“Noise pop” is a subgenre wholly unique and perfectly fitted to its namesake; this is music (put that term in quotations for some non-fans) that puts a lot more emphasis on distortion and electronics than it does actual melodies, but Sleigh Bells made the style work with their stellar debut album Treats, and again with Reign of Terror.
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Review: Ben Pu – “Relax”
Relax, is the solo work of Ben Puchalski newest album that embodies the multiple talents that this man has to offer. Unlike past albums made with the complete band, Ben Pu and Crew, Puchalski cut up, arranged, recorded, and mastered this particular album all on his own.
Continue readingAlbum Review: The Naked and the Famous – “In Rolling Waves”
The Naked and Famous released their debut album Passive Me, Aggressive You in the fourth quarter of a tumultuous 2010. The synthpop indie album was a breath of fresh air, an anthem of happiness and energy. Listening to the New Zealand outfit’s catchy, pounding synth somehow makes you feel like everything is going to be all right. The wait between their debut album and its successor was only a couple of years, but the painful lapse felt far longer. At last, the follow-up In Rolling Waves is here, and it does not disappoint.
Continue readingAlbum Review: Nine Inch Nails – “Hesitation Marks”
Reznor’s music was always so full of hatred, solipsism and self-loathing, I’m pretty sure everyone thought he was going to kill himself. Between his anger and past drug addictions, I think everyone is just surprised that he now has a supermodel wife, two kids and is a well-respected soundtrack composer (Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, The Social Network).
Continue readingAlbum Review: Washed Out – Paracosm
Ernest Greene started out as a jobless librarian recording music on his computer in the upstairs bedroom of his parent’s house. They were humble beginnings that did nothing to dampen the allure of a young man who would become known as Washed Out.
Continue readingAlbum Review: BLKHRTS – Death, Romance, and the Color BLK
Combining the disparate worlds of gothic music and hip hop, BLKHRTS exemplify the creativity that the Colorado music scene generates. Denver rappers King F.O.E., Yonnas Abraham, and Karma the Voice have produced an album of fast and unflinching lyrics layered over droning and reverberating synth lines.
Continue readingAlbum Review: Ty Segall – Sleeper
Brazen post-punk millennial darling. That sounds like a lot, but it actually describes San Francisco artist Ty Segall pretty accurately.
Continue readingAlbum Review: Ramshackle Glory/Ghost Mice – Shelter
Funded by a Kickstarter campaign, Ramshackle Glory and Ghost Mice’s split album Shelter was first described by Ghost Mice lead singer Chris Clavin as being “about the ideas of shelter and home. Ideas like sleeping on floors and living in punk houses and not having anywhere to live at all.”
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