Estradasphere
Palace of Mirrors
The End (2006)
For a newcomer to the weird and wonderful world of Estradasphere, Palace of Mirrors is as good a starting point as any. Though the album lacks the vocals featured on the bands previous releases, due to the departure of vocalist and contributing songwriter John Whooley, it is by no means weak as a consequence. The album works well as an … Read more
Eugene Robinson
Fight
Hydra Head (2008)
Okay, so the more that I thought about this, the more ridiculous this concept feels to me, books on tape or CD or whatever. I am able to read so the existence of these types of paraphernalia are completely useless to me, and yes, I get that not everyone can read or not everyone has time to read (which is … Read more
Euglossine
Psaronius
Orange Milk Records (2020)
Created using a combination of physical instruments and various synthesized elements, it wasn’t particularly surprising for me to learn that one of the major concepts behind Gainsville, Florida-based musician Euglossine’s Psaronius (a name which could refer to either a type of prehistoric tree fern or a kind of precious stone) was recreating familiar objects through the use sound. This album … Read more
Eureka California
Crunch
HHBTM Records (2014)
When I hear the phrase “indie rock,” I think of about 4-5 things: Pavement, The Pixies, maybe Weezer, glasses, skinny guys, and bizarre instrumentation or time signatures. Some of that (queue the ‘90s references there) is due to my age, as the former part of that description is a bit more rock oriented than the latter. That former part of … Read more
Evening Standards
World’s End
Lets Pretend (2019)
It’s a dramatic understatement to say that music has changed since I first discovered DIY in the 1990s. But in many ways, one of the first things I discovered about real people making music, is that contacting a label you like usually leads to good things. While you can sample music online nowadays and there are ample bot-driven “recommended if … Read more
Everlovely Lightningheart
Sein Weal Tallion Rue
Hydra Head (2009)
Everlovely Lightningheart was a band (even though championed by Hydra Head for some time) that exists in virtual obscurity. And considering what this collective offers people, aside from a bunch of limited releases (one of which includes an LP that is still only limited to 5 or so copies), the challenging soundscapes on their albums beg to be heard. Sein … Read more
Every Face Becomes A Skull
Every Face Becomes A Skull
Independent (2023)
Confession time: I was going to burn this record to the ground. I wasn’t writing a review yet, just listening to the album, but I had some really not nice things to say. And then everything changed. Why? Well, I decided to see if my problems with the album could be solved by playing it from another source. I thought … Read more
Every Other Fate
Phantoms Fill the Skies
Independent (2008)
Even with the recent explosion of big opus, post-genre fluff, and also considering the success of groups like Radiohead, The Mars Volta, Tool, and to an extent, Dredg, experimental albums will forever maintain a cult following. Most typical trend-trotters "just don't get it," and even some of the more cerebral minds are quick to call the style a pompous exercise … Read more
Every Second Counts
Every Second Counts
6131 (2007)
Here's a band from Southern California that I'm not familiar with, and for the style they play I find that odd. There hasn't been any mention of them on messageboards or any bulletins on Myspace about them being "good dudes" who are "backed hard." It says on the one sheet that Every Second Counts tours but they have probably never … Read more
Every Silver Lining Has A Cloud
Self Titled
Projekt (2011)
This French band may have one of the longer band names in recent memory. Let us gloss over this even though through the ever accurate Wikipedia it may refer to a Julian Schnabel record. This band focuses on a slight version of the general post rock template. While most bands tend to forgo vocals and play the line by making … Read more
Every Time I Die
Gutter Phenomenon
Ferret (2005)
So you know how a band will take something that they wrote that does really well with the fans and expand on it? The Offspring, for example, found out that by writing a "witty" punk rock song they could sell lots of albums. On Every Time I Die's last album Hot Damn!, that song was, "I've Been Gone a Long … Read more
Every Time I Die
New Junk Aesthetic
Epitaph (2009)
There's always a lot of different opinions surrounding the band Every Time I Die. A lot prefer the more chaotic, unpredictable sound they had in the early days of Hot Damn! and Last Night in Town, while a lot seem to enjoy their more riff-heavy metalcore sound they've developed since Gutter Phenomenon. Their last album, The Big Dirty was arguably … Read more
Evoken
Atra Mors
Profound Lore (2012)
New Jersey quartet Evoken have consistently produced genre defining funeral doom throughout their twenty year career and Atra Mors is a grand and huge addition to such a flawless output. How they manage to outdo themselves every time is a mystery that only the band hold the key to and it allows Atra Mors to flow with a stately passion … Read more
Ex Eye
Ex Eye
Relapse (2017)
Colin Stetson, a fantastic saxophone player, came into prominence due to his collaboration with various indie rock bands, in the likes of Arcade Fire and Bon Iver. However, his interests lie further away from the confinements of indie rock, and into the experimental realm, where jazz, avant-garde and experimental music meet. He has been quite busy in 2017, releasing his … Read more
Ex Friends
Rules for Making Up Words
Paper + Plastick (2014)
Ex Friends are a group of Philly area punks, recognized from their work in other bands. The band features Joel Tannenbaum (Plow United), JP Flexner (flyer artist), Audrey Crash, and Jayme Guokas. On their debut full-length, Rules for Making Up Words, they don’t let those previous associations get in the way, though; they embrace them. The project sounds like the … Read more
Exit the King
Exit the King
Independent (2005)
While most publications seem to avoid reviewing independent releases, I actually enjoy covering bands that aren't joined to a label. It refreshing to hear from passionate artists - it says a lot about a band to not only take the time to release an album on their own, but also to send it off to be reviewed by the "elitist … Read more
Exitmusic
The Recognitions
Felte Records (2018)
What gathered my eyes about Exitmusic’s newest album The Recognitions was not any previous knowledge about the group, but a shared name of a favorite book by William Gaddis. Gaddis’s book borrows heavily from religious text, poetry, opera; even the name borrows from the Clementine Recognitions: a religiously gnostic narrative featuring the Apostle Peter told through one Clement.In the Clementine … Read more
Exodus
Let There be Blood
Zaentz (2008)
Why re-record your own album almost twenty-five years later? Some, including this reviewer, find the redundancy almost laughable, but yet it appears to be more and more common, crossing across all genres everyone from Dimmu Borgir to the Cowboy Junkies is doing it. The more mainstream of bands could certainly be accused of doing it solely for financial gain. After … Read more
