Natterers
Head In Threathening Attitude
Boss Tuneage Records (2018)
Sometimes I like my punk straightforward. Give me some power chords, play them high speed, high energy for one to three minutes and I’m a happy man. Sometimes I like my punk a bit different. One thing I enjoy is a guitarist who dares to play something different. Just to give an example, one thing I dig is more surfy … Read more
Nazoranai
The Most Painful Times Happens Only Once Has It Arrived Today?
Editions Mego (2014)
The guys participating in Nazoranai, do not really need much of an introduction. Stephen O’Malley of drone doom overlords Sunn O))), Australian guitarist Oren Ambarchi (who acts as the drummer in this case) and the maestro himself, Keiji Haino, collaborate to bring a terrorizing album of experimental free rock fury and improvisation. The free rock form of Nazoranai give a … Read more
Neal Eles
As Night Sinks
Independent (2006)
Neal Eles sounds like Jose Gonzales. It's that simple. Maybe Jose Gonzales sounds like Neal Eles, or maybe they both sound like someone else? Who knows? It's that gentle singer-songwriter formula all played on pianos and acoustic guitars with some melancholic vocals. Neal Eles chooses to beef up the archetype with drums and increased timbres, however, and even has a … Read more
Nebelhexë
Essensual
Candlelight (2007)
For those who find Evanescence's Amy Lee too goth and Sarah Brightman not quite goth enough, we have Norway's Andrea Haugen a.k.a. Nebelhexë. Now, "Neb," as we'll call her, is, according to her bio, "a warrior with never-fading energy and she fights with passion for individual and spiritual freedom; animal rights, awareness for ecological food, recognition for ancient goddess worship … Read more
Nebelung
Palingenesis
Temple of Torturous (2014)
Nebelung's gorgeous Palingenesis is born of melancholy and sadness and the themes of an approaching finality coupled with the knowledge of rebirth echoes throughout a work that is layered and coloured with shades of autumn and the coming winter. Palingenesis is a moody work and its textures flow through beautiful acoustic guitars and Stefan Otto’s emotion-laden voice. He moves from … Read more
Necrophobic
Satanic Blasphemies
Regain (2009)
Necrophobic are one of the classics of the legendary old school Swedish death metal scene, along with underground titans such as Entombed, Dismember, and Carnage. They remained slightly less known then the aforementioned compatriots but nonetheless command great respect in underground circles and bring a lot of history with them. If you are at all familiar with and love old … Read more
Need
Need
Independent (2016)
Some bands just make things difficult for those interested in the band. Some bands do so by making complicated music. Need is not one of those bands. Need makes things unnecessary complicated by choosing a name that will not soon pop up after searching for it online. And by making a self-titled album they are not making the search much … Read more
Needles//Pins
Goodnight, Tomorrow
Mint/Dirt Cult (2017)
Needles//Pins are one of those hard bands to pin down. They just sound like what rock ‘n’ roll is supposed to be, you know? It’s catchy, gritty, relatable, and working class. It’s to the point without being mindless or jingoistic. Goodnight, Tomorrow is their second LP, the follow-up to Shamebirds (2014). The first record is an enjoyable romp, but it … Read more
Needles//Pins
Needles//Pins
Dirt Cult (2021)
Needles//Pins have all the familiar elements of pop-structured punk. Yet, at the same time, it’s hard to distill their sound to a single scene or subgenre. It’s melodic; it’s gruff; it’s sing-along. But it’s not really angry, fist-in-the-air cynicism. There’s an uplifting vibe underneath the coarse offering that soars instead of cycles. Off the top of my head, there are … Read more
Needles//Pins
Shamebirds
Dirt Cult (2014)
Needles//Pins are something different in the punk rock realm. Well, that’s not true. They’re entirely familiar and warm, yet they have that pizzazz—that’s what the kids are calling it these days, if you didn’t know. They play familiar-ish DIY punk with some pop sensibility, but there’s a little more attitude, a touch of that first person rock star swagger that … Read more
Negative Plane
Stained Glass Revelations
Ajna Offensive (2011)
Negative Plane are certainly not a new band. Having released their prior full length 5 years ago the band seemed to have disappeared for quite some time. Many times when this happens bands tend to forget their original purpose or just forget music altogether. Thankfully for us, the music consuming public, the band have returned to become something stronger. The … Read more
Neighborhood Brats
Claw Marks
Dirt Cult (2018)
I’ve always liked Neighborhood Brats, but I don’t remember the band having so much variation in sound. Over 11 songs, this record maintains their melodic and forward-moving punk but with ominous foreboding organ, and even banging piano at times. While this growth stands out, it also doesn’t change who the band is. These details add depth, not a change of … Read more
Neighborhood Brats
Confines of Life
Dirt Cult (2021)
Neighborhood Brats play punk as you’d expect it to sound – regardless of year or era. It’s angry, aggressive and timeless. A review doesn’t require hyphens and subcategories. But while they’re easy to pin into a genre, they remain full of surprises, which is exceedingly rare. For every political lyric, fist punch in the air and shout-along moment, there’s a … Read more
Neighborhood Brats
Recovery
Deranged (2014)
Reading Scene Point Blank can pay off. A year or so ago we streamed No Sun No Tan, which was the first I’d heard of LA’s Neighborhood Brats.And I dug it.September sees the release of Recovery, the band’s first proper LP, released on Deranged. It gets things off with the direct “Year of the Brat,” a song indicative of what … Read more
Neil Young
Hitchhiker
Warner Bros. (2017)
Neil Young is cool as shit... there I got that out of the way. He has been an inspiration to numerous bands over his 50+ year career working with Buffalo Springfield, CSNY, and his solo work. Young has played with musicians as diverse as Rick James in their first band together in the 60s dubbed The Mynah Birds, to Pearl … Read more
Neil Young and The Promise of the Real
The Visitor
Reprise (2017)
Neil Young releases records at an alarming rate for a septuagenarian. It doesn’t matter, the guy gets a gold pass on whatever he releases. His recent health scare not slowing him down, yet showcasing the mortality we have seen in the recent past with Young’s friends and peers moving on at an alarming rate. Neil Young has walked a frantic … Read more
Neko Case
Fox Confessor Brings the Flood
Anti (2006)
According to Playboy.com, Neko Case is the "Sexiest Babe of Indie Rock." Fortunately for the listening public, such a lofty title hasn't gone to Miss Case's head. "I'm not out to become Faith Hill," she says. "I never want to play an arena, and I never want to be on the MTV Video Music Awards, much less make a video … Read more
Nekrasov
The Ever-Present
Crucial Blast (2011)
Nekrasov as an artist has made a name for himself over the past few years. Working in a rather limited, hard to define genre (Black Noise) and managing to inadvertently become one of the flagship artists in the current crop of artists in this genre. Black Noise itself is best defined by the over arching characteristics of it. That being … Read more
