named Zed felt it would be appropriate to create. Well, the "young adult" is actually 21 years old...and he's, like, a total hunk. Anyway, the man covered in glistening oils combined his favorite wrapper and his favorite produce in a cereal bowl. With all of his boyish might, he smashed the objects together as Adult Swim filled up the walls, projected from the television. The final concoction induced laughter, but was ultimately disappointing. Zed's friends had previously hyped the product, "MF Doom [the rapper], Danger Mouse [the producer] and Adult Swim [the theme]. What could go wrong, man?" They did have a point, but what their red stitched eyes couldn't see in foresight … Read more
In this current age of ‘80s hardcore worship overload, it’s refreshing when something this original comes along, even if said originality is the result of a convergence of styles. Phoenix, AZ four-piece Gay Kiss grind and groove forth with teeth-clenching, throat-ripping, temple-piercing rage on their new LP, Preservation Measures. The production is slick but not glaringly clean; perfect for the … Read more
Dan Webb and the Spiders have been out spreading their punk rock for a few years now. They've collected a bunch of unreleased tracks, some singles and splits, as well as some bonus tracks from their second album and put them on one big compilation for all to enjoy in one place. Now It Can Be Told is perfect for … Read more
Barack Obama recently apologised to the families of two Western hostages killed during US drone strikes in January in the Pakistan-Afghanistan border. The use of drones is nothing new, they've been used since George W Bush was commander in chief, and it seems the narrative of American politics never greatly changes. The only thing that does change is the level … Read more
Doubled-up, sometimes indecipherable screamed vocals, waves of sludgy, growling guitar and a thudding, powerful rhythm section ensure that Enjoy Your Hobbies, a 7” vinyl release from Milwaukee, Wisconsin’s Soup Moat, is anything but dull. Containing five tracks falling in the one to two minute range, this album switches things up from assaults of mangled sound (opener “Comfy One”) to more … Read more
I was apprehensive about reviewing this record. When hear “music by teenagers,” it tends to mean preachy and rather one-sided political rants that are well meaning but, well, immature or not all that developed. Plus teenage voices aren’t all that great to hear singing, know what I mean?The Lookouts were a band comprised of Larry Livermore (not a teenager at … Read more
Calling Untethered Moon guitar rock is somewhere to start. While the band takes their chops from the 1990s alternative boom, the defining moments of their songs come out of the guitars rather than in vocal styling or rhythmic direction. This record succeeds or fails because of that guitar. (See what I just did there? Now you have to keep reading.)As … Read more
I almost don’t want to write a review for experimental rap outfit Death Grips, because I feel like I’d be giving them exactly what they want: attention. Their overly abrasive attitude – from no-show live shows to perpetually shitting on their record label via publicity stunts – comes off as an immature gimmick begging for press. But it would be … Read more
Modern death metal often suffers under the weight of trying to emulate old school heroes while not doing very much of interest at all, so it’s a nice surprise when a newer project manages to pay homage to the old days while still bringing a nice modern flavour to proceedings. Six of Swords, who hail from Toronto, play death metal … Read more
It always takes a while for Dodheimsgard (DHG) to release a new album, but it is also always worth the wait. The experimental alchemists from Norway started off their career back in the mid ‘90s when the second wave of black metal bands was starting to come together. The core of the band back then with the release of their … Read more
There are some albums that you hear for the first time and fall in love instantly. There are others that require repeated listens in order to grasp the depth and complexity of the material. These albums get progressively more enjoyable as you listen to them. With every spin another pleasant nuance exposes itself. Strung Out’s latest album Transmission.Alpha.Delta falls into … Read more
Chances are, most listeners have would heard everything on Derek Grant’s 2015 solo album Breakdown before - it seems to imitate everything from the driving road music of Jackson Browne to the ballads of Guns ‘n’ Roses while frequently capturing an alt-country vibe that might be unexpected coming from a musician undoubtedly best known for drumming in punk group Alkaline … Read more
I know I’d already read the band’s bio, but I think I would have guessed Pacific Northwest anyway. There’s just something dreary and with a bi to’ sunshine about Summer Cannibals. Just like their name, it’s a mix of positive and desperate, with a genre tag somewhere in the vein of grunge-pop.It’s the Portland, OR band’s second full-length and the … Read more
After a 2013 full length album that marked the band’s first full-length as a self-described “Carp Rock Power Duo,” a title which I can in no way explain yet love nonetheless, South Bend, Indiana’s The Rutabega is back with Shiny Destination, a 7” vinyl release that presents two very different sides of the group’s sound. With its playfully chaotic feel, … Read more
The meaning of the word “personal” does not even begin to describe what the COIN COIN works must signify for Matana Roberts. Through the chapters of COIN COIN, Roberts narrates the story of her family as far back as it can be traced. Roberts herself has said that it would probably take her a dozen albums to finish recounting this … Read more
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