4.7
Ghost X Gardens – “Hitting The Bricks” Reaction
"Hitting The Bricks" is a short history lesson of how to live the life of a full-on rock start, a fasinating true story of talent recognizing talent....
Rock
4.7
Skip Spence and The Essence of Psychedelic Weirdness: Its Peaks and Pitfalls
Skip Spence - Canadian born songwriter, singer, guitarist, drummer (and a few other things), in many ways represents the essence of psychedelic weirdness, with all the brilliant music it produced as well as all personal pitfalls that came along with it....
4.6
The Soft Underground – Morning World Reaction
'Morning World' is an incredibly eclectic mix of grunge ballads and bangers that evokes both nostalgia and hope for a better grunge future....
2.5
Daughtry – Cage to Rattle Reaction
Daughtry does just enough, thanks in large part to the vocals, to keep Cage to Rattle from being a complete skip, but the margin isn't large....
Scott Walker: From Pop Pap or (Pap of Pop) to Beating The Avant-garde at Their Own Game
The number of pop artists that have chosen to go avant-garde is extremely small, but none went so far as Noel Scott Engel, a guy from Ohio better known as Scott Walker. The British daily “Guardian” aptly put it, he is “Andy Williams reinventing himself as Stockhausen.”...
4
Dirty Projectors – Lamp Lit Prose Reaction
Dirty Projectors' latest is a bright, airy listen that may go overboard with some of its sappy love proclamations but still remains an infectious and wildly imaginative listen nonetheless....
2.5
Dawes – Passwords Reaction
Dawes' album is surprisingly political (at least cultural) as they speak of our great cultural divide, and in lesser terms romantic divides, and tries to find understanding and common ground on which we can come together on. It's admirable, it's just not all that exciting....
3.6
Ty Segall & White Fence – Joy Reaction
'Joy' is not a 'clean' project that's easy to listen to or follow along with, but, it is a hell of an (albeit chaotic) experience that delivers some great psychedelic rock....
2.8
Panic! At the Disco – Pray For The Wicked Reaction
Panic! At the Disco's latest is all radio-friendly pop that's good for a listen or two but won't keep me coming back for more or get me excited for anything new from them in the future....
4.5
Father John Misty – God’s Favorite Customer Reaction
The fact that Father John Misty can carry such a musically stripped down album with not much more than his vocals and some superb songwriting should say it all. It's a stand out....
4
Florence + The Machine – High As Hope Reaction
Florence + The Machine try to strip things back for a more intimate listening experience. So there are more ballads and the production tries to be more subtle, but there's really only so much you can do to hold down a voice as powerful as Welch's....
5
Florence + The Machine – “June” Reaction
Florence + The Machine have produced a superb song brimming with brilliant dynamics and depth here and it's a hard thing not to appreciate....
2
Mike Shinoda – Post Traumatic Reaction
Post Traumatic is a commendable effort by Mike Shinoda and certainly a cathartic one for him but the actual music is nowhere near as compelling....
3.9
The Smashing Pumpkins – “Solara” Reaction
All the good stuff that made Smashing Pumpkins great, but not quite the best song they've put out....
Why is (was) nobody talking about The Matches?
You might have missed out on one of the best pop punk bands of the 2000's... The Matches may have been eclipsed by bigger name bands during the alt-renaissance of the 2000s, but there's no denying that their music is true to its roots 'til the very end....
Wolf Alice : Rams Head Live
Wolf Alice’s sound is all about hidden sharp edges. Deep dangerous things lurking just beneath the surface until they come exploding out in an all-out barrage. A stage presence that is driven by their music, they visibly feed off the energy of the crowd creating a feedback loop through the ebb and flow of their set. Another band that recordings just don’t do justice to, especially the subtle power of Ellie’s voice. Check out our full gallery of shots and be sure to catch them on tour....
3.5
Deerhunter – Double Dream of Spring Reaction
Deerhunter have crafted an ambiguous collection of songs that serves as art as much as it does as music. "Double Dream of Spring" is intentionally ambiguous and avant-garde, and there's some great experimental stuff here but it's definitely not for everyone....
4
Ray LaMontagne – Part of the Light Reaction
Many folk records can feel a bit too one note at times, but not this one, Ray LaMontagne gives you everything from slow, country ballads, to the raucous and almost psych and metal-like, and his incredible vocals have no trouble playing to everything....
5
Arctic Monkeys – Tranquility Base Hotel & Casino Reaction
Tranquility Base Hotel & Casino can be best described as hallucinogenic lounge music that's left-field, inventive, and smoldering. A highly unexpected direction from an established band that could've easily played things safe, but instead chose to take major risks that paid off in one of their most exhilarating albums to date....
The Birth of Stoner Rock in Palm Desert
Cannabis is as influential to the sub-genre as the desert itself. 'Desert rock,' though used interchangeably with 'stoner rock,' is not necessarily the same thing. Desert rock was a localized phenomenon; stoner rock a psychedelic one. The birthplace of the two, however, is the same....
4.4
Sleep – The Sciences Reaction
Sleep's latest album is solid stoner fare fit for your next bad trip. It was gnarly, but could be improved with more melodic range....
3.5
Sting & Shaggy – 44/876 Reaction
At times it can be as hokey as you'd expect, crossing off a checklist of myriad Caribbean and reggae cliches, but damn if it isn't an enjoyable listen nonetheless. I can't remember the last time we've heard Sting having this much fun and their clear natural chemistry together makes for good vibes....
Julian Cope – How Can You Cope With All This?
Julian Cope, a guy who once titled an album "Too Freud To Rock and Roll, Too Jung To Die", has a list of things he’s done or is doing, besides playing music, probably as long as anybody’s arm. Whether he's been able to turn himself into a mythological figure may not be certain yet, but he is certainly running close. Oh, and mythology is definitely one of the things he dabbles in, with dabble being an understatement....
Sorority Noise : Rock & Roll Hotel
There is power in a band’s genuine relationship with their fans. A tangible connection that is somehow greater than simply good energy at a show, or a particula...